NBC Locals Lunch with David Chang (Momofuku)

The editors of FoodGasm recently had the privilege of attending a very special NBC Locals lunch event, catered by Momofuku's David Chang. The event, whose location was secret until the very last minute, took place in an empty lot on the corner of Lafayette and Houston, next to a restaurant supply store. It was a very cool scene; outdoor kitchen, picnic tables, and security guards keeping the gates on top watch. There were 4 menu choices: vegetarian, pork, chicken, or dealer's choice (chef makes whatever feels). Unfortunately, when we got there, they weren't doing the dealer's choice anymore (which sadly turned out to be lobster, and then shwarma), so I went with the pork.

My meal consisted of Rice Fries, a Pork Bun, Rice Cakes, and everyone got a Pepsi Natural (new drink not on the market yet) and ice cream, but more about that in a bit. The pork bun was fantastic! It was served open, like a pita. There was a very generous amount of the tender pork, which was covered in a hoisin-like sauce, and a few cucumbers, which added a very nice texture and spring flavor to the mix. The bun was incredibly fresh, too.

The Rice Cakes were very interesting. They had the texture of candy with the hotness of the red chili sauce they were covered in. I liked these a lot. The Rice Fries were a nice side to the meal. They were light, salty, and addictive. Also to note, Pepsi Natural is really good. It tastes more like Coke than Pepsi and is quite refreshing.

Jon went with the Vegetarian meal. Here is his opinion on the food he got...

Hey folks, Jon here. I know what you thinking... "but Jon you aren't vegetarian and have frequently voiced your love of meat on this very site!" Exhale readers, I have not switched over to the dark side. I chose the veggie option simply because it was the "noodle" option. When I knew I was going to have the privilege of eating David Chang's food, I immediately knew some delicious noodles were coming my way. And delicious they were indeed. They were particularly thin, much like a "mei fun", and had a light ginger taste. Served along with the noodles was pickled cucumber, tasting something like Korean kim chi. Something else sat on my plate, but I simply couldn't identify it. It was certainly some sort of "greens", either kale, or bok choy, etc. Either way, it was tasty.

My meal came with the rice fries as well. They were really great. They reminded me of the asian rice snacks you occasionally find sitting on a bar mixed with some wasabi peas. I love that stuff, and these were a great execution of those. The shitake bun was excellent, but not as great as Jared's crispy pork bun. To be honest though, that was the only thing pork-tastic about Jared's meal. Those rice cakes were some strange love child of marshmallow peeps and chili sauce. All in all, I was very happy with my selection, although I would have loved to have gotten my hands on some of that Dealer's choice. I'll throw it back to Jared, who is going to tell you about the best ice cream I've ever had. Thats right... ever.

And now to the ice cream....by the time I finished the fries, bun, and cakes, I was already stuffed. But I still had to have the Old Fashion Donut Ice Cream! All I can say is that it's a good thing I found some room for it. This was one of the best ice creams I've ever had. It tasted like if you were to let a cinnamon donut soak in milk for a while and then you scooped it out with a spoon. Just wow. Fortunately, this is currently on the menu at the Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar. I doubt it will be long before I go back for more.

Report Card

Food: A (i need to get to momofuku asap!)

Atmosphere: A+ (picnic tables on Houston, very awesome)

Price: A+ (it's hard to get better than free)

Overall: A+

The Spotted Pig

There are few restaurants in the city that receive more attention from the press than the West Village "gastro-pub", The Spotted Pig. Maybe it's because it's owned in part by Mario Batali and Jay-Z. Maybe it's because Anthony Bourdain often rocks a Spotted Pig t-shirt on "No Reservations". Whatever it is, the two-hour wait for dinner they amass nightly was enough of a reason for us to see what all the hooplah was about. In this economy, if a restaurant that serves $30 entrees can fill its tables night after night, something must be good.

Because we were with a group in celebration of my birthday, here is a whole slew of dishes we got to try at The Spotted Pig. Since both of FoodGasm's co-editors were present, Jon's opinion is provided as well.

Deviled Eggs

Jared: Great. Spiced very well. And the vinegar was a nice touch.

Jon: I don't love vinegar on my deviled eggs. Still, they were pretty good. A nice little snack with a beer.

(Sorry for the lack of a picture, but these were gone within seconds of their arrival to the table)

Soleil Oysters with Mignonette

Jared: I'm such a sucker for oysters. While these weren't the biggest oysters I've ever had, they were fresh and the mignonette added a very nice subtle aroma. They immediately reminded me of summer.

Jon: Can't really go wrong here. Fresh raw oysters are truly one of my favorite delicacies. This may have been my favorite part of the meal, which may give you an idea of what I thought about the rest of the dishes.

Grilled Fennel and Radicchio Salad with Speck and Baked Parmesan

Jared: Really nice. Great flavors. Speck is awesome.

Jon: Many of you know, as I have often written, I love prosciutto. Speck is too not far off, except that it is boned before it is cured. Instant foodgasm. Grilled Radicchio and fennel were a perfect compliment to the salty ham.

Pork Rillette with Mustard and Pickles

Jared: Wow. Their homemade mustard was definitely one of the highlights of the meal. It's one of those things that stood out as so outstanding, I'll always associate with this restaurant. It didn't hurt that the pork was great. I made a little sandwich with the Texas-style toast they bring to the table, the pork, and the mustard.

Jon: Imagine pork paste. It sounds delicious, but let me tell you, it isn't. Served with a little grain mustard and a few cornishons, you are given a bowl full of pork vaseline with a healthy layer of pure pork fat on top. Sure, a rillette is technically a pork pate of sorts, so I should have full well known what I was getting into. This dish took 9 years off of my life.

Chicken Liver Parfait with Onion Marmalade

Jared: The easiest way to describe The Spotted Pig is "bold flavors". Again I made a sandwich with the toast, liver, and onions. The liver had such an intense flavor that I needed a minute or two to take the whole experience in. While I really enjoyed this, I don't know if I could have had more than a third of the serving. It was very intense.

Jon: Not the best liver pate I have ever had. Not the worst either. Way too rich. Certainly not a head turner. I'd much prefer some chopped liver from Sammy's Romanian.

And now on to the entrees...

Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestring Fries

Jared: While I love burgers, I'm always hesitant to order one at a pub. Fortunately, they make great burgers here. The bun was soft, the meat was cooked nicely, and the Roquefort added another great bold flavor. I would put this burger up against NYC's finest. Along with the burger was a mountain of fries. Literally. These were also great. They are so light that while I may not have been able to eat anything else, I couldn't stop shoveling these in my mouth.

Jon: Excuse me, Sir? Would you like some hamburger with your Roquefort cheese. Jesus, the blue cheese just annihilates any other flavor you may have tasted here. This was supposed to be the go-to dish at this place? Give me a break! Wendy's makes a better burger. No lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no nothing. I did like the bun, which is usually something that I have a gripe about when I order a burger at a restaurant. The shoestring fries were also surprisingly good. Usually, shoe string fries are a total waste. These actually had some substance to them, so it wasn't just eating fried nothing. Still, this burger was a total disappointment.

Squid Stew

Jared: Amazing. I don't know what was in this besides Squid, but I don't really care. I would order this any day. It's a shame that I didn't and had to settle for a few bites of someone else's.

Jon: Agreed. I only had a bite, but it was probably my favorite bite of any of the entrees.

Crispy Pork Belly with Peas

Jared: Soft, juicy, fatty pork cased within crispy pork skin. Could I have asked for more? Unlike Porchetta's pork skin (reviewed several weeks ago), this was much easier to chew and enjoy the succulent flavors that spilled out of it.

Jon: This was a special that night, and it especially sucked (get it, hehe). Thinking about this still makes me shudder. I was all about this dish when I saw it. I saw pork belly, and I said great, bring on the crispy skinned bacon steak. What I ended up with was more like two really great pieces of fried pork skin hiding some sort of awful grease trap. Seriously, where was the meat here? It was like a pork fat marshmallow that melted in your mouth and left you with the feeling you've been sucking fat out of Marlon Brando's ass with a straw.

Jared: I can't say this restaurant met my expectations because they completely sidestepped them and wowed me in ways I wasn't expecting. Each dish had its own incredibly bold flavor. Nothing was subtle or mild about this meal. The service was great. We only waiting about an hour and a half. It may sound like a while, but considering the wait usually usually way over 2 hours, it wasn't so bad. They don't take reservations, but you can stop in and give them your cell and they will call you when your table is ready. The whole restaurant felt very "at home". The upstairs dining areas are split into small rooms and the tables are covered with brown paper. Despite being one of the heaviest meals in recent memory, I would trade a light, healthy meal for night at The Spotted Pig any day. I never thought it was possible to be so creative with pub food.

Jon: Seriously, what is the big fuss with this place. People wait for hours for this? I think they put those brown bags over the tables so people don't start sliding all over the place from all the pork fat.

Report Card

Jared's

Food: A

Atmosphere: A (the outside is surrounded by flowers and the inside is covered with pictures of pigs)

Price: B (this is a very upscale restaurant. you pay for what you get.)

Overall: A

Jon's

Food: C+

Atmosphere: A- (very cool, I must admit)

Price: C+ (9 dollars for a Guinness folks)

Overall: B-

The Spotted Pig

314 W. 11th St.

at Greenwich St.

212-620-0393

Porchetta

Just like with fashion, food goes through trends and phases as well. And this year, pork is king! It seems like everywhere I go, more and more restaurants are serving pork and more people are eating it. So it seems appropriate that we take time to talk about Porchetta, a brand new spot in the East Village that specializes in pork.

The menu is short and sweet. You either get the porchetta sandwich or plate. I went with the sandwich. Stuffed into the incredible Sullivan St. Bakery roll are large, juicy pieces of pork, slow roasted with garlic, sage, rosemary, and fennel. The meat is cooked to perfection, tender, juicy, and aromatic. While I really enjoyed the sandwich, I do have one thing I would like to note. On top the pork on each side of the sandwich is a piece of crispy pork skin. This one piece was so hard, I could've sworn that I shattered my teeth biting into it. Once I broke it apart, the flavors that came out of it were great, however, the price to pay could have been pretty high. I ended up taking it off my sandwich. Risking injury was not on my agenda when I placed my order.

I also ordered a side of crispy potatoes with burnt ends. This was great. The seasoning on the potatoes was great and they were crispy, just like I like them. My only criticism of this dish is that the burnt ends (pork) were very chewy and not only got stuck in my teeth, but didn't come out very easily. My buddy and I had both our hands in our mouths digging it out of our molars. Maybe they should serve the dish with toothpicks? Either way, it was delicious.

The atmosphere of this place was pretty cool. They have 3 roasted pigs on the front counter and a few stools for people who decide to stay and eat there. You've also got to give them props for running the entire operation out of a space no bigger than my bedroom. With new restaurants like this, I can't see the pork fad going anywhere anytime soon.

Report Card

Food: B+

Price: B- (my lunch described above with a soda was $16)

Atmosphere: A-

Overall: B+