Foster's Italian Game Dinner...

This dinner was back in February and may be at the top of my list of favorites from Foster's.

The PRE-Game: Beautiful fresh bread and a giant antipasto platter

So many delcious meats, cheeses and marinated things! I may have been full before the first course!

1st COURSE: Kangaroo sausage and peppers

2nd COURSE: Buffalo Braciole braciole- the word is commonly pronounced /bra'zhul/
The name given to thin slices of meat (typically pork, chicken, or beef, but even swordfish)that pan fried in their juice, or in a light amount of olive oil and then are rolled.

This was my first experience with a braciole. And it was to die for! The buffalo meat was so tender and had the texture of pulled pork. The braciole fell apart at the touch of my fork and the meat was so flavorful and it melted in your mouth. So good!

3rd COURSE: Rabbit cacciatore

4th COURSE: Antelope bolognese sauce tossed with basil and roasted elephant garlic gnocchi Look at those colors and try to imagine the flavors! The parsnip chips around the plate are my new favorite snack! Chef Dave was nice enough to send some home with me. Mmm.
By the time the gnocchi came out, I was so stuffed I almost couldn't try it. Almost. It was so good, but I had to save some room for dessert. For the first time ever, I had to take left overs home from Foster's.

5th COURSE: Tiramisu

Each course of this meal was so wonderful that I wish I had more experience as a food critic or writer so I could better describe the foods and flavors using words like "scrumptious", and "bursting with flavor". But, as a casual diner who just likes to take pictures of her food and blog about it, I fear I will not do this meal justice. It was just that good.

EAT AT FOSTER'S!!!!

WWW.Fostersrestaurant.com

Foster's "January's Not Such a Boar" Game Dinner...

Girls night! Joe was out of town tattooing and Sean had a 100 Demons show to attend so we decided to make it ladies night at Foster's. It's amazing how many more people are comfortable talking to us when our large, loud, heavily tattooed husbands are not around! Alethea, Katie and I arrived a little late but hadn't missed anything yet thank goodness! Shortly after we were seated the first course was served...

The PRE-GAME: Boneless BBQ Wild boar short rib

This little guy was so meaty and delicious!

1st COURSE: Wild boar sausage wrapped in puff pastry with a mango chipotle Dijon mustard This dish was like a giant and gourmet version of pigs in a blanket. The flavor of the sausage was great, and the pastry was so flaky and buttery.

2nd COURSE: Smoked boar belly with a golden BBQ sauce, corn bread and seaweed coleslawThis was my second favorite course of the evening (wait until you see dessert!) Corn bread? Yum! Coleslaw? Yum! Pork bellies? Yum!

3rd COURSE: Grilled boar chops served on a bed of flowers tossed with honey vinaigretteTalk about presentation! How beautiful is this dish? I had never eaten flowers before. Turns out they taste like they smell. The white, yellow, and multicolor flowers had a strong floral taste, while the purple blossoms were milder with a really great texture. I enjoyed the flower salad and liked the purple flowers a lot.

I thought the pre-game dish was one of the main courses so after the boar chops I expected to see dessert come out. Instead, out came this...

4th COURSE: Wild boar porketta with jus and roasted potatoes Are you kidding me? I was already stuffed and another entire dinner plate is placed infront of me. I'm a trooper so I dug in.

5th COURSE: Wild boar bacon Mississippi mud pieWhen this highly anticipated dessert was placed before me I died a little. The camera came out and it was like I was the paparazzi and that brownie was Britney Spears. Seriously, I took like 15 pictures of it. Here's another one: This may be one of the greatest things I've ever had in my mouth! Wild boar bacon dipped in dark chocolate and planted in a dalop of whipped cream, home made espresso ice cream, and yes, THERE'S BACON IN THAT BROWNIE! I actually told Chef Dave that if that brownie was a boy I would consider leaving my husband for it.

We had Orange Spice Hot Toddy's with dessert.

We made new friends at dinner. Here's Alethea and Doug. And fellow regulars John and Liz. Hi John and Liz! See you in March! And saving the best for last, Chef Dave Foster! The man himself gets behind the bar to serve us up some after dinner shots of flavor infused vodka (ginger and canataloupe), and tequila (espresso). They make it right at the bar. You can see the vodka marinated cantaloupe slices in the lower right of the photo. Talk about smooth! Thanks for another great meal Chef Dave!

At the end of dinner I learned that Chef Dave has added a link to my blog to the Foster's website. What a huge compliment! I hope anyone who ended up here by following that link found my blog helpful and headed over to Foster's because of it. The game dinners are great but they also have a full menu of "eccentric American" cuisine that is also worth the trip any time! I've said it before and I'll say it again and again EAT AT FOSTER'S!!!

www.fostersrestaurant.com

Foster's Game Dinner October...

Last year's Halloween Game Dinner at Foster's was my first experience there. I still wish I had pictures of the roasted giant fruit bat we ate! Since then, we've been to quite a few dinners at Foster's. They're always interesting and the food is unusal as well as delicious. For this year's Halloween themed game dinner, they may have out done themselves with the presentation! Check it out...

The PRE-GAME: Crickets? Yes. Crickets.
Katie from Pulse LOVES a good cricket!


Denise Rodriguez won the cricket eating competition, taking down 5 roasted, skewered buggers. Joe Capobianco and I tied for second eating 4 monsters each. I think I still have legs in my teeth!

1st COURSE: Charcuterie board with head cheese and blood sausage
"What's in head cheese?" A close up.
Julio Rodriguez from Hope Gallery teaches us to make Headcheesebloodsausagesandwiches.

According to Wikipedia:

Head cheese is a cold cut originating in Europe. Head cheese is not a cheese, but meat pieces from the head of a calf or pig (sometimes a sheep or cow), in aspic, with onion, black pepper, allspice, bayleaf, salt and/or vinegar. It may also include meat from the feet, tongue and heart. It is usually eaten cold or at room temperature as a luncheon meat.
Historically meat jellies were made of the cleaned (all organs removed) head of the animal, which was simmered to produce stock, a peasant food made since the Middle Ages. When cooled, the stock congeals because of the natural gelatin found in the skull. The aspic may need additional gelatin in order to set properly.

Blood Sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. It is also called blood pudding. Pig or cattle blood is most often used; sheep and goat blood are used to a lesser extent.

I tried both the head cheese and blood sausage on their own, and was surprised to find them less repulsive than I thought they would be. Combining the two with the bread for a sandwich per Julio's suggestion actually made it good!

2nd COURSE: A skeletons bone marrow with sea salt and toast points and parsley salad

The marrow was my favorite course. It was a section of a bison bone. You dig out the gelatinous center with a little spoon, spread it on the toast and sprinkle it with the coarse sea salt. Sounds gross, tastes delicious!

3rd COURSE: Pumpkin lasagna with Lucifer's ox tail and sun dried tomato pasta sheets

This was awesome! Unfortunately it was very difficult to photograph inside the pumpkin... so we improvised... for your entertainment of course!
Vinn and Jill Lattanzi of Paradise Tattoo showing off their pumpkin tops!
Julio shows us his stem... we're very mature, I know.

4th COURSE: Rodent stuffed with black trumpet of death mushrooms Talk about presentation! There was dry ice hidden under the salad so the plates came out billowing fog!

Soon I'll be ready to eat a puppy.

Look at the teeth on this guy! Creepy.

Jimmy "The Barber" Dillon got the rodent from Sleepy Hollow.

Alethea Capobianco plays with her food!

I had to take and post a ton of photos of the rodent, because I still can't believe we all ate it! It was a Guinea Pig. To me, the meat was the texture of a dark meat section of chicken while the flavor was more like a fish or water fowl. Very strange. I can't really say that I loved it, but it was fun to try and unnerving to pull apart. I only at the hind quarters of mine as well as some of the front legs. Katie has an extreme fear of squirells http://pulsetattooblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/just-squirrel-trying-to-get-nut.html and she had the hardest time dealing with the monster on her plate. Always a trooper, she picked at it with her fork and gave it a good old college try. At the opposite end of the spectrum... Joe, Jimmy and Julio ate everything including the brain! Leaving only a little skull behind.

5th COURSE: Candy Corn Cake Can you say delicious? And of course that's PUMPKIN ice cream!

http://www.fostersrestaurant.com/

There will be another game dinner on 11/19. Call to reserve your spot today!

Foster's Game Dinner September...

Last night it was time again for our night out at Foster's Restaurant in New Haven. As usual Katie and I joined Joe and Alethea Capobianco, and unfortunately (for them) none of the other dinner regulars could make it. We sat down with 30 strangers and one new addition to our group, my BF Sean Martin of Brass City Tattoo. Sean loved his first experience at Foster's and you will too, so go eat there!

The dinner's theme was duck...

I say this everytime, I know, but dinner was great! I loved the mussels casino. Mmm... bacon. Mmm... bacon made from ducks. Dessert was also great. Strange and unusual but delicious. Everyone in our party loved the 4th COURSE, and I'll admit that I liked it, but didn't love it. It was a texture thing for me.


And now... the photos. Enjoy!

The PRE-GAME: Pâté de Foie Gras

1st COURSE: Duck bacon topped New Zealand mussels casino

2nd COURSE: Duck consume with duck wonton
3rd COURSE: Duck confit napoleon with potato gofret and a blackberry lemon pistachio vinaigrette

4th COURSE: Goat cheese stuffed smoked duck breast with a slivered pear, pear brandy sauce5th COURSE: Duck egg Grand Marnier zabaglione with fresh berries

za⋅ba⋅glio⋅ne [zah-buhl-yoh-nee; It. dzah-bah-lyaw-ne] –noun Italian Cookery.

a foamy, custardlike mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine, usually served hot or chilled as a dessertAletha and Joe Happy-bianco

Chef/Owner Dave Foster has already posted the Halloween dinner menu on the Foster's site. Check it out! www.fostersrestaurant.com



I'll be there!