Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
The Partisan
“So where else do you want to eat while you’re in D.C.? We could go to The Partisan—it’s got really good cocktails and the menu is almost entirely meat and charcuterie. It’s Red Apron butcher’s restaurant.”
“BOOK THAT SHIT RIGHT NOW.”
That, dear friends, is how we ended up at The Partisan (or, as I drunk texted Chris Bolyard:“I’m at your future restaurant”). And we hit it HARD.
You walk into the space and have the butcher shop to your right, the dining room to your left, and the bar in the back. We arrive early, grab a cocktail or three, then make our way to the table.
We have two menus to order from: the first shows 30 or so dishes, ranging from small bites, like $5 lupini beans with pickled ramps, to entrees, like a $120 Ancient White Park Bone-in Ribeye. The second menu is one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen, something I’ve dreamed about but never knew existed. It’s a sushi-style menu (you fill in the quantity then give it to your server) full of 39 types of charcuterie and cheese. How do I choose? Should I just get one of everything?
I put the decision in my brother’s hands and order us two light starters: crispy chicken skins with hot sauce and tallow fries with garlic and rosemary, plus a side of ranch aioli. And then the sun dried duck—basically duck jerky—with sriracha, just for good measure.
The charcuterie and cheese come out and they are glorious. I don’t even know which we had, aside from the ‘tete de pho’, a pho-braised pigs head, pulled apart. We each take a toasted tigelle, the Italian cousin to an English muffin, and go to town. The tray is cleared in under 5 minutes.
Not yet satisfied, I demand more meat. Nduja! More tigelles! Kung pao sweetbreads! House made spam musubi? Give it to me. A masa and ground pork cake? I’ve never seen such a thing, so I must eat it. Half a chicken, cooked on the rotisserie then deep fried? I have room for that.
45 minutes later and I am slowly slumping into the booth. I am food drunk, or concussed, or something. Last night I was at Pineapple and Pearls. I have pushed my body to its limits.
I watch as my friends demolish a basket of chocolate cake donut holes (if these are donut holes, then the donuts themselves must be the size of innertubes) with chocolate pudding, then move on to the buttermilk panna cotta with pineapple and (white chocolate) pearls.
The Partisan is certainly worthy of a spot in my D.C. dining rotation, though next time I go, I think I’m going to try to see how much of the charcuterie I can get through.
Fried Chicken Skins
Tallow Fries
Duck Jerky
Charcuterie Board
Nduja
Kung Pao Sweetbreads
Spam Musubi
Fried Chicken
Donuts
Husk
My two favorite food-related shows - behind the modern day classic Guy's Grocery Games - are Netflix's Chef's Table and PBS' The Mind of a Chef. The Mind of a Chef follows one or two chefs per season as they explore the things that interest them in the food world. David Chang, chef of Momofuku in NYC and one of the men behind Lucky Peach magazine, was the first season's star. He explored NYC and Japan, cooking with rotten bananas, and getting shitfaced at the Buffalo Trace distillery with season two's star, Sean Brock. Brock's season had a heavy focus on the South and cooking with local ingredients. I don't think he was as captivating as Chang (who is like a less wordly, more brash Anthony Bourdain), but I have longed to eat at both of their restaurants ever since.
I was in Nashville for a wedding a couple weeks back, so I finally got my chance: time to eat at Husk - Nashville. The restaurant's located a short walk from the main downtown area in a renovated old house. The lighting was romantic (dark), which made photo taking a little difficult, but I still think you'll be able to gauge the deliciousness levels.
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Things kicked off with the Cheerwine Glazed Belly Ham Soft Rolls, which were astoundingly good. Like one of the best things I can ever remember eating good. I've only been fortunate enough to eat day-after-Christmas ham leftovers a few times, but take the deliciousness level of those leftover ham sammies and imagine replacing your Honeybaked Ham with the most delicious ham ever created, a freshly baked soft roll, pickled onions and cucumber, then a little smoked Duke's mayo. They're that good.
I want to go back to Nashville and eat these again, then find whoever produced the ham, marry his daughter, and become the heir to their porky throne.
Pork Belly Sandwiches at Husk Nashville
Chicken Skins at Husk Nashville
Next were the best Fried Chicken Skins I've had. Granted, I haven't had a lot of fried chicken skin appetizers because my body is a temple, but these things were perfect. They were not at all greasy - just chips of audibly crunchy, wonderfully seasoned chicken skins. They were drizzled with white BBQ sauce (my drug of choice), and a sprinkle of thyme. I had trouble getting a good photo of the shrimp & grits, mostly because my tablemates wanted to eat it as soon as it touched the table. For those of you who don't know, Brock is known for his shrimp and grits - and I can see why.
The grits were creamier than any I've had before, but what surprised me the most was the flavor of the dish: it tasted like my grandma's gumbo more than any shrimp and grits I've had before. Like a mix of a smokey sausage, shrimp (obviously), and hot sauce - that distinct trifecta that I've always associated with her gumbo. We devoured it. It definitely lived up to the hype.
The last of the appetizers was the Snapper Collar with cucumber, herbs, radishes, and benne seeds. Crispy, smokey, way bigger than expected.
Shrimp and Grits at Husk Nashville
Snapper Collar at Husk Nashville
We wanted to to try as much as we could, so we decided to share entrees. First up was the Husk Charcuterie plate with pickles, dijonnaise, and these monstrous cheddar biscuits. I'd kill to eat those biscuits for breakfast everyday - especially with some of that Cheerwine belly ham in there.
I foolishly forgot to write down what was on the platter, but it was all good. So good.
Charcuterie at Husk Nashville
Another shareable entree is the Plate of Southern Vegetables. On our night, the dish included:
Geechie Boy grits, charred preserved tomato broth, pickled spring onion, 65 degree egg
Oat croquette, pokeweed, lemon, sheepsmilk cheese, smoked mayo, malt vinegar powder
Grilled brassicas, harissa peanuts
Cucumber salad, grapefruit, grapefruit yogurt, tsire spice blend
Farro, zucchini, spinach, basil pesto
All were good, minus the brassicas. Too much spice and bitterness for me.
Vegetables at Husk Nashville
Farro at Husk Nashville
Croquette at Husk Nashville
By this point, I had stretched my stomach about as far as it goes - but I still had to eat the [symple_highlight color="blue"]NC Catfish[/symple_highlight]. We'd all been drinking quite a bit by this point, but I do remember that the fish was a big hit. Green garlic dressing, smoked potatoes, nettles, and toasted buckwheat groats gave it a nice Spring taste.
Catfish at Husk Nashville
To finish the meal, we got the O&S Chocolate Pie, a dessert as delicious as everything else we'd had that night. Served with peanut butter ice cream and a brown butter caramel, it was the perfect amount of decadence to close out the meal.
Chocolate PIe at Husk Nashville
We were so full that we Ubered back to our hotel - two blocks away. Our meal at Husk was one of the best I've had since starting this blog. This is a must visit for anyone going through Nashville.
Husk
37 Rutledge St
Nashville, TN 37210
(615) 256-6565
Salume Beddu
Update: Salume Beddu has moved into Parker's Table and no longer runs Saturday specials.
Refresh.
Refresh.
Refresh.
That's what I'm doing most Saturday mornings around 10:30 am. Sitting on Facebook, waiting for Salume Beddu to post their three Saturday specials.
I know I post about them a lot, but I like sharing what I'm eating, especially if it's delicious. Don't think of every post as a brand new review like you might see in the St. Louis Post Dispatch or Riverfront Times. Like you, I have my favorite spots that I eat at often, and it's for a good reason.
The cured plate of the day was a Smoked Spanish Paprika rubbed Berkshire Fiocchetto from Newman Farm, a sweet and tender cut with a hint of smoke. Not as buttery as other cures, but its wonderfully mellow flavor makes up for it. It was served with Red Fox ciabatta, spread with a thin layer of house-made Dulce de Membrillo, a sweetened quince paste. It's tough to see, but the back corner has Jacobs & Brichford's Everton cheese, a grassy Alpine-style cheese from Indiana, speckled with fresh pineapple verbena. Deliciously sweet bruleed pears and a lemon thyme granita finished it off.
Charcuterie at Salume Beddu
Months ago, someone commented that when Beddu made polenta, I better get my ass over there and eat it. I listened to you, person who recommended it but whose name I can't find. Delicate pulled braised pork shank and the unctuous gravy parted the sea of creamy polenta, made with Cottonwood River cheddar. Oil poached green chickpeas and some chili flakes completed the dish. It lived up to the hype, especially on the cold winter's morning I went. I doubt this shows up too often on their spring & summer menu, but if it ever does, you should go get some.
Even for me, this was just too much for a Saturday lunch. This goes down as the first dish I haven't been able to finish at Beddu.
Polenta at Salume Beddu
Pork and Polenta at Salume Beddu
Sandwich at Salume Beddu
I had brought a Beddu newcomer, as well, so I made her get the bacon, harissa, and squash sandwich. Her life was changed that day.
Next Saturday, you need to get in your car and drive to a cafe near Beddu, like Pint Size, Comet Coffee, or La Patisserie Chouquette. Get something tasty to eat, whip out your smart phone, and start refreshing Facebook. You'll see Beddu's specials. Resistance is futile.
3467 Hampton Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139