The DBGB Whole Hog Dinner, Who's Taking the Head Home?

It's my friend Jason's birthday. Jason is the guy who introduced me to NYC's culinary scene and taught me how to eat and appreciate "fancy" food; he's also the guy who arranged a 10pm Sunday night Momofuku fried chicken dinner and invited me to his birthday dinner at Vinegar Hill House, still one of my favorite meals I've had since living in the city. Most of my knowledge on food and drink from fennel salad to negronis, I learned from him. This year, in typical Jason fashion, he chose DBGB's whole hog dinner for his birthday. The drool-enhancing menu is as follows and is for a maximum of 8 people:

While the roasted suckling pig is the headliner, I actually think the sides are the spotlight, in particular the cheesy potato and kohlrabi gratin. I love a dinner where the sides shine on its own and bring everything together, which this meal did perfectly with fried pork rinds, thick cut bacon in the brussel sprouts and bacon cookies shaped as pigs to finish the meal. NOT TO MENTION THE BOMB-ASS BAKED ALASKA. I've never had a Baked Alaska before (or even knew what it was) but what I ate--a spin on spumoni with vanilla/pistachio/raspberry ice-cream blanketed by a thin layer of alcohol soaked yellow cake and whip cream--exceeded all my expectations.

Dinner was a hefty sum but worth every cent as it was my good friend's birthday, spent with my favorite people and another NYC culinary experience to add to my list. Here are some pictures from dinner:

FYI, I took the hog head home.