We Meet the 'Meat Monkey'

Well, the first Every Meal A Feast "Gathering" was a resounding success. Fantastic atmosphere, unusual food, great wines, a talk with the chef, and friendships new and re-newed. All in all, it was a night I probably won't ever forget.

Above: Inside the special room where we ate; the mural is from Dante's Inferno

Our excursion, of course, was to Incanto Restaurant in San Francisco for their Il Quarto Quinto (Fifth Quarter) tasting menu. This special menu, prepared by Incanto Chef Chris Consentino, features "offal" or those "lost cuts" of meat that peasants and everyday people used to eat (because they couldn't afford the pricey cuts of meat). The meal was fascinating. Several things the EMAF gang didn't really go for... But others: WOW!

We started out with rabbit ears and carrot chips with aioli. The rabbit ears (deep fried, of course) had a strong, gamey taste. I could eat five or six...and that was it. The carrot chips were awesome: light, not oily, and full of flavor. Next we had Chef Chris's version of Turf and Surf: a soup with tuna and beef tripe. WOW! Awesome! Along with the tripe, which we thinly sliced and had the consistency and texture of pasta were heirloom cherry tomatoes, parsley, and ZING: Fresno chilies. The burst of sweetness from the cherry tomatoes was offset by the burning-on-the-back-of-the-throat (not the tongue) from the chilies. I LOVED this dish.

Next, calf's brains with white chanterelles, capers and lemon. I was expecting a consistency sort of like cauliflower. Instead, the brains were mushy, almost custard-like. I could only eat one bit of what-must-certainly-be-an-acquired-taste thing. Then we had "Trotter Cakes"--pigs' feet in a crab cake-type format. Again, a bit fatty for me. Finally, we ended the evening with a wonderful dessert: Chocolate blood panna cotta. This had a pudding like consistency, and was awesome, especially with the accompanying fresh strawberries.

For wine, we polished off a bottle of Geyser Peak Winery 2005 Alexandra Valley Walking Tree Vineyard cab, and a the bottle of 1987 cab I brought from Kathryn Kennedy Winery. I'm happy to say that the KKW cab was awesome: great bouquet, and smooth with no tannins and a real peppery, long finish.

At the end of the meal, Chef Chris came out and we had a great talk about the Fifth Quarter menu, along with his new "tasty salted pig parts" venture: Boccalone. Chris definitely loves all things hog-related; the self-proclaimed "meat monkey" had just gotten in four sides of hogs, with each side being about 210lbs. That's a lotta pig!!!!

Anyway, the meal was exceptional. It's always nice to have expectations for something---that anticipation---and have those expectations exceeded. It just reaffirms to me that every meal can be a feast, no matter how small or, in this case, no matter how much uncertainty is involved (from the "different" foods, the 20-year-old cab, from gathering people together who don't know each other, etc.), because with great food, and great wine, and with especially with people who enjoy both: