Talk about a backdrop.

It’s very rare that we pull off a dinner that has such direct connection between the location and the film we’re screening. This was that kind of perfect storm. I moved into my office on 34th and fifth about two years ago. Day two I wandered up to the roof and saw the Empire State Building looking down on me. To my left was the perfect movie screen (found on the side of the building just south). From that moment I’ve been working with the Wework crew, the owners of the building, to make this event happen. A few weeks ago my vision of Dinner with King Kong under the Empire State Building became a reality.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where we screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet creations. For this one we decided to pick some of our favorite NYC neighborhoods to inspire the cuisine. Although we screened the original 1933 film, no CGI for us, we chose recipes that spanned the 79 year gap. Let’s just say that in 1933 the crew didn’t break for lunch in K-Town.

As our guests arrived they each seemed to have the same elation I did when first walking into the space. At night the entrance is even more dramatic. Imagine coming to the center of NYC, passing the tourists and being buzzed into a non-descript building across the street from one of the greatest monuments of the modern world. You then take the elevator to the top floor, 8 stories up, leave the elevator and climb one set of stairs to a steel door that is propped open with a piece of wood. As you crest the top of the steps you feel a breeze of cool air, see bright lights and some ominous roof infrastructure. A few steps later you clear the facilities and are left standing in front of a 20 person table staring up at the Empire State Building.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As each guest arrived having the above experience they were handed a drink and shown to a mini lounge to await the start of dinner. Shortly after all 20 guests had arrived we seated everyone all together. The first step into the King Kong themed meal was the menu. Not a neighborhood but film appropriate just the same.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Along with each guests mini banana menu we served a small dipping bowl filled with a cardimum/cumin spice mix. The idea was to dip the banana into the spices to warm up the palette for the neighborhood inspired courses that was about to begin. It’s only fitting that I lay them out for you block by block. So from 34th and fifth here we go. No MetroCard needed.

Murray Hill (aka-Curry Hill)

photo credit: Kun Kim

Inspired by @missustasty, my love for Indian food, my original apartment on 30th + 3rd and a love for the marriage between cucumbers and yogurt, we opened the meal with this cucumber lassi. Think salty but fresh yogurt shake with the consistency of a heavy cream. The yogurt is thinned down by the cucumber releasing it’s flavorful water content as the two are blended together. The froth makes it fun and the mint ties it all together.

Korea Town

photo credit: Kun Kim

I don’t cook much Asian food. When I do it’s never Korean. So the K-town dish was a challenge. Luckily our prior dinner left me with an authoritative panel of Korean-American’s that guided me in the right spot. This Kimbap is much like a Japanese sushi roll but can contain anything from kimchi to beef. I used beef and rolled my own. This dish is common for Korean picnics in which it’s served at room temperature. This helped with one small detail missing from this amazing location. No oven!

Astoria

photo credit: Kun Kim

Yes Queens! It’s the new Brooklyn, trust us. Simple, easy and delicious, this Greek salad was a perfect fit. Anthony lives in Astoria and knows were to get the authentic feta cheese and the freshest olives. The dressing was a simple lemon and olive oil to let the ingredients shine.

By this time our guests were deep into the film. Focused on the 1933 black and white the colorful and loud surroundings faded into the background. We kept the pace and started plating the Lower East Side.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Lower East Side

photo credit: Kun Kim

I don’t know about you but I like my pastrami sandwich a very certain way. Hot, fresh rye bread, spicy deli mustard and a dollop of cole slaw is the perfect mix of flavors textures and temperatures. So that is exactly what we did. Plus, how could you do neighborhoods with out representing one of the most multi-cultural blocks in the whole city. You can eat everything from Mexican to modern American to Jewish cuisine in a 5 block radius.

Little Italy

photo credit: Kun Kim

Not surprising our main entree represented a neighborhood we hold near and dear. The dish, our signature lasagna. The ‘hood a few blocks off from where our father grew up. Not the 30′s but Greenwich Village in the 50′s would have been amazing to see. When the time machine is invented that’s the first place you’ll find me. For now I’ll settle for my grandmother’s gravy poured over 5 layers of tender pasta, gooey cheese and flavorful meat.

We thought it only appropriate to start and end with bananas. Our food finale was served just as the movies finale sent the beast tumbling off the very building our guests dined underneath. The meal concluded as if halfway through his epic fall Kong turned into delicious banana-marscarpone cream pops that landed on each plate with a thud.

photo credit: Kun Kim

With the plates cleaned and the movies credits scrolling the night slowly closed in the same secret way it began. Guests trickled off the roof, down the steps, into the elevator and back onto the street. The door to the building locked behind them instantly making the rooftop a memory and snapping them back into the tourist haven reality that 34th and 5th constantly commands.

For us the night was a huge success. Executing what was only a vision a year ago gave us a great sense of accomplishment. That perfect storm of film, food and location all playing equally strong roles in the evening always leaves us beaming. We hope we can bring dinners like this to you more often in the future. We’re working on a couple now as you read this.

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. They are the ones that do the heavy lifting that keeps these dinners going. For this one we had a special paisano in the kitchen to help, Michael Cirino of A Razor, A Shiny Knife. The biggest thanks always goes to our guests. Seeing them mingle and eat warms our hearts and gets us one step closer to our mission of bringing back dinnertime. Our next dinner will be announced shortly make sure you are on the list to get the update.

Recipes:

Cucumber Lassi

Ingredients:

ingredients
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups chopped cucumber
2 green chillies
a small piece of ginger
3-4 ice cubes
4 mint leaves
salt
1/2 tsp roasted and powdered cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne (chilli) powder
mint leaves to garnish

Directions:

Puree cucumber, ginger, chillies and mint in a blender. Add ice and blend until it is crushed. Add yoghurt and salt and blend until it gets foamy. Pour into two glasses, sprinkle the cumin and cayenne powders and garnish with mint.

Korean Beef Kimbap

Ingredients:

ingredients
6-7 Sheets dried laver seaweed
A 9 or 10 oz bag of ready to use spinach
1 log of yellow pickled radish, or “danmuji”
1 large carrot, or 2 medium sized carrots, peeled
5 Eggs
Kosher salt, divided
Sesame oil, divided
Olive oil, divided
Roasted sesame seeds, divided
BEEF INGREDIENTS-1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
RICE INGREDIENTS-6 cups cooked (3 cups uncooked) short grain or sushi rice
½ Tbsp Sesame Oil
½ Tbsp Olive Oil
½ Tbsp Sesame Seeds
¼-½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Directions:

1. For the beef:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the beef. Mix everything together by hand and set it aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients. When all the other ingredients are prepped, and the beef has had time to marinate, heat a large pan with some olive oil and fry the beef until it is nicely browned. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside.

For the spinach:

Add the entire 9 or 10 oz bag of ready to use spinach in salted boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, and drain. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking, and squeeze out all the excess moisture with your hand. Transfer to a bowl and season with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and a couple pinches of kosher salt. Mix well. Set aside.

For the “danmuji,” or pickled radish:

Slice the log of radish into ½” thick slices. Cut each slice into strips, so that you end up with thin long strips, about ½” thick in diameter. Set aside.

For the carrots:

Peel and slice your carrot(s) thinly on a diagonal. Lay the slices flat and run your knife through them lengthwise to create thin julienned slices. Saute them in a pan with some olive oil and season with a couple pinches of salt to taste. Set aside.

For the eggs:

Break 5 eggs and add a couple pinches of salt. Whisk well. Heat a large pan with olive oil over medium low heat. Use a paper towel to wipe the pan so that it is evenly coated. Pour in the eggs and let it cook until the bottom is firm and light golden brown. Flip the egg over and cook until light golden brown. Remove to a plate and cut the egg into half-inch strips. Set aside.

For the rice:

Mix the rice last. After all the ingredients are prepped and the beef is cooked, place the 6 cups of cooked rice into a large bowl, along with the other ingredients for the rice. Mix gently, and get everything ready for assembly.

2. Assembly and slicing:

Place a sheet of dried laver seaweed, shiny side down, on a bamboo mat. Starting from the bottom, spread some rice in a thin even layer, filling about ⅔ of the seaweed sheet.

All of the filling that goes on top of the rice should start at 1” from the bottom, and have 2” of rice above it. Place the danmuji and egg first, leaving a gap in between them. In that gap, add your beef in a neat row. On top of the beef, place the carrot and spinach side by side, also in neat rows.

Starting from the bottom, roll the seaweed sheet, using the mat. The first roll should land right where that excess rice is. That will help it stick together. Gently push and squeeze down on the bamboo mat. Move the mat a litttle further away from you, allowing the kimbap to roll with it. Again, squish down and press with your hands. Then wrap and roll the entire kimbap up in the mat. Squeeze firmly across the entire length of the mat to make the sure the kimbap is tight. If you’re having trouble keeping the seaweed shut, add a few grains of the rice at the edge of the seaweed sheet.

Use a brush or a gloved hand to put some sesame oil on the surface of the kimbap rolls. This adds flavor and helps keep the kimbap shiny. It also helps to add a little sesame oil to your knife blade. With a sharp knife, slice the kimbap into thin half inch or bite sized pieces. Kimbap is characteristically sliced thinner than Japanese maki. You can then sprinkle with some more roasted sesame seeds if you want.

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It all started a few months back over some stiff drinks and a few oysters. Three food fanatics, me one of them, sipped and slurped as we brainstormed dinner themes. As the night grew longer the ideas piled up. Some good, some bad. As a counter idea to the unique but crazy thought of an illegal narcotics dinner I boldly suggested “ALL BIRDS”. I’d envisioned a multi-plate dinner where every course contained a bird part. Smiles grew into the cheeks of my two gastro-passionate buddies and I knew we had a winner.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where we screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet creations. The seats are usually first come first serve but every once in a while we collaborate with some old friends. A while back we pulled off a Creole/Cajun feast in 102 degree heat for the Gastronauts, an adventurous eating group in NYC.

One of my two dinner brainstorming buddies was Curtis, the Gastronauts fearless leader and organizer. The other was my friend, and supper club counterpart, Mark from Whisk and Ladle. Our conversation now turned to foul and the various preparations possible. By the end of that night we had a list of birds from ostrich to squab we needed to get into the test kitchen.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago at 10:35pm when our last dish in an eleven course line up hit the 31 person table. High fives all around the kitchen for pulling off the largest menu and most guests of any REEL TASTY dinner to date. But, let’s back up seven hours and start with prep for course number one.

We set the stage with some simple, delicious, easy drinking wines hand picked by Lily at Dandelion Wines. Also on hand was some Brooklyn Lager because, well hell, we believe you should always have some of that on hand.

Before the stove was ever turned on the whole dinner was turned inside out. Instead of our normal family style service we decided to plate all eleven courses individually. The kitchen was more crowded than usual in preparation for this adjusted service style with two sous chefs to Mark and I and 3 servers. We even had a captain on this one.

All photos below and above credit to: Kun Kim

Before long the thirty one guests were seated and ready to start eating. With so many courses it seems to me the only proper way to recap this dinner is to go course by course. Before we drop into it, a few words about the guests. From the below, I think it’s safe to say they enjoyed. There was more open mouth amazement, camera snapping and mmmm-ing going on than any other dinner we’ve hosted. By the end of the meal you could feel the collective satiation from the crowd and the buzz of amazement still echoing off the two story movie screen.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Course 1

Duck confit stuffed gougères with asian pear chutney

The one element we were missing from last time was my co-chef Aimee. In honor of this absence we started the night with the above dish. Borrowed from a famous chef and adapted once by Aimee and a second time by me, we served these cute french sandwiches to start the evening. The last time we used this dish was at the 2010 Michelin award ceremony in which the top chefs in NYC ate our carefully prepared snack.

Course 2

Italian chicken meatball kissed with a poultry demi glace

This course I’d envisioned since day one. The idea of serving something out of a ubiquitous egg container thrilled me. At the time I just didn’t know what I’d serve from it. The easy answer would have been deviled or hardboiled eggs but that was too expected and boring. The menu was void of any Italian influence at this point and it struck me that I could fill that gap and the egg container at the same time with a meatball dish. Chicken meatballs shaped like eggs of course. The problem was my family didn’t have a solid chicken meatball recipe so I did some research. I finally settled on the meatball kings of NYC’s recipe with a minor ingredient ratio adjustment. The egg shaped balls were then packed into the containers hot from the oven and served family style straight from the crate.

Course 3

Buffalo turkey wing with a blue cheese, carrot and celery slaw

The highlight of last years Thanksbringing was our third course. In my first attempt at this I didn’t brine the wings. This time they were brined for over 12 hours in a spicy salt mixture allowing the heat to penetrate deep into the wing meat. Mark had a brilliant twist to the dish. He suggested a celery and carrot slaw with a blue cheese emulsion. This perfectly complimented my classic butter and Frank’s Red Hot sauce. These prehistoric sized flappers went through a three stage cooking process before ending up on the table. They were received with gasps, wide eyes, perked up noses and drooling mouths while guests visually perused the cacophony of wings hitting the table.

Course 4

BBQ wood pigeon on smoked cream grits

This bird is one I was excited to cook from the get go. Originally I thought it would be squab (a young pigeon) but when the poultry market had fresh wood pigeons we modified the recipe. All in good measure too, our squab tests turned out mediocre at best. It’s a difficult bird to cook perfectly. Mark started with a bed of creamy grits with his secret ingredient, smoke powder. This created a silky base for the sweet sauce glazed pigeon filets to land on after they were kissed by the grill.

Course 5

Duck breast tacos

A mexican twist, a haute presentation and a slow preparation was the key to this dish. The ducks we picked up from the poultry market were nice and big. The original plan was to slow cook the duck legs and thighs and then pull it Mexican pork style. When we broke down the birds Mark found the breasts to be so amazing that he switched to using them instead of the leg/thighs. He applied the same slow roasting process but instead of pulling them he simply sliced them serving the taco open faced. Accompanying the red  medallions was a super fresh salsa and some queso fresco leaving the dish simple and elegant.

Course 6

Butter lettuce salad with poached quail egg, turkey bacon and shallot lemon dressing

We knew we needed a green in this mix but bringing poultry to it was the conundrum. Hardboiled eggs seemed too easy and void of unexpected flavor. Raw yolk dressing seemed forced. I eventually settled on the simple, as is with most of my salads. Some fresh farmers market greens, frisee and soft butter lettuce, became my base. I lightly dressed them with some oil and citrus. That was sprinkled with a few crispy, turkey bacon flakes to create a nest for the final ingredient. Of course we wanted to use quail and the birds delicate, distinct flavored eggs were the perfect choice. Sous vide poached to a temperature that gave the egg a custardy look was nestled into the center of each plate. The idea was to allow the salad to “hatch” by bursting the delicate egg white allowing the yolk to run through the lettuce nest mixing the final ingredient into the dressing.

Course 7

Steak and Potatoes: Ostrich fillet on horseradish mashed potatoes

In the test kitchen this cut deceived even me and I knew what it was. Cooked properly ostrich has an almost unidentifiable taste, texture and appearance to beef. Playing on this we decided a “steak and potatoes” course was the perfect next dish. Borrowing one of my buddy Ben Long’s favorite steak sides, horseradish mashed potatoes, we hoped to play with our guests minds a little bit. Seared quickly on the grill the same way you would a steak, these thick, breast cut, ostrich filets were placed atop the mashed potato with their medium rare centers pointed outward to start the deception. The kosher salt and course black pepper seasoning added to the charade as guests tongues began to decipher the dish. I love presentations like this because these types of culinary variances challenge both tastebuds and imagination for not just the chefs but, more importantly, the diner.

Course 8

Heart, liver and skin yakitori

We ordered 14 ducks and 14 pigeons from the poultry market. It took Mark two and a half hours to break all the birds down. We cleaned and prepped over 40 turkey wings. This left us with a plethora of “extra parts” to play with. We decided to turn to Japan for inspiration. Having spent some time in Tokyo, I have fond memories of the yakitori restaurants that pepper the different neighborhoods. I decided to work with the hearts, the duck liver and the excess turkey skin. I wanted to create a skewer that had three distinct bites. For this I called in a few other cultures. The hearts were braised in pigeon stock made from the stripped pigeon carcass’ on hand. The turkey skin was deep fried until very crispy. The livers were quickly poached in water to solidify their texture. Then they were all skewered and grilled for a few minutes on each side. As a final flavor boost I added a drop of sirrachia to the heart, a dusting of smoked spanish paprika to the skin and a dollop of curried mustard to the liver.

Course 9

Flan ice cream with pumpkin carmel sauce

After eight courses we were finally tip-toeing into dessert. A custard based flan ice cream seemed perfect. Nodding to the change of seasons some fall squash was added to the base. Finally it was finished with a ribbon of carmel sauce.

Course 10

Gin egg white milk shake

That was followed by a frothed gin and egg white drink finished with a flavorful orange peel. Mini, dramatically white and successfully bird themed this post-meal drink bubbled across our guests palettes sealing in the flavors from the previous nine courses.

Course 11

Salted caramel bouillon cube

As a final treat we presented our take on the bouillon cube. The only dish of the night not containing a poultry part but the exception was allowed because of the visual nod to the animal class we had just finished celebrating.

As the final course was served Mr. Hitchcock’s classic horror film finished up allowing the guests to digest and discussed the eleven course parade they just experienced. This brings us back to that kitchen high five. The kitchen sipped some celebratory gin shakes and smiled ear to ear with accomplishment. Then we turned back to our posts to start the clean up. Proper celebration waited a few hours longer until we converted the restaurant back into an apartment.

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. They are the ones that do the heavy lifting that keeps these dinners going. The biggest thanks always goes to our gastronomical guests. Seeing them mingle and eat warms our hearts and gets us one step closer to our mission of bringing back dinnertime. Our next dinner will be announced shortly make sure you are on the list to get the update.

Recipes

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

3/4 cup warm 1% low-fat milk

2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh horseradish

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Combine potatoes, milk, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mash potato mixture with a potato masher. Serve with ribs and cooking liquid.

Chicken Meatballs (Adapted from The Meatball Shop)

Ingredients:

Directions:

Thursday, September 27th at 7:00pm.
The original Kong underneath his favorite building

Starts: 7:00pm
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $25 (make a reservation below)
Movie: King Kong

That’s right, this dinner is on a roof just under the Empire State Building. How fitting for the movies climactic ending. Better yet, we have an amazing 5 course tasting menu prepared. While your tastebuds explore the 5 boroughs you’ll be comfortably seated in this epic movie’s finale location. How can you pass this up? Grab a seat while they last.

SOLD OUT-Reservations

For those who have reserved: Location and directions will be sent to guests one day before the event. IF IT RAINS: If it rains, or looks like rain, the dinner is off. Decisions on weather will be made the morning of the event. All donations will be refunded at this time.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Anthony pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.

Last night we pulled off another successful collaboration with our friends over at Gastronauts. You may remember our last creole/cajun collaboration. This year, the Forking Tasty crew along with my kitchen collaborators from Whisk & Ladle, went in a totally different direction than last time. About four months ago over a few oysters and meticulously crafted cocktails at a popular Williamsburg Brooklyn haunt, we brainstormed an 11 course, plated, all bird menu. Below is the final draft of that session. Stay tuned for a post with a breakdown and picture of each delectable dish.

POSTPONED-If you have reservations check your email

Saturday, September 29nd at 6:30pm.
From gladiators to Vespas. Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 6:30pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $65 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Roman Holiday

Our next dinner in the Italian Season is a pure classic. How could you go wrong with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Italy circa 1953? Rhetorical. You can’t! With that we are pulling out many of our family favorites from both the Italy and the New York archives. We’ve spent a significant amount of time in Lazio and plan on giving you the full Roman treatment straight from the pages of our travel journal and family albums. My grandfather is from a small town just south of Rome named Fondi. No visit to Rome is complete without a stop at the old citrus farm they had down there. Expect a little influence from this little town in the menu. Hopefully the food and the film will inspire you to take your own Roman Holiday soon. There is no line at the vatican in early December. Shhhh.

Menu

Our menu focuses on the cuisine of Lazio with a heavy influence on Roman modern favorites. No gladiator inspired dishes we promise. One of my father’s favorite parts of eating in Rome is the antipasti spread you find in many restaurants. We’ll do our best to recreate this help-yourself-style table of treats. That will be followed by 4 more courses that continue the edible delight through one of the greatest ancient cities in the world. Come hungry but pace yourself, this will be a gut buster.

TABLE FULL-Reservations

For those who have reserved: Location and directions will be sent to guests one day before the event. IF IT RAINS: If it rains, or looks like rain, the dinner is off. Decisions on weather will be made the morning of the event. All donations will be refunded at this time.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Anthony pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.