The DBGB Whole Hog Dinner, Who's Taking the Head Home?

It's my friend Jason's birthday. Jason is the guy who introduced me to NYC's culinary scene and taught me how to eat and appreciate "fancy" food; he's also the guy who arranged a 10pm Sunday night Momofuku fried chicken dinner and invited me to his birthday dinner at Vinegar Hill House, still one of my favorite meals I've had since living in the city. Most of my knowledge on food and drink from fennel salad to negronis, I learned from him. This year, in typical Jason fashion, he chose DBGB's whole hog dinner for his birthday. The drool-enhancing menu is as follows and is for a maximum of 8 people:

While the roasted suckling pig is the headliner, I actually think the sides are the spotlight, in particular the cheesy potato and kohlrabi gratin. I love a dinner where the sides shine on its own and bring everything together, which this meal did perfectly with fried pork rinds, thick cut bacon in the brussel sprouts and bacon cookies shaped as pigs to finish the meal. NOT TO MENTION THE BOMB-ASS BAKED ALASKA. I've never had a Baked Alaska before (or even knew what it was) but what I ate--a spin on spumoni with vanilla/pistachio/raspberry ice-cream blanketed by a thin layer of alcohol soaked yellow cake and whip cream--exceeded all my expectations.

Dinner was a hefty sum but worth every cent as it was my good friend's birthday, spent with my favorite people and another NYC culinary experience to add to my list. Here are some pictures from dinner:

FYI, I took the hog head home.

Hannah's Highbrow Lowbrow Half-day 25th Birthday at Marea

Living in NYC just wouldn't be the same without my Hawaii-bestie and food-coma-partner-in-crime Hannah who turned quarter of a century this Friday. To celebrate this momentous milestone we dined like corporate power execs at Marea near Columbus Circle on delicious Italian seafood. I ordered the grilled octopus antipasti and wild striped bass for my secondo. Since we started late around 2:30 pm, we were all hungry and jumped into the 'bread tasting' and were able to comfortably (loudly) talk about the latest in zombie face eating news. Hannah blew out her birthday candles on her favorite dessert Affogato, a perfect ending to a classy power lunch.

 

But oh, how quickly things escalated...

We each ordered a 2 liter Hofbrau lager 'boot' at the Bierhaus in Midtown East

 

The birthday unfolded as follows:

Business Lunch at Marea

Das Boot at Bierhaus NYC

Guac & Arepas at Caracas To-Go

Cocktails at Summit Bar

Sean's Golden Birthday at Buttermilk Channel

I decided last minute to forgo steak at Peter Luger's for something more casual and "golden" for Sean's 27th birthday yesterday and picked Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens for fried chicken and waffles! Everything was delicious, our server was super nice and our table large, smack-dab in the middle of the restaurant. I'm already craving/thinking about the next time I'd go back for chicken and waffles.

Food in order shown:

1. Warm popovers glazed with honey (complimentary)

2. The best house-made pickles

3. Slow-roasted pork spare ribs with fingerling potato salad

4. Buttermilk fried chicken and cheddar waffles with savoy cabbage slaw

5. Parsley crusted new england hake

6. Roasted bobo farms white feather chicken

7. Caputo's fresh linguini

Party Like It's 11.11.11

I can't thank everyone enough for making my 25th birthday so special. Thanks to everyone who called, texted, FB messaged to wish me happy birthday and everyone who came to Brooklyn Winery to celebrate. It's mindblowingly amazing to see my JWT, Digitas, BU, Punahou and NYC friends converge. Also, big thanks to Brooklyn Winery for their awesome space & service.

Being a quarter century has been awesome so far, can't wait for what's to come...