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Charcuterie Masters 2017

You animals may have seen my post about Charcuterie Masters a week or two ago. If not, go read some more about it at that link I just dropped. This post is dedicated to the incredible shit we tried at the 2017 event.

Jacuterie was showing off some incredible dried salami with regional flavoring inspirations:

Elevation got my chip for the vote though. These flavors were amazing, and every chub was worth buying.

Black truffle.

Chorizo.

Barley wine.

Breakfast (maple whisky).

Fennel:

Black pepper:

Sour ale:

Chocolate stout mole:

I also tried some pastrami flavored BBQ short rib, which was sickeningly delicious. Unbelievable.

Smoking Goose came through with some incredible game-based meats. Terrines, head cheese, you name it – all great.

Yeah you are reading that correctly – lamb soppressata.

The rabbit and pork cheek terrine was my favorite.

They had some “rust belt” salami too.

On the subject of head cheese, Dickson was on point as well:

That was a duck mortadella (round one) and the pretty one had lots of duck tongue in it.

The garlic sausage from Heather Ridge Farm was a nice bite, but their root beer syrup concentrate stole the show.

Gaseiro e Bom had 5-year aged prosciutto for $800 a pound. Or you could just eat the free samples all night, like I did.

Ends Meat had some great items. In addition to the pork they even had a little beef salumi as well.

They had a nice nduja too.

I enjoyed the pate a lot at the Trois Petits Cochons table.

I signed up for a chance to win 50lbs of bacon from Ribs Within:

Refreshments – I liked the “kinda dry” one better than the bone dry.

Smoke Show was apparently smoking a whole hog on the premesis. I knew something was up when I saw the sign and cleaver.

We heard something was going on out back, so we investigated. Turns out that Smoke Show really did put on a show:

The chopping block:

Some #SaltBae action:

And some hardcore FoodPourn:

I took some video of the chopping process, and I got upset when a little bit spilled out of the pan:

There was also some smoked alpaca from the people that run Duck’s Eatery and Harry & Ida’s:

Oh and then there was this whole room full of amazing sliced meats, pickles and pretzels with mustard. I was honestly too overwhelmed by it all. Where do I even begin?

That about does it. If you missed it, next year, make sure you go.

Charcuterie Masters

Check this out: I just got press access to this amazing event coming to Flushing Town Hall on February 25th. It’s called Charcuterie Masters, and it’s being hosted by NY Epicurian Events Inc.

They are a Catskill Mountains-based producer of premiere farm-to-table food and wine festivals and educational programs. They pair the agricultural bounty (including grass-fed beef, organic produce, artisan cheeses, smoked fish, and wines from the region’s lush mountain valleys and fresh water streams) with New York City’s most innovative chefs and the culinary community.

Their goals include creating jobs, driving economic development by assisting family farmers and local artisans, and fostering culinary and agricultural tourism in the Catskill-Delaware New York City Watershed. This exposes everyone – from chefs to culinary professionals to foodies to gourmets – to delicious, fresh, sustainable and healthful foods.

From the ticketing page:

NY Epicurean Events & AgriForaging Food Safety – in collaboration with The Meat Market, Fire Roasted Catering, the Cheese & Dairy Society of NYS and The Salt Cured Pig – are proud to present the 2nd Annual Charcuterie Masters competition to be held at historic Flushing Town Hall on February 25, 2017.

Charcuterie Masters is the first ever competition of its kind and brings together more than 20 professional and amateur makers of artisanal charcuterie from across the U.S and Canada, including Rodrigo Duarte (Caseiro E Bom, Newark, N.J.); John Harkness (Prime Meats, Brooklyn, N.Y.); Chad Nelan (Elevation Charcuterie & Artisan Meats, Denver); Stewart Taylor (Babelfish Bistro, Guelph, Ontario, Canada); and Giuseppe Viterale (Ornella Trattoria, Astoria, N.Y.).

Charcuterie Masters 2017 is so much more than a national competition, it’s a celebration of Meaty Times where guests will be able to sample exquisite cured meats and salumi — including hams, bacons, pates, sausages and much more.

Participating chefs for Charcuterie Masters 2017 are:

  • Hugue Dufour (M. Wells Steakhouse)
  • Will Horowitz (Ducks Eatery, Harry & Ida’s Meat and Supply Co.)
  • Pitmaster Josh Bowen (John Brown Smokehouse)
  • Alfonso Zhicay (Casa del Chef Bistro)

Guests will have an opportunity to savor charcuterie, learn from the makers as well participate in a people’s choice vote of the ‘best-of-the-evening’ charcuterie. Pairings will include top-rated wines, craft beers, and farmstead ciders. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase charcuterie directly at the event.

A $60 general admission ticket entitles guests to explore unlimited tasting and sampling of all food and beverages.

Additionally, there will be $100 VIP tickets sold, which will allow access to a special hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. enabling VIP guests to enjoy early access to the entire festival.

Maybe I’ll see some of you meat maniacs there!!!

Bespoke Kitchen

NOTE: THIS JOINT IS NOW CLOSED!

The concept behind Bespoke Kitchen is a totally custom dining experience that’s different every time. The idea is simple: aside from about a dozen starter items, you choose from four proteins and whether you want your protein to have rich or light flavors. The alternative is to leave the entree completely up to the chefs with a secret protein. There are several chefs, too, by the way. All have different culinary backgrounds, but all are incredibly talented and well-experienced.

When I was here for an influencer event via their PR group, NYC Restaurant, organized by The Dishelin Guide, the available proteins were rib eye, branzino, sea bass or duck. The secret protein turned out to be lamb on this night, but I didn’t get to try any. It did look beautiful though:

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Let me get back to the starters though. We tried a bunch, so I will just fire them off with some commentary to go with each.

STARTERS

Diver Scallops:

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These were pretty good. They were halved scallops served atop a bed of spaghetti squash, hen of the woods mushrooms and pine nuts. The outside was seared and caramelized just right, leaving the meat supple and juicy inside.

Bacon Tasting:

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Thick cut belly, maple bacon and lamb bacon graced this beautiful natural wood platter of pork. My favorite was the lamb, not only because it is delicious but because it is a rare gem to find on any menu here in the city.

Bacon Dumplings:

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Lobster cocktail:

Why the fuck not? These were like cheddar and bacon Totino’s pizza rolls, only elevated and in a nicer wrapper.

Mixed Ceviche:

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Light and refreshing, this bowl contained fluke, octopus and shrimp, with a side of sweet potato chips.

Tuna tartare:

Short Rib Gnocchi:

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The gnocchi were light but with a crispy coating on them, and the short rib was rich and extremely flavorful. Big fan of this dish.

Grilled Octopus:

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This was really well executed. The tentacle was very tender, and the squid ink balsamic on the plate was perfect for smearing onto the purple potatoes. Check out my buddy Ben’s awesome shot of it:

A photo posted by Ben Hon (@stuffbeneats) on

My other crappy pic:

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I ended up going back another time and shooting this again. Check it:

ENTREES

Each protein comes as a fully composed meal, complete with a starch and a veggie. Naturally, I went with the rib eye. I also tried some of the duck.

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The rib eye was really juicy and succulent, with lots of nice beefy flavor. While there wasn’t much cap present, the eye was delicious. I score it at a nice 8/10. Two other rib eyes were ordered in our group, and each one was plated differently, with different veggies. One even had a poached egg on top!

But check out this duck!

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Beautiful tuna plating.

The fat could have used some better rendering, to get that rubbery quality out completely, but that is a tough challenge to accomplish on a breast while still maintaining a good medium rare cook temperature. I was fine with trimming the fat away and munching on that beautiful pink breast meat.

DESSERT

Burrata Cheesecake:

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This delight is made in house, which is very impressive being it is a burrata cheese. It was super creamy and light, served with graham cracker crumble and an apple caramel. It was simple and delicious.

Cinnamon Bun:

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This was really tasty, and my favorite of the desserts. It was a soft cake inside, some good crisp outside, and lots of ooey gooey dolce de leche glaze on top.

Chocolate Pudding:

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This lacked sweetness, and almost tasted as if it was sugarless or “diet” – not fake sugar, but NO sugar, or LOW sugar. I didn’t mind so much, since I don’t have a huge sweet tooth to begin with, but some other diners expressed dissatisfaction. I did get that cocoa flavor from it, though, and the texture was nice and smooth.

Butternut Squash Ice Cream:

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This was really interesting, and at first I didn’t think I’d like it, based on the description. Imagine candied yams in an ice cream format, but without that horrible starchy texture. It was similar to that flavor. I was oddly attracted to this, so I just kept going back to it over and over. That must mean it was a success.

I definitely recommend coming to this joint. Every meal you eat here will be different, even if you and your table-mates order the same exact thing at the same exact time. It’s kind of fun, new, exciting and adventurous. I’m happy to see something unique like this in NYC.

BESPOKE KITCHEN
615 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014