Special thanks to Erika, one of TMR’s contributing writers and creator of 2 Dine For, for covering this event at Feast!
On behalf of The Mighty Rib, we were thrilled to attend this foodie event sponsored by Dolce Gusto, a new single-serve coffee maker by Nescafe. I was particularly excited because a) I love coffee and rely on it as much as I do my husband, and b) because the event was at Feast, a place I’ve been wanting to go to, despite being slightly intimidated by it. If you don’t know about Feast, it’s basically where strange meets stranger. The menu is gamey—and with items like duck blood in the spotlight, you’ve got to be adventuresome just to walk in the door. That said, I found myself loving the dishes. Owner/Chef Richard Knight definitely added to the flavor of the evening, as he spent practically the whole night cooking table side and giving us the anecdotal history of the restaurant and his inspirations.
Feast is dedicated to the farm-to-table concept, and while they’ve revamped their menu to make sure it includes items that don’t scare people away, they’re totally committed to local foods. You know where your food comes from, and I think we Houstonians should start to demand that from every restaurant in the upcoming years. But props to Feast for making it a priority now, and leading the way…I’m sure it’s not always easy having such high standards.
We started off with white anchovies, a new favorite of mine, on crispy toast. This was a good way to ease us into the fork-beard glass minnows that followed. Despite the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever eaten minnows, it’s a strange dish that…just works. We ate them whole, and they were perfectly seasoned. I noticed pretty much everyone at the table diving into that dish in particular.
After the “bubble and squeak” comfort dish of potatoes, kale, and Brussels sprouts, a not-so-comforting dish arrived…none other than duck blood! I’ve eaten and enjoyed morcilla sausage—cow’s blood—a thousand times at Ibiza, so I didn’t really have an excuse for not welcoming on the ducky too. Well, I did it, and it tasted a lot like the morcilla.
We then moved onto the Dolce Gusto tasters, in adorable plastic cappuccino “cups” that I’m now on a mission to stock for our annual Christmakah party. I tried the caramel macchiato and loved it. I typically don’t like flavored coffee, but this is different. The flavor is in the milk capsules, which is like getting a custom-order Starbucks at home. I live by my single-serve coffee makers, and am now adding a third one to the mix, thanks to the generous folks at Dolce Gusto. It’s a unique product because it produces both your everyday cup of coffee, as well as your lattes for special occasions, all in the convenience of a single-serve unit. I think it’s pretty reasonable, too (since I’ve been suckered into owning almost every single-serve machine on the market so far). Dolce Gusto units start at $99 and go up to $199.
Want your own Dolce Gusto machine? We’ll be doing a giveaway on 2dineforhouston.com in upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!
