I'm reluctant to give credence to food trends, especially when they take on a "green is the new black" slant.
For instance: Pig. We get it. Pig is big. Pig is tasty! Pig is how we as spoiled bourgeois eaters are REEEEE-CONNECTING with our humble swine-raising forbears, via pricey Berkshire varietals, slivers of barely-legal jamón ibérico de bellota and $8-bacon-laced-candy-bars. TESTIFY!!!
Psst. As sure as foodgossipwhores will squeal and clamor for the next big thing, Pig was ALWAYS big and, God willing, will always offer a great taste-to-value-ratio. So let's just take a moment to be glad that good 'ol pork is having its moment in the sun, so that dedicated eaters can enjoy the collateral porcine fallout.
Ryan Skeen is a name oft-whispered amongst the fans of offcuts and burger-delirious. Having carved himself a niche doling out lamb ribs, beef cheeks, and fatback-enriched burgers at Resto, he's moved on to give the Irving Mill a much-needed jolt, delivered on the presupposed slick of barnyard indulgence.
For those who hate change, not to worry! It's a larger restaurant than Resto, so that more of us may simultaneously partake of treats in a warmly (READ: dimly) lit room swathed in rough-hewn wood.
Plus, some of the signature highlights have trotted right over from Resto (give-or-take some glamour-tweaking); behold, the beloved pork-jowl toasts (think uber-rich croquettes), dotted with skooshed egg and caviar:
I don't think the Creator intended for any of his critters to turn up as toast...but after a couple of unctuously rich, crispy bites, I doubt He/She would mind. In fact, He/She might be pissed they didn't think of it first.
And, of course, the modified-Resto burger:
I like a good burger as much as the next glut, but I'm by no means an aficionado, and was uncertain that I'd be able to discern a marked difference between Resto's Fatback Mountain vs. Irving Mill's Beef Flap Fantasy. But lo, there were remarkable changes, and for the better!
Skeen's Irving Mill burger had a consistency more akin to chopped beef than mashed hamburger meat, and even though the burger hit the table closer to medium/medium-well than the requested medium-rare, it didn't suffer for it. The patty was juicy, busting with effusive beefiness, well-portioned (neither 1/4-lb. wimpyburger nor jaw-detaching 1/2-lb. meatball), and the potato bun cradled and delivered the goods without dissolving or getting in the way.
We also got to try the little pulled-pork potato-bunned compatriots of the burger:
Delish! An ideal bar-perched nosh, as was the Charcroute Plate (given that you're splitting it between 2-3 drinkers):
'Twas every bit the rainbow of pig that it appears to be; to catalog (clockwise, from 12 o'clock on the plate): Pork Ribs, Boudin Blanc, Boudin Noir (AKA blood sausage), Terrine Tete de Cochon, Pickled Cabbage, Crispy Pig's Feet and in the center, Fried Pork Belly.
The above also came with Fried Potato & Creme Fraiche, Violet Mustard and Whole Grain Mustard:
This is definitely not for the faint of heart, and a pretty rich preamble to...hell, ANYTHING, much less what Irving Mill offers as entrees, so if you're folding this into dinner, pace yourself, and split among many.
Another appetizer that could double as an entree, the Pig Ear Salad:
No worries, it's not as scary as it sounds--the ears are crispy and salty, so just think "bacon". The poached egg turns this into a fun 'lil twist on the bistro classic frissee au lardon--like the classic, the crisp, bitter greens foil well with the oozy egg and bracing pig bits. Tasty, but again, pretty heavy-hitting for a first course.
We couldn't NOT order the mac and cheese, and of course, it too was a continuation of the parade of pig, sporting sprinklings of pork rinds:
This fella was of the creamy, uniform M&C variety, and to tell the truth, I don't remember it very well...this may have been due to the fact that we were seriously kidding ourselves about needing a supplementary gutbuster brought to the table.
To help toss-up the pork monopoly a bit, Effing Brobro got the Bavette Steak with Bone Marrow Soubise, Smoked Garlic and Parsley:
By the by, Bavette = Flap meat or flap steak (which is what they also use to make the burger).
If you want to get anatomical about it, flap meat = meat from trimmed cow belly (AKA, the "short plate").
Like its belly-steak-brethren (skirt, hangar and flank) bavette is a humble cut of beef that can be coaxed into succulence given the proper treatment, as it was here. Minerally, toothsome--all the happiness of a sirloin without the price point.
The protein ringer for the evening: Rabbit! More precisely, Rabbit with Pappardelle, savory and studded with olives:
Quite nice! I'm a sucker for fat noodles and thinner, gravy-like sauce, and the tender rabbit brought top-notch dark-meat chicken to mind.
<slurpy sounds>
<bloated silence>
But we all still had a spark in our eyes when our waitress doled out the dessert roster.
I mean, who could turn down apple fritters? WHO???
Not doughnut, not baked apple, but an ingenuous, indecent marriage of the two--warm, puffy rings of sugar-crunchy satiety, drizzled with reduced cider syrup and paired with cinnamon (cinnnanamun) ice cream. Gold star!
Effing BroBro was plenty happy to see his Banana Cream Pie Parfait:
A pileup of Roasted Banana Ice Cream, Coconut Macaroon, Vanilla Custard and Chocolate, this fella was the sophisticated older cousin of a Lil Bucket Sundae, or suped-up individual 'Nilla wafer pudding. A shoo-in for 'nana-lovers.
Not to be outdone, The Man ordered the Butterscotch Blondie Ice Cream Sundae:
Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Bourbon Caramel and Spiced Walnuts--this, a cuppa joe and a neat bourbon, and you're all set.
(Sorry folks, almost done! In case you're curious, there were five of us, all suffering from ordering bravado. Pass the Pepcid.)
There was also Cheesecake with Meyer Lemon and Huckleberry Compote:
And a mixie bowl of mint chocolate chip, pumpkin pie, and browned butter ice cream:
The brown butter ROCKED the other two flavors, and the cheesecake was pleasant, if not life-changing.
But I think the dessert menu is tilted in the right direction; not many mere mortals are going to make it to this point of the meal, and the survivors won't have the stamina or enthusiasm for nutjob dessert antics.
Good eating abounds at the Irving Mill reboot, and I've only one quip to offer. The menu here, like the one at Resto, shows its strengths better when ordering family/tapas style. You'll want a little bit of everything, and it'll help to mitigate the (welcome, if occasionally heady) influx of animal fat.
The cherry on this pork sundae? According to a recent interview, Chef Ryan Skeen tends to poo-poo "food trends", too!
Ya know what that means?
Don't panic, don't shove. This isn't a fluke, or a fad. There's plenty of pig for everyone.
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Irving Mill
116 E. 16th St, nr. Irving Pl.
Union Square
NYC, NY 10003
212-254-1600
Sunday & Monday:
5:30 pm -10:00 pm
Tuesday - Thursday:
5:30 pm -10:30 pm
Friday & Saturday:
5:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Favorites: Peruvian Pulled Pork Sandwich, Pork Toasts, Charcroute Plate, Irving Mill Burger, Bavette Steak, Apple Fritters
Still want to try: Hamachi with Chorizo and Grapefruit; Chicken Liver Mousse; Lamb Cassoulet; Rabbit Liver Tortellini with Acorn Squash, Bacon, Cashews and Brussels Sprouts; Black Tuscan Kale; Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
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