The simple decor does not prepare you for the expertly made cocktails and beautifully presented plates. Though they call the cuisine “New American” the influences draw from two very different regions. Chef Jennifer Cole draws inspiration from her origins of North Carolina as well as Spain, where she spent most of her career. After working with impressive names such as Susan Spicer, Juan Mari Arzak, Andres Madrigal, and more, Chef Jennifer Cole was named “best female chef” in Madrid for her work at Ene. And now we can taste all of that in her food, right here in Williamsburg.

When you go to Fat Goose, you must start with the Chicken Croquettes with Tomatillo Salsa. Most of the croquettes I’ve had here are potato-based. These, done like they do in Spain, are bechamel-based and ooze once you crack the thin crisp shell. Warm and comforting, the chicken-y richness floods your mouth.  The tomatillo salsa add just the right touch of acid.

The next dish was a Salmon Tartare presented with a raw quail egg yolk on top. It was a nice fresh dish, the perfect prelude to the richer Red Wine Stewed Oxtail with Toasted Pasta. The intense umami is brightened with a sweet carrot marmalade. I didn’t need as much marmalade as Lon who can take a stronger sweetness than I can. The Hake with Heritage Pork Trotters and Wild Mushrooms was another favorite at our table of six. The fresh bounce of good fish reminiscent to the “fresh-kill” common in Chinese food was a nice match to the collagen rich slice of pork trotters. The mushrooms made this such a complete dish.

By that point in the meal we were getting quite full, yet I still tried desperately to finish the beautiful cut of pork belly resting on creamy Rosemary Polenta. We gave in but took the mere three bites home. We still had the Rice Pudding Empanadas coming. Piping hot, not-too-sweet, and served with a dark chocolate sauce. There was nothing wrong with the dessert, but it was our least favorite of the night (something had to be).

Special thanks to Blanca and Antonio at FriendsEat who introduced us to Chef Jennifer Cole, who then invited us to this intimate press dinner. It was the four of us plus Andrea and Jeff from High Low Food Drink. (Note: Press dinners are complimentary, but I’m never obligated to post anything. Opinions positive and negative are posted.)

We enjoyed that dinner so much, we went back for brunch as patrons. For this meal, we met up with our friends Bill and Lee, and Caya was with us. It’s a nice chill place to go with friends and family. Again, no wait yet!

Bill was very happy with his Heavy Sunrise cocktail x2. As I already advised to you (above) we started with those Chicken Croquettes (also available at brunch) and Deviled Eggs. We typically think of deviled eggs as the house-party dish we avoid, but Chef Jennifer worked some magic with these. They’re more like a very fresh and admittedly artery clogging salad just held in a halved egg white.

I was ecstatic about the Buckwheat Crepe. Every bite melts in your mouth with an even distribution of creamy spinach, toasty pine nut, and dabs of sweet raisin. I would go just for this.

The Fried Egg “Nest” was a pile of nicely fried potato rounds a bit thicker than chips. A perfect runny egg sat in the middle. Unfortunately for Lee, the dish was under-seasoned and felt like it was missing something.  Lee, Bill, and Lon felt the menu description didn’t accurately represent the dish that was served.

The two boys ordered Huevos Rancheros, a generous dish, but not otherwise note-worthy.

A side of Goose Fat Hash is beautiful and a nice plate to share. Lon was super sad they were out of Cured Ham Biscuits.

We finished with a lovely fruit crumble. Simple good ingredients.

It seems like Fat Goose is still working out the kinks in brunch service, so we recommend going to Fat Goose for dinner for now, unless you just want to stop in for that Buckwheat Crepe.

While early reviews have all favored the burnt ends, which are delicious, the tender, juicy, and charred ends of brisket are actually my second favorite; the true stand-out being the smokey pork ribs. While most hide behind a sweet sticky sauce, this one stands on it’s own dry rub, a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and pure meaty goodness.  We’ve eaten the JB ribs now with six other people on two different occasions and the consensus was solid: amazing ribs.

The rib tips, lamb sausage, and pork belly are close behind. (The pork belly was better the first time: sliced thicker, later on sliced thinner.)

The brisket was drier the second time and I didn’t love the pulled pork, but neither were bad, just not as noteworthy as the rest. What is noteworthy: the sides, they are wonderful.

The pork and beans have more meat than any other pork and beans you’ve seen. Slathered on some included Wonderbread, it’s enough for a meal.  The other stand-out, which everyone we ate with commented upon was the cole slaw. The slaw is the perfect vinegary antidote for the meat and unique amongst competition.  And the mac and cheese is really good when it’s still hot.

The prices are insanely good compared to Manhattan joints. Many meats are sold by the pound. The place is pretty small so we recommend taking the food to-go and eat it at home (if you can wait that long).  JB also get extra points on customer service for bringing the food out to my car across the street so I didn’t have to wake Caya. Yay for John Brown Smokehouse!

As soon as we were seated, popcorn popped in bacon fat arrived at the table. It’s a prelude to the rest of the meal. We were armed with suggestions from blogging/twitter friends (Jackie, Yvo, Ken, Andrea, and Siobhan) so we ordered everything they recommended and more, about 3/4 of the menu. The Cobb Salad with added bacon was a hearty salad, full of rich ingredients like Chinese sausage chips, blue cheese dressing, candied walnuts, and runny yolk to coat that all. The chef assembled some colossal flavor and yet each one stood out. Impressive.

The Pork Belly in crisp taco shells were cut in nice, thick pieces, full of juicy pork flavor.

I liked the BLT Buns even more. Centered around slabs of sweet and smoky bacon, these buns melted away in your mouth.

The four of us agreed that the Yellowtail, Speck, and Grapefruit was the least interesting. The fish gets lost in this dish. However, it is the lightest dish providing a nice break from the rich dishes.

The Scallops were cooked nicely and the little fried capers on the side really stole the show.

The Korean BBQ Wraps are full of that umami goodness you’d expect, made with quality beef.

“Crack & Cheese” should be their signature dish. The fried gnocchi are light inside and crisp outside. They’re tossed in a cheesy bechamel and a generous amount of bacon. It’s wildly indulgent and makes you feel guilty for eating it.

The two boys seemed to enjoy the Meatballs, but I thought they were just good and fairly standard in a Parmesan-rich tomato sauce.

The Fried Chicken was salty but perfect in every other way. Crispy, crunchy coating; juicy chicken; and not at all greasy. It’s a generous portion too.

For dessert, we had a trio: Thai Tea Ice Cream, Cucumber Sorbet,  and Buttermilk Yuzu Sorbet. All three were unique but we were mixed on how much we enjoyed the dessert.

All four of us really enjoyed Salt & Fat. The service was great. The space is simple and clean, with a comfortable amount of space between tables. The price is very reasonable. ($119.76 with tax, not including tip, for all these dishes + 3 beers.) We’ve already made plans to go again so I will update this post with more pics so stay tuned…

The setting is beautiful and you can tell it was a barn. The structure was preserved while a wall of glass has replaced one section, so that you can see all the flowers right outside. Our table had a silver pelican on it. At closer inspection, you’ll see that it was made of silverware, as are the figures on other tables, like lobsters, roosters, or other birds, all made from knives, forks, and spoons.

As soon as I opened the menu, I noticed that they had printed ours with “Happy Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Binder”, which was really sweet, a genuine consideration that we felt through the night by the staff.

The table was pre-set with olive oil and butter, I wasn’t impressed with either, they were pretty standard. There was a nice array of breads to choose from although none were notable either.

We started with a sparkling Taittinger, Prestige Rose. Later, we had planned a Gewurztraminer, but when we tasted it, felt it was too sweet and they allowed us to change to a more suitable Riesling, the “Schoenenbourg”, Pierre Sparr 2001. Both were quite expensive although very generous pours.

We chose the tasting menu, which we love to do, but noticed some gorgeous plates others were getting. It was a Tuesday night and the restaurant was pretty empty. The Pineapple cured salmon, a large amuse, arrived. It’s a pretty layering of seaweed salad, chopped pineapple cured salmon, and pineapple salsa. Nice, but not memorable.

We thought it was odd to serve the above as an amuse when the first course was salmon two ways, especially when the presentation of the Smoked Salmon Tartare was so similar. The flavors were different though, with a splash of creme fraiche topping with cucumber salad. The Poached Salmon is barely cooked, which I enjoyed, tasting more like raw salmon and just changing the texture to a more evenly tender piece.

The Braised Lamb Neck presentation is genius. While braised meat is delicious, it often doesn’t look so beautiful, so here Chef Jonathon Cartwright forms it into a rough cube and breads it. It is nicely fried, piping hot, and when you break in, it’s tender little bits of flavor-rich lamb. The display of beans and peas like different colored pebbles, with the fried boulder, remind me of a landscape.

The Smoked Lobster was presented in a dish with a dome cover. When it was lifted, the aroma of smoked lobster filled our table. The corn puree is a perfect sweet match to the smoky flavor of the perfect lobster tail.

The Foie Gras Torchon is covered in salted nuts and served with a balsamic strawberry. You might think I’m ridiculous for saying this but there is a PB & J effect here. It’s great!

The Spring Pea Ravioli is spiked with mint which brightens it nicely.

The Pineapple Sage Sorbet is perfumy. It has a wonderful flavor but a tad too sweet for me.

The Dry Aged Sirloin was lean, cooked perfectly, but not that tender. I love peas, but at that point I was a bit sick of seeing them so much. The potato gratin was rich and I imagine that I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t already stuffed at that point in the meal.

The cheese cart came and as usual my eyes lit up, yet, it turned out not to be very impressive. I imagine they can’t keep a ton of cheeses during weekdays. We were one of only four tables that night. We enjoyed the accompanying chutney, but the breads/crackers were not worth the stomach space.

At the suggestion of a pre-dessert, I mustered some up some ability to eat more and really enjoyed the very fruity glass of crushed pineapple and Peach Cream.

The real dessert, Mango Souffle, was pretty egg-y, reminding me of a Chinese dessert. Lon loves White Chocolate Sauce and I don’t, but both of us agreed the Strawberry Sorbet was the best part.

Towards the end of our meal, we met the couple next to us, also on their anniversary, their 41st! They were so sweet and sent us each a glass of aged port, a really delicious port. Sadly, we had to dash before eating our petit fours because we got a call that Ice was barking in our hotel room. =( Our wonderful waiter packed little treats and helped us expedite out.

My feeling is that the chef Jonathon Cartwright is quite talented, but the White Barn Inn suffers from their remote location. Without being able to maintain a good volume of patrons, maybe they can not keep as many ingredients. I don’t feel that tasting menus should have so many repeating ingredients. Count the peas, the salmon, the pineapple, and the strawberry. I’d be curious to eat there on a weekend, but my anniversary fell on a Tuesday–and high-end restaurants don’t get to make excuses by day of the week.

It’s hard to have one of these dinners without comparing it to other upscale tasting menus. Here it was a little less expensive at $140 per person. Daniel (our favorite) was $185. The French Laundry was $240 (+$30 to $60 more in supplements). Manresa was $160. Le Bernardin was $185. The price seems to fit the disparity in ingredient variety and quality, but adding wines can get pretty expensive, totaling out at $500.88 (with tax and tip) which feels like a little more than it was worth.

The Clam Shack (snack on whole clams)

As we drove to Kennebunkport, a new twitter friend, Mark (@msparksls), recommended The Clam Shack 2 Western Avenue, Kennebunk, ME 04043. Soon after, we drove right by it, situated on the bridge entering Kennebunkport, with a long line. I knew that right after we checked in at The Colony Hotel, we’d be walking right back in to town for clams. Check out our Twitpics of The Clam Shack and our order.

The Clam Strips are good; we had them as a sandwich ($8.75), overflowing the nice soft bun. The clam cake is also good in a everything-fried-is-good kind of way. It really tastes mostly of filler, but it’s only $2.15. The real winner is whole fried clams — they are AMAZING. At first we thought $20.95 was expensive for a pint, yet after diving into our order we realized it’s a lot of whole shelled clams, ultra fresh, and the nice folks at The Clam Shack keep their frying oil very clean, extra important for a seafood fryer. It is disappointing that they don’t make their own tartare sauce and the packages had food coloring so I couldn’t even eat it, but accordingly to Lon, I was not missing anything.

Whole fried clams seem so popular here, a welcome change from the common clam strips at many port towns. It’s a nice thing to show off!  These definitely need to be on your “do eat” list when you’re in Kennebunkport.

Aunt Marie’s (must-have a lemonade break)

Aunt Marie’s 10 Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport, ME 04046 is just a little window selling a short menu of food including hot dogs, Gifford’s ice cream, and freshly squeezed lemonade. Do not miss out on this expert formula of refreshing citrus, made to order. I got two lemonades during our four-day stay.

Alisson’s and Federal Jack’s Brew Pub (good, but not top of list)

Alisson’s 11 Dock Square, Kennebunkport, ME 04046 was recommended by my friend Karen and Federal Jack’s 8 Western Avenue, Kennebunk, ME 04043 was recommended by twitter friend, Hilary. I’d describe them as clean, family-friendly pubs.

What’s surprising is finding great and abundant plates of seafood in these settings, or maybe it’s not, that’s how you know you’re in Maine. We had a seafood alfredo at Allison’s and a Paella at Federal Jack’s. The first was not an authentic Italian pasta and the second was not even close to inspired by the Spanish dish.  Authenticity aside (a rose is still a rose by any other name) both dishes were tasty and filled with a wonderful mix of perfectly cooked seafood.

From both places, we ordered “plain” dishes as well, like a 1 1/4 lb boiled lobster from Allison’s and Steamers from Federal Jack; both were great! Nothing fancy needed when you have wonderfully fresh seafood. Both local establishments were reasonably priced and I think of them similarly so you don’t really need to go to both.

The Lobster Shack (skip)

Many recommended The Lobster Shack 110 Perkin’s Cove Road, Ogonquit, ME 03907. It was the best deal, $13.95 for a lobster roll with chips, slaw, and clam chowder, but it was our least favorite. The lobster was still as good as all the lobster around, but there was a drop too much mayo, the bread was over-buttery which masks the lobster flavor, and the chowder was watery. Still, it’s not bad (is there bad lobster in Maine?), just not as great as hyped.

Bread & Roses (if you have a sweet tooth)

Andrea and Siobhan recommended Bread & Roses 246 Main Street, Ogonquit, ME 03907 to me and it is a noteworthy bakery.  They’re crowded and kind of a mess with three separate areas to order from. Once you get to the food it’s worth it to have their Funny Bones cake: a chocolate cake with peanut butter cream. It’s rich and indulgent with more flavor than sugar (don’t worry, there was plenty of sugar too). The texture of the cake was soft and moist. This would be my next birthday cake if it was a bakery in NYC. The blueberry pie was good, and surprisingly not-too-sweet. Unfortunately too much gelatin was used. Also, skip the lemonade.

Fisherman’s Catch (if you have a car)

We mostly stuck to suggestions, but needed to find something new on our own.  We wandered down a random side road between Ogonquit and Kennebunkport, and found Fisherman’s Catch 134 Harbor Road, Wells, ME 04090. They make a great Fried Haddock sandwich and killer shrimp cocktail. That’s all we got, totaling $14.94, since it was just a snack.

Henry VII Carvery (skip)

When we needed a break from lobster, we tried Henry VII Carvery for some of their roast beef. We think the quality of the meat is good and the bread was soft and fresh.  Sadly they carved it into chunks which doesn’t give the same texture as thin slices. This was probably our least favorite meal in Kennebunkport.

Port Lobster Co. (must for lunch or snack)

Port Lobster Company 122 Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport, ME 04046 is mostly a fish market and not a restaurant, where luckily you can order a few prepared foods to-go. We got a lobster roll, crab roll, and shrimp cocktail, then walked back to our hotel to eat it poolside. This was one of the best lobster rolls we had, noticing that it was all tail meat and at $8.99 least expensive around. The 1/2 lb of shrimp cocktail with a horseradish-rich cocktail sauce was a steal at $7.99. BTW, they ship.

Hurricane (go for dinner)

Hurricane 29 Dock Square, Kennebunkport, ME 04046 is a little nicer than most other local restaurants, featuring white linen table clothes and a leather bound menu. Reservations are highly recommended. The service here is a step up, where they split our salad course for us. Yet, Hurricane is still casual enough to allow jeans in the dining room.

We loved the half dozen oysters, two each of three different varieties. They were huge and deep and saltier than the ones we’re used to in NY. Slurpilicious!

The Clams with Chorizo and Corn was a good dish.  We enjoyed it while keeping focus on the main attraction: the two pound Stuffed Lobster, topped with giant scallops. The stuffing includes shrimp and crabmeat and this guy was huge!

We had way too much food for two people.  I would recommend just splitting the oysters and the 2lb lobster.  We like to over-order. (The salad, oysters, clams, giant baked lobster, cappuccino and limoncello came to $98.44 which we thought reasonable.)

White Barn Inn (go if price is not an issue)

White Barn Inn, a special occasion destination, was where we went for dinner on our second wedding anniversary. It deserves its own post so I’ll have that up soon.

The Colony Hotel (Must for dog-owners)

We stayed at The Colony Hotel 140 Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, an ultra dog-friendly hotel that was perfect for us. (Special thanks to Erina at Smartflyer for recommending and booking for me — she is another new Twitter friend, and a great travel agent).  We loved that so many guests had dogs that could run around on the grounds. They have a beach across the street where dogs can run leash-free before June 15th. About half the rooms (including ours) have windows facing this beach. They have a deck and gazebo that we took advantage of, watching sunsets with our pup. It was relaxing and what we needed. Breakfast is included, though not exciting, just a simple buffet. Clearly we ate enough the rest of the day and kept to Irish Oats and fruit.  The one down-side is that the building is pretty old so sound insulation is not great. I imagine that’s probably the way it is all over town though. There are no high-rise resorts here.

Kennebunkport is a cute, small town that is very quiet, especially on weekdays. Going there means relaxing, enjoying the vistas, seeing some amazing homes (like the Bush’s, or other beautiful homes), and, of course, eating a ton of perfect shellfish. Vacation here is all about the cholesterol rise.

Amy, who is practically my sister now, treated me to this special lunch. I chose it because the $28 Two-Course is an incredible steal. Two courses doesn’t sound like that much, but add the gougeres, amuse, fresh breads, and macarons (all complimentary), and you will be full and smiling.

The warm gougeres are deceptively light and airy. I could pop these all day, and it’s dangerous as you browse the menu and mindlessly take one after the other. Shortly after menus are taken, the amuse arrive. On one plate, an artfully designed cracker with foie gras sits with a baby radish.

On the other, the same perfectly square bite and a carrot marshmallow. Each small bite was fun, a fleeting moment of joy, exactly what an amuse should be.

Choosing 2 dishes out of 16 choices is quite difficult. Every one appealed to me, but our waiter was able to help us narrow it down, giving me his clear favorites. The first dish he mentioned was the Slow Cooked Knoll Krest Farm Egg with Asparagus Veloute. This is one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had (and we’ve talked about how appetizers are usually the winners so the bar is set high). I can go on and on about how the breadcrumbs contrasted the softest egg, how the mushrooms squish like a fine tuned orchestra, how the concentration of asparagus flavor surrounds but does not overpower, and how the whole feeling of it is perfectly velvety.

Amy started with the Big Eye Tuna Tartare with Sweet Peas, Mint, and Sheep’s Milk Yogurt. Every piece of this dish screamed fresh fresh fresh. This is the time of year to take advantage of all the fresh peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas.

My second course, Poached Nova Scotia Lobster with Heirloom Carrots. A perfect tail, nuckle, and claw cloaked in a creamy yet airy sauce and topped with ginger and vadouvan granola. Generally, I like lobster plain, unadulterated, but every accompaniment here made this lobster even better.

Amy had the St. Canut Farm Cochon de Lait (milk fed suckling pig). It’s practically architecture, with different cuts of the pig decorated with rhubarb, spring onion, and ice wine vinegar. The flavors were all wonderful but some pieces were a bit tougher than expected.

I passed on dessert because I was truly stuffed. I forgot that wonderful restaurants like this always end with some sweets anyway so good thing I didn’t order more. Like all the “Happy Birthday” wishes I got from the staff, the plate had it written across as well, adding little touches here and there that made this a special lunch. It was impressive array of macaron flavors and colors (all without food coloring).

One was a peanut butter and jelly macaron. Amy’s boyfriend Jason is PB&J obsessed so we asked if we could get one to take home. Our waiter brought us a pretty little box of six, topping off this wonderful experience. Everything was just so perfect. Thanks Amy! One of the best lunches ever!

Enough about throwbacks to elementary school, let’s talk meatballs. There’s six meatballs: classic beef, spicy pork, chicken, salmon, vegetable, and a weekly special. There’s four sauces: classic tomato, spicy meat sauce, mushroom gravy, and parmesan cream. That’s 24 different possibilities, but then you can have them as is, with sides or sides under them, as sliders, as heroes, or as smashes (2 balls on a brioche bun with sauce and cheese, with side salad). The picking process was actually fun, and with helpful steering from our waitress, my four-person party tried a lot of stuff.

We had the Vegetable Meatballs with Spicy Meat Sauce. They were dense and cold in the center so I’d skip  (I think this is out for vegetarians), but the rest were good: pork meatballs with tomato sauce, chicken meatballs with parmesan cream sauce, and the weekly special was Corned Beef and Cabbage meatballs. We had the last as a smash with mushroom gravy and provolone cheese. They all taste pretty much as expected.

The risotto was risotto, not special, not bad. The white beans were getting on the extra soft side but flavorful.

The market salad of arugula, beets, tangerine, and walnuts was super fresh, lightly dressed, elegant for a meatball joint. The roasted veggies of the day was fennel with raisins and walnuts. It was almost good, but too much burnt fennel.

The prices are great for a hearty meal and you won’t feel as heavy as you might expect; but it’s not worthy of a special trip.  This is more of a “heck, we’re in the neighborhood” kind of meal.

]]> http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/03/the-meatball-shop.html/feed 10 http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/02/employees-only.html http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/02/employees-only.html#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:53:38 +0000 jessica http://www.foodmayhem.com/?p=7405 I went to Employees Only 510 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014 in that snow storm Thursday night, thinking it would be empty. It was not. The long bar is packed with people and I was a little jealous of those that got to watch and interact with the mixologists. They were all in chef whites, smiling and chatting, filling glasses with beautiful looking cocktails. Still, I was glad I made a reservation for the restaurant section (in the back) because that guaranteed me and Mary a spot. Plus, our waitress was wonderful as well.

I’ve often heard of Employees Only being the place for wonderful cocktails, and it is. Mary had the Amelia (Luksusowa Potato Vodka & St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur shaken with pureed Blackberries & Fresh Lemon Juice), which was thickened and sweetened just-so by the fruit puree. So impressed, she tried another, the West Side (Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka and Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice shaken with Fresh Mint, served straight up), an adults lemonade.

My Ginger Smash (Muddled Ginger Root & Fresh Cranberries shaken with Plymouth Gin, Berentzen Apple Liqueur & Fresh Lemon Juice served over ice) was a potent showing of the spicy root, while still feeling balanced in a very calculated way.

I had gone in with the understanding that I was here to try some great drinks, so I was pleasantly surprised with the care taken over service and food in the back. Our waitress had sincere recommendations, turning us onto a Hand-Cut Steak Tartar, mixed for you table-side. Watch as the sea salt, pepper, capers, Worcestershire, and hot sauce (if you choose) are added and given a vigorous whipping into the beef, herbs, and egg yolks. Eaten with thin crispy toasts, it’s fresh and feels light, probably the best tartar I’ve had.

Mary had a generous piece of pan-seared salmon with a beautiful golden crust. The artichoke, fingerling, and mache salad with a mayo-based dressing is a little heavier, a nice match to the simplicity of a plain but perfect fish fillet.

I had a special of Prawns a la Plancha. Each body had the crisp snap, each head was juicy, and I’ve told you how much I like prawn heads. The dark greens were soaked in a vinaigrette and sprinkled with pistachios. It was quite sour but it seemed so right that way. I even dipped more bread into the warm dressing.

I was then about to be surprised again, with quite a dessert, a unique Mascarpone Cheesecake. It was lighter than the usual New York style, as our waitress had promised. I already love the mild creamy finesse of marscapone, but here it was given a new texture, almost pudding/jello-like. The caramel was a wonderful sweeter compliment, with accents of sea salt on top. It’s the perfect dessert to share.

Aside from the darkness (which fits their speakeasy style), I have no complaints. The meal (3 cocktails, an appetizer, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert) is reasonably priced for around $148 (including tax and tip). I will be back!

It get’s better. Jeffrey’s Meat Market 120 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002 (inside Essex Street Market) holds a class every weekend, rotating through pig, beef, lamb, fowl, and I got to choose.

First Jeffrey Ruhalter ushers the class over to Tra La La Juice Bar 120 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002, insisting we try the muffins (included in the cost of the course). The muffins were as wonderful as he promised, rustic with random large chunks of pear in mine, banana in Lon’s. I would never have thought of not chopping the nuts in the muffin but these whole pieces worked. It tasted natural and fresh. They were still warm from the oven and a steal at $2. Not to be missed.

With the snow, this was a small class of four: me and Lon, Mike who received this class as a present from his wife, and Andrew who is contemplating a career in butchery. Lucky for us, that meant we would got some hands-on cutting. (Usually it’s just watch-and-learn)

This is a two minute re-cap of a 3+ hours class.
*If you’re squeamish about animal parts, do not watch the video!

Jeffrey's Meat Market

The video doesn’t show all of the tastings, so don’t plan on eating lunch after this class.  We tasted from:

• a huge platter of cold cuts and cheeses;
• roasted Boston butt with Latin flavoring and crispy skin;
• roasted neck bone;
• dry-aged porterhouse steak; and,
• pork chops in olive oil

Following Emeril Lagasse’s lead, sanitation is thrown to the wind, but what Jeffrey lacks in cross contamination prevention, he makes up for in generosity. He is determined to make sure you leave with more than you could have imagined. In fact, looking at the price of $75 per person, and counting the tastings and portions you take home (seems like each person got at least 5 lbs), we figure there is no way Jeffrey can even break even. What is this, a charity?

I wouldn’t be surprised. Jeffrey was giving samples to all that passed, including vagrants, and it started becoming apparent that these stragglers knew him and came to him regularly.

As Jeffrey finished up the class, he decided to do more than just give me some pork, he was going to prepare the rack of pork for us. He took it off the bone, filleted it, and layered it with proscuitto, sweet and hot peppers, and gruyere. He rolled it up and tied it back onto the rack, finishing off with garlic, parmesan, and paprika. Beautiful and we had never seen this before.

The next day, we covered the bones with some aluminum foil and put the rack on top of some carrots, and roasted it at 300 degrees F for about 60 to 70 minutes, or until it reached 140 degrees F. I let it rest for 1o minutes (as it carries to 145 degrees F) before slicing it. It was perfect with some roasted potatoes.

While the class is fairly disorganized (at various times the four of us weren’t sure what to do or where to go), and Essex Street Market can be a bit of a circus, overall it was a unique experience that we both enjoyed.  So even though we were invited to join this class gratis, it’s an easy decision to gladly pay for the next one. The only hard decisions is lamb or cow?

I had the Smoked Trout, paired with hard boiled eggs, horseradish cream, and buttered sourdough toast. It seems so simple and light, yet the lean trout somehow allows the egg yolks, creamy dressing, and butter to stand out, actually highlighting the fatty smears across the tongue. The smoky tender flakes, delicious on their own, also act as catalyst to the accompaniments. If you don’t eat all of the gigantic portion, it can be even more of a steal, $11 making two meals.

My lunch dates Mary and Jennifer, had the Grilled Trout and the Fish Po’ Boy, both very satisfied, and again I was impressed with the value. The grilled trout is de-boned beautifully, served whole for $16.

The Po’ Boy was extra long, with a nice dazzle of french fries, at only $12.

No complaints on service. My coffee cup was refilled regularly, and our waiter was knowledgeable. No rush when we lingered.

I highly recommend Freeman’s for business or personal lunch with those non-adventurous friends when you’re in the Lower East Side. They do simple classics well, at good prices, an all-around crowd pleaser.