to the buddyman
Happy to introduce Mosh Mickey to the party
What I believe to be a mummified shrew, that I found in my yard last spring.
This is only the 2nd post I’ve read from David’s blog (of 3 total) and already I know it’s going to be good.
Today I participated in the Meat Hook brunch. I booked the reservation in December (with Valentine’s Day weekend being the first available slot). We showed up to a special table-setting with heart confetti and doilies in the 2-seat table in front of the butcher case. Within a few minutes, the meal began:
(For the uninitiated, this is a one-table-a-week, chef’s choice kind of thing. Also, they keep bringing out courses until you send a plate back that isn’t clean.)
-First, Tom brought out an oversized shot of bourbon topped with a raw egg that he called the “Warren Beatty” (I had to take it in two drinks, and after half of it was down, I noticed the entire staff watching me as I finished. My eyes watered.)
-Next, a different butcher brought out a bag of caramel corn mix that he put in bowls, topped with chocolate covered almonds and milk. I asked if it was skim and was ridiculed for the rest of the meal about it. This course was really sweet and I couldn’t finish (Mike tagged in).
-Tom then brought out the “Mrs Bergman”, which was a trailer-park version of maki: dill pickle wrapped in duck rillette, then mortadella (both house-made). Pretty good, except I don’t care for pickles.
-Brent brought out two glasses and a bottle of vodka, asking which flavor we preferred of the pop rocks he planned to put in each glass. I chose grape; Mike, strawberry.
-Next, they brought out a variant on biscuits and gravy—braised confit lamb heart covered in sausage gravy, paired with grits and Texas Pete’s hot sauce
-“Halftime” came next: orange slices with a cold tleftover torta from Brent’s Friday night out in the city, complete with bite marks.
-Another guy brought out the next dish: “Hearts, 4 ways”. Rabbit and lamb hearts wrapped in some sort of skin, skewered, served with salted beets and a grilled cheese sandwich, both cut into hearts.
-Things were getting rough for me at this point. Mike ate most of the hearts. Tom then served “shit on a shingle”: texas toast topped with a pureed beef bourguignon. Mike might have finished his; I barely remember. Mine went back at best half-eaten.
-Next came the “New Jersey pork roll”, which was scrambled eggs, cheddar, and housemade ham on a potato roll. I had one bite and looked to the butchers/servers for sympathy, and Tom said I could actually wrap it back up in the butcher paper in which it was served and save it for later. Mike and I both saved ours. It was served with a giant shot of tequila and limoncello, topped with a gummy worm.
-Tom brought out 2 glasses, 2 oysters, the Texas Pete’s hot sauce, and the vodka. He mixed the liquids and topped with the oysters for one big shot he called the “duck fart”.
-We noticed the Rockaway Taco guy lurking in the Meat Hook, and he brought out the final course (after sending back the unfinished texas toast, one of the guys said we’d be getting just one more course). The final dish was a vegetarian taco with roasted potato and cheese, and maybe some other vegetables. I was in poor form at this point.
Finally they brought the check, after 12 courses. They took our picture a few times, but said we were in the top 25th percentile of people that made it through brunch. Also, before the meal started, I gave them a slice of King Cake I had brought from home. They did not get the baby, but they enjoyed it.
This was easily the most fun meal I’ve ever had, even if I did throw up and go to sleep as soon as I got home.
I’ve been largely absent from Tumblr recently for two reasons: I started doing a bit of fashion blogging for Blackbook back in November and also got a new job 2 weeks ago. I’m a Digital Producer at ALLDAYEVERYDAY, but the more exciting bit is the site we’re launching today! (Right now it’s streaming some runway shows, but the cellphone portion will be live shortly.) It’s basically a microsite cellphone photo/video collage. If you’re attending any FW events, please take a picture of a hungry model and email to live@milkmade.com, then check the site for near-immediate posting! (More details here.)
So that’s my personal update. I miss you all.
Stairwell in Terence Koh’s studio, featuring a likely knockoff of the rabbit Lindsey bought me in Iceland.
(text by Koh)
