titleAt the end of August, I ended up having a very unique dinner at The Blue Duck, one of my favorite restaurants. I usually jump at the chance to sign up for any type of "special" dinners there because they have one of the top chefs in the area, in my opinion.
I had no idea what I had signed up for, but those who know the name Bill Oakley, already knew they were in for a good time. Bill Oakley is known for his years as a writer on The Simpsons and most of the people there were loyal followers. It turns out he was the "host" for the evening and was the one who came up with this interesting idea of a "Curiosity Dinner".
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| An American Culinary Curiosity Dinner |
It turns out that there are some "delicacies" all across the country and each dining event involves hiring a local chef to cook these unique dishes from other areas. While we may think the dishes are weird, it's considered a staple somewhere else, or at least in the past. If you enjoy the history of food, this dinner is for you!
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| This dinner was well attended! |
Actually, St. Louis has quite a few dishes that qualify for this event such as our Provel cheese on pizza and gooey butter cake, but this night's menu was all new to me! I tried them all and they all really surprised me in a good way, and I ate way too much trying to finish them all.
We started out with Carolina Boiled Peanuts, which I at least had tried before, but I did not eat the shells.
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| Carolina Boiled Peanuts |
Cincinnati Sauerkraut Balls were fried and served in an aioli sauce. Not bad. The breading was the dominant flavor and wasn't sour at all.
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| Cincinnati Sauerkraut Balls |
The dinner took it up a level with the third course, a Mini Santa Maria Tri-Tip Sandwich, which is a cut of meat that I've never had before. I would love to have this again. It was a good thing it was a mini serving because it was a heavy sandwich. I was starting to feel full after this and I was only halfway through the dinner.
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| Mini Santa Maria Tri-Tip Sandwich |
The Charleston She Crab Soup was also very filling, but I couldn't stop because it was so tasty, and had to finish it. I would have loved more.
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| Charleston She Crab Soup |
The Key Lime Sorbet was a palate cleanser, thank goodness, since the best course came next.
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| Key Lime Sorbet |
I really didn't have much room left, but this Kentucky Hot Brown was amazing. I MUST HAVE ANOTHER ONE SOMEDAY. You should look it up! The recipe doesn't look too difficult to make at home, but I may have to hire an expert.
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| Kentucky Hot Brown |
Last, but not least by any means, the Utah Pickle Cake was actually quite delicious! I'm sure it was originally created as a joke, but I would definitely eat it again, although I'm pretty sure it'll never happen.
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| Utah Pickle Cake |
And the stories behind all these dishes? Well, you'll have to read up on the history yourself or hopefully we'll have another chance in St. Louis to attend one of these unique dining experiences!
I would definitely do this again...
Resources:
Bill Oakley = https://www.billoakley.com/
The Blue Duck = https://www.blueduckstl.com/
Curiosity Dinner = https://www.billoakley.com/events
