warm and hearty

Pig out: BRC's once-a-month suckling pig dinner leaves plenty to squeal about

The BRC roast pig dinner in December included an ample helping of pork and sidesof oyster cheddar spoon bread, baked sweet potatoes with marshmallow glaze andhorseradish creamed Brussels sprouts.
Photo by Clifford Pugh
The BRC interior in a quieter moment.
BRC American Gastropub

The guys at BRC are constantly trying something different. With the success of Babi Guling night on Thursdays at sister restaurant Liberty Kitchen, where a suckling pig is served Balinese style, chef Lance Fegen has kicked off a monthly dinner featuring pig roasted in a more traditional way at BRC.

The first BRC pig dinner, held in December with a holiday theme, drew a large number of diners and quickly sold out of the 30 or so servings. (Only one pig is roasted and once it's gone, it's gone.)

"It's not a long, drawn-out meal," Fegen said. "It's dinner, dessert and a couple of beers — no muss, no fuss."

The January dinner, to be held Wednesday night, features a roasted pig in traditional Southern style, cooked "low and slow" for 10-12 hours.

It's served with buttermilk mashed red potatoes, pimento cheese mac and cheese, green bean and pickled red onions, Parker House rolls and house jarred apple sauce.

The cost in $34 per person, and includes a pint of beer from Brooklyn Brewery, the featured brewer of the evening. Jill Gibson from Brooklyn Brewery will be on hand to discuss the beer with patrons.

Judging from our experience at the December roast pig dinner, the servings are so large that you'll end up taking half of the meal home.

Unlike some tasting dinners that go on for hours, Fegen said this dinner is designed to fit into the lifestyle of his regular customers, who have a lot on their plate and don't want to linger, especially on a school night.

"It's not a long, drawn-out meal," he said. "It's dinner, dessert and a couple of beers — no muss, no fuss.

"A lot of decisions we make as a company are based on how we function as regular human beings when we eat out or cook at home. There's a large percentage of people who act like we do. I'm not a big fan of four hour dinners."

The BRC Monthly Pig Dinner begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday. (The following pig dinner is Feb. 13, featuring Karbach Brewery.) For reservations, call 713-861-2233.

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truffle masters recap

Street corn shines at Houston's truffle-powered chef competition

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.

One of Houston’s top Mexican restaurants took the top prize at this year’s Truffle Masters competition. Victoria Elizondo, chef-owner of Cochinita & Co., bested 24 other Houston chefs with Elotitos, corn brushed with chiltepin aioli, dusted with seven chile spice, and finished with shaved truffles and Parmesan.

“The team killed it last night,” Elizondo wrote on Instagram. “We won 1st place at @thetrufflemasters all while having fun and cooking with love! Food doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be made with corazón!”

The attention couldn’t have come at a better time. As CultureMap reported last month, Cochinita & Co. is currently in the process of opening a second location in Lindale Park. Customers can invest in the project via the NuMarket platform in exchange for credits at the restaurant.

Second prize went to Camaraderie in the Heights for its black sesame and black truffle gelato, while Cocody, a French restaurant in River Oaks, took third place for its truffle-shaped Lollys Persillade Escargot Cromesquis, essentially an escargot lollypop with with black truffle and quail egg in the middle.

Montrose sushi restaurant Soto won People’s Choice with its Engawa fin muscle with truffle balsamic unagi sauce, kizami, and chocolate black truffle masago arare. Aniket Bhingare, a bartender at Michelin-starred restaurant Musaafer, won the cocktail competition with his Pour Me a Slice, made with truffle and herb-infused and a clarified mix of roma tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano, basil, and truffle oil.

Other standout dishes included a Yukon Gold potato with truffle brown butter from Michelin-recognized sushi restaurant Hidden Omakase, truffle s’mores from Israeli-inspired steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, beef tartare and truffle ice cream from fine dining sushi restaurant Katami, and Credence’s truffle duck sausage with plums and truffles. Maximo, a Mexican restaurant in West U., maximized (sorry) its truffle usage with a Cachetada de Barbacoa Taco, made with nixtamalized truffle tortilla, truffle-braised barbacoa, and sottocenere al tartufo cheese with black garlic-habanero salsa

More than 350 attended the sold-out affair, which took place at the Astorian events space in Sawyer Yards. The judging panel include both media members (such as this author) and hospitality pros. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the KNOWAutism Foundation.