Roast Pig Dinner at Back Forty

Vegetarians and squeamish eaters, beware.  This entry is all about pig, a whole roasted baby pig from the ears to the tail.  I love the idea of large format dinners so when I was invited to partake in the roasted pig dinner at Back Forty in the East Village, there was little to no hesitation on my part.

The roast pig dinner at Back Forty like many other large format dinners must be called in ahead of time and in addition to the pig, it also includes a variety of starters as well as sides and dessert.  Once seated, the meal starts without skipping a beat with two antipasti boards.

The first board included a selection of pickled vegetables as well as a semi hard cheese.  My favorite was the tangy pickled hard boiled eggs.

The second board comprised of a light homemade sausage served slightly warm, a delicate mortadella, and a pot of creamy and fluffy chicken liver mousse.  Oh and don’t forget a few more pieces of that delicious pickled eggs tucked in next to the bread!

As we were finishing up the second antipasti board, the team at Back Forty brought around the baby pig for a little show-and-tell.  The pig parading by our table was definitely a show as a bushel of herbs was set aflame and sent aromatics wafting throughout the dining room.  As they took the pig back to kitchen to be carved up, we were given a crisp salad of watercress, pears, cheese and pickled onions.

After our plates were cleared, half of the table was asked to stand so that they could bring on the roast pig (it was that indeed that heavy and big).  This time, the pig came back accompanied by bowls of braised collard greens and stewed beans as well as large chunks of sourdough bread.  To serve, we were given a shovel-like spatula to lift each cross section of the pig.

When that first slice of pork was lifted, I realized that this was not a simple roasted pig.  It only resembled one from the outside while in fact, the inside was a combination of tender roasted pork and herb studded pork sausage.  The meat was so soft and almost milky in taste while the sausage gave some complexity to each bite.  My one complaint was that the skin was a little too hard, making it difficult to cut and I had to resort to using my fingers to break it apart.

The nine of us did our best but even after we filled ourselves to the brim, there were still pieces of pork left on the board.  I couldn’t resist the before and after shot.

And just when I thought I couldn’t eat another bite, a rich slice of chocolate cake with dense chocolate ganache appeared.  A sweet ending to complete the meal.  Before we knew it, the meal ended and it was nearly three hours of eating, talking and laughing.  This is exactly what I love about a group dinner.  There is just something so warm and congenial about the idea of a large group sharing one meal and eating together.

Back Forty | 190 Avenue B # 1  New York, NY 10009 | http://www.backfortynyc.com/