Mangalitsa dinner at The Signature Room at the 95th

For those who did not catch Mike Sula's article in the Reader, wanted to let you know that we are one of the lucky ones to get a majestic Mangalitsa from Stan Schutte of Triple S Farms and are doing a dinner surrounding all of the delicious parts of this pig on Wednesday, December 16th.

Reservations can be made via our website http://www.signatureroom.com/Upcoming-Events/register/default.aspx . Although not posted on the site, the menu currently reads:

Fried bread, fig chutney, “house cured prosciutto bianco”
This was cured in house-using Becker Lane Organic Pork

***I've had this on cure for a while and thought it'd be a great way to ease into the evening, even though it is from a different farm***

House made charcuterie
Fromage de tête, liverwurst and rilletes
Quince chutney and Green City Market pickles

Braised shoulder
Smoked white bean puree and crispy hot sauce; Carolina Mustard BBQ consommé

Blood sausage
Maple glazed lentils, pickled turnips

Carbonara
Belly, egg yolk and smoked pasta
***this is a riff on the baconfest dish****

Slow roasted Loin and Leg
Brussel Sprout Choucroute and toasted barley

Roasted pork fat financier
Marcona Almonds, vanilla roasted pineapple; butter pecan ice cream

***A couple of the dishes may change, depending on the inspection process****

We are excited to have the opportunity to celebrate the porcinity of one of these beautiful hogs, but also the relationships and stories that we've been a part of in the journey.

Hope you can join us, we're cutting it off at 50 guests.

Best Regards,

Patrick Sheerin
Executive Chef
The Signature Room at the 95th

Just bought my tickets! An excellent way to celebrate my "21st" birthday!

I couldn't resist the menu. Hope it doesn't change tomorrow, and if it does, the replacement is better than promised. Can't wait for my holiday treat.

Surprised they still have openings as of this morning.

I'll see you there petite gourmande? I'll be the Asian girl with the Canon DSLR...

I will be the other Asian girl.

Hi,

I have talked to Stan about his curly haired friends and their time on his farm.



When he got the pigs he described them as incredibly friendly. As they became larger, they became very friendly. Agressively friendly was the last assessment.

Tim

They look like cute piggy poodles. Really didn't need to envision that before tonight's dinner. *covering eyes*

Our sumptuous Mangalitsa dinner was named "Kramer" for his Kramer-nesque hair, of course. Skillfully prepared by Chef Sherrin with well-chosen (final adjustments made 20 minutes before dinner) wine pairings by our sommelier, Angela Roman:



Wine pairing (Amuse bouche and 1st course)- Piper Heidsieck, Cuvee Sublime, Demi Sec
Trio of Amuse bouche: House cured prosciutto bianco with dried plum and truffle jam; Pork fat doughnuts with apple cider glaze; and Rilletes with fig chutney


1st course: Formage de tete with pickled turnip, herb salad, red curry sauce
Notes: The herb salad and red curry sauce provides the wonderful flavor balance. My thought was that the formage de tete was sliced too thin. I love to taste the texture of each element of the tete: the ears, snout, etc. enrobed in the gelee.


Wine pairing - Bethel Heights Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2007
2nd course: Braised shoulder with butter grits topped with crispy hot sauce in mustard BBQ consomme
Notes: The contrasting texture of crispy hot sauce with the rest of the dish was perfect. The crispy hot sauce are thin sheets of Frank's Hot Sauce mixed with tapioca and baked crisped. Beautifully elegant chardonnay with subtle layers, very pretty.


Wine pairing - Martin Codax, Ergo Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain, 2006
3rd course: Blood sausage with maple glazed lentils topped with mixture of salt roasted beets, cocoa and rye, in Melfor vinegar sauce.
Notes: Blood sausage is one of my favorite food, so happy to see it crop up more often on menus. The beet mixture added crunchy texture to the sausage, and the vinegar cuts through the richness. Perfect.


Wine pairing - Row Eleven, Vinas 3 Pinot Noir, California, 2007
4th course: Smoked pasta carbonara with seared pork belly in elk yolk emulsion
Notes: Lovely flavor profile, the smokiness, the saltiness, the richness, what else do we need? Would have like the dish to be a little warmer in temperature, and have a tad more of the yummy sauce, however, this is preferable to being drowned in sauce. Another lovely pairing, wine with enough tannin, yet light, to stand up but not overpower the sublime richness.


Wine pairing - Luiga Righetti, Amarone della Valpolicella, Marano, Italy, 2005
5th course: Slow roasted pork loin with Japanese sweet potato gnocchi topped with parsley root gremolata in jus roti.
Notes: This loin really showcases the pig. Beautifully marbled, thick layers of fat and sweet succulent meat. Decadently paired with an Amarone.


Another view of the beautiful marbling:


Wine pairing - Beringer, Nightengale, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, NV
Dessert: Roasted Pork Fat Financier with Marcona almonds and vanilla roasted pineapple, paired with butter pecan ice cream.
Notes: I'm not really a dessert person, but this is nicely restraint finish. Lightly sweet floral dessert wine from Beringer.
Oops, forgot to take pic of dessert course. Perhaps CrazyC can provide.

Great to finally meet CrazyC. Here is a lovely picture of CrazyC and company: