Oustanding in the Field

Ok so i've been dragging my feet about writing this because i don't want to sully my dreams of what Outstanding in the Field should be! But the truth is, this year was a let down.

First of all, i should tell you that we went last year in Manhattan and it was pouring down rain - we held umbrellas and sipped bubbly, or had people hold them for us as we ate the passed appetizers. The table itself obviously couldn't be set up so they bought a gigantic tarp and squished the tables under it. WHO CARES! the food was delicious!! We were a part of an experience, a rare and pricey one at that! We had a great time.

So i was counting down the days until we got to go this year. We chose to go to the Queens Farm w/ Chef Ryan Skeen of Allen & Delancey night. We'd never been to Queens Farm, thought it would be a nice adventure.

Well part of it was! It was a beautiful place, i'm so glad that we went to this location. As you'll see in the pictures, it's beautiful. Just outside the city and so unexpected! The Queens County Farm Museum is 47 Acres of land that dates back 300 years. It used to be a Dutch farm then the parks department bought it who didn't do much with it until they hired Michael, the farmer who has turned it into an organic farm w/ hens, sheep, goats, pigs, bees... they sell produce at the farmer's market in Union Square. Eventually he wants to start a dairy - so keep your eyes open for it!


But the farm was only a small part of why we were there. We were there for the feast, for the local food, to hear from the farmers, the cheese makers, and the bread makers. There were no passed appetizers like they told us there would be. So we got to the beautiful table and sat down excited and hungry!

Grilled Prawns w/ bouillabaisse, tapioca & ratatouille
Good pieces of shrimp and the tapioca was an interesting spin. It had some nice flavor.

Grilled salt & pepper pigs tails
This was definitely a first for me! i was a bit nervous because of the shape and size but it was really tasty. Fatty and salty and tender.

Grilled lamb belly with green tomato, watermelon salad, mint & goat cheese
Ok this was delicious. HOWEVER, it was supposed to feed the 8 people at our table. By the time it got to me, there was one tiny piece of lamb on the dish w/ tomatoes and watermelon. Looking around at the plates of my fellow diners, no one took a ton of food. everyone was very polite with portions and someone was kind enough to give me a piece of their lamb. (one of the three on their plate!). But the flavors were very nice, the watermelon especially.

A man from Fossil Farms came around and talked to the table. Basically they're creating a local distribution network for local farms so that consumers like restaurants can source locally grown meat. They're helping farmers get access to the local market and in turn helping the market get local options. A farmer is too busy to do that for himself so this man is basically his agent. And this is where our pig came from!

Slow roasted baby pig & morcilla w/ chanterelles
sweet corn bread pudding
Ok the corn bread was delicious and the chanterelles were beautiful. The morcilla (or blood sausage)- a first for me- was really good and spicy. But the pig itself was less than stellar. i mean, it was pork so it was good but it was just simple pork and we're not sure it was cooked all the way through. my dad cooks a great pork tenderloin on the grill - i think his is better than the chef's.

Korean coleslaw with spice roasted cashews
and
summer squash salad w/ pesto and baby heirloom tomatoes
These salads were served on the side w/ the pork and they were good. Nice flavors in both of them and especially w/ the squash salad, it tasted like summer. (i didn't get a picture of it, sorry!)

Then we noticed that the tables around us got a dish and when i asked the woman who was serving us (an organizer for Outstanding) she had no idea what the dish was. So if anyone is reading this who had it -- can you tell me what the diced tomato looking dish was? We never got it!

At this point a woman sitting next to me goes "I'd like a little bread or something" which is when i remember all of the farmers who talked to us last year about every element that went into the meal. Including a bread maker. So either Chef Skeen decided not to include those elements in the meal... or i don't know what.

And finally there was dessert. Now, it was listed in black and white on the menu. In my head it was going to be a fun spin on a classic; we'd all giggle to ourselves and enjoy all of the flavors that the chef has entertained us with. NOPE.
it was a Pork Rind Rice Krispy Treat.
And that was it. A rice krispy treat - granted the pork rind added a little more crunch but that was it. Nothing that couldn't be done by a three year old under supervision! I thought to myself "ok you're being too harsh. You have high expectations. you should just enjoy this". when my boyfriend leans in and says "What!? Not even a chocolate drizzle!?"
Yep, that was it. That was dessert. A friggin' rice krispy treat. And no i didn't get a picture of it because you all know what it looks like and i couldn't believe that's how they were letting this event end!!!!!!

It was a let down. This night had such potential. Maybe the chef had never cooked for an event like this before and got in over his head early in the day.

All in all, it was still special. i'm so glad we found the Queens Farm, i'm glad we got to sit at a real table this year, and that we had great weather.

Overall:
Location A+
Food B- (for the price we paid it might be a C)