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A Daring Dining Experience: 12-Course Game Meat Pop-Up Dinner

Margaux Farrell |
February 1, 2015 | 4:00 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

What happens when two risk taking chefs pair up for an exclusive 12-course pop up dinner?

Exactly what you would not expect, unless of course you expected camel meat to be on the menu.

On Saturday, Chef Robert ‘Bean’ Castaneda of Living Breathing Kitchen and Chef Jean-Paul Peluffo of Fair Game gourmet food truck, joined forces to serve an exotic 12-course tapas style dinner paired with two handcrafted cocktails.

The exclusive event was held in the Coco Laurent dining room in downtown Los Angeles. 

For Peluffo, who has been a chef for 40 years, and has cooked for people all over the world, starting his food truck was a project to revolutionize the way Angelinos experience street food. 

Incorporating game meats such as alligator and kangaroo into traditional street-food dishes like sliders and tacos makes  uncommon ingredients more palatable for many people. 

“We wanted to show people that it is not about the food truck food coming to the table,” Peluffo said. “It is about the table food coming to the food truck.”

Much like Peluffo, Bean said his passion comes from experimenting. Bean comes from a Filipino family with a large background in cooking, so trying new recipes and techniques in the kitchen is familiar.

“This was actually an accident, and that’s how most of my creations are created,” Bean said. “It is just kind of a whimsical accident that comes together.”

Bean met Peluffo while tasting food truck creations at an art walk. Bean said Peluffo reminds him of his father, who also comes from an executive chef background.

“He is the only one that I know that plays with exotic meats like I do,” Bean said. “We want to keep doing these types of pop ups every month, and see if we can keep intriguing the public to see what we will do next.”

Course #1 Chef Bean: Eggplant and peanut butter soup.

This soup was what Bean calls, “an accident,” but the result was perfection. The texture was thick and comforting. I could not quite identify the eggplant flavor, but the peanut butter flavor was definitely noticeable in a subtle way that accented the vegetable well. If the soup had been spicy I would have guessed it to be a Thai flavor, but it was very mild and easy to eat.

Course #2 Chef Jean-Paul: Arrancini ball, mozzarella, white truffle oil and aged balsamic syrup.

Think of fried mozzarella balls, but better. This dish was not heavy, even though it was a crispy, breaded cheese ball. The breading was very light, just enough to keep the cheese in the shape of a ball. It was crispy but not overdone so the inside of the ball still had texture and had not completely melted. The small splash of balsamic syrup on the side gave a nice pop to the flavor, though I would have liked even more balsamic syrup (if I do say so myself).

 Arrancini ball, mozzarella, white truffle oil and aged balsamic syrup. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Arrancini ball, mozzarella, white truffle oil and aged balsamic syrup. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

 

Course #3 Chef Bean: Camel picadillo with a white mole sauce, chocolate bell pepper sauce with edible flowers.

Camel meat. This could become the newest trending meat, especially in Los Angeles, where anything lean becomes popular. The meat was ground three times, so it was very tender and low in fat. The spices added to the meat gave it a kick, along with the bell pepper mole sauce. The chocolate flavor was not pronounced but it was noticeable when tasting the sauce by itself. It was the perfect blend of salty and spicy. I think the portion was the right amount for this type of meat, it has great flavor but it is different enough that more would have been overwhelming.

Drink #1 Chef Bean: La Gran Puta- hibiscus, blackberry, orange foam, triple sec, and tequila.

La Gran Puta- hibiscus, blackberry, orange foam, triple sec, and tequila. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
La Gran Puta- hibiscus, blackberry, orange foam, triple sec, and tequila. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

This was the first of two drinks. La Gran Puta was to be paired with the camel dish. The chefs felt that there needed to be strategic placement of cocktails within the meal to let the guest pause and wash out their taste buds. This cocktail had a very mild taste of alcohol. The most pronounced flavor was the blackberry, which came across with a kick of citrus. The tequila paired nicely with the fruit but did not overpower it. It did not accent the camel dish, in my opinion, but it was a nice breather while waiting for the next course.

Course #4 Chef Jean-Paul: Salted bacalao gratin bites, bed of leeks fondue and lemon drizzle.

Salted bacalao gratin bites, bed of leeks fondue and lemon drizzle. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Salted bacalao gratin bites, bed of leeks fondue and lemon drizzle. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

This was my least favorite of all of the courses; there were too many flavors to take in. The salted cod balls had a sweet breading, which initially caught me off guard. The inside has a mash consistency, mixing spicy and sweet. One the side was a lemon drizzle, which was particularly sweet, and finely chopped mixed veggies and pineapple. I liked the two components separately. The fish ball, I think, would have benefited from a salty breading and perhaps a creamy sauce versus the lemon drizzle. I also liked the veggie fruit mixture but I did not like it with the fish, my palate could not take in the flavor, there was too much for me to focus on. 

Course #5 Chef Bean: Grits with chorizo, crab claw meat, baby scallops, and shrimp.

Grits with chorizo, crab claw meat, baby scallops, and shrimp. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Grits with chorizo, crab claw meat, baby scallops, and shrimp. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

This was my favorite plate of the night. Chef Bean explained that he likes to layer his plates so that when you take a bite you get a little taste of every flavor, versus having it all mixed in beforehand. This dish had a Cajun, New Orleans feel to it. Layering the ingredients kept the integrity of the grits, which had the perfect amount of texture to them. The layering of the dish made the spiciness of it come later. The chorizo was placed in the center, almost like the head of a volcano. There was a lot of seafood in the dish but it had a fresh taste. A very subtle touch of dehydrated finely cut onion rings on the top of the dish added a strong flavor, which complimented the other ingredients well.

Course #6 Chef Jean-Paul: Gluten free lobster pancake, mango relish and roasted sunflower seeds.

Gluten free lobster pancake, mango relish and roasted sunflower seeds. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Gluten free lobster pancake, mango relish and roasted sunflower seeds. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

I was not sure what a lobster pancake would look or taste like, but it resembled a crab cake, but was more moist and tender. I loved this dish but once again I was not sure about the garnish, all of it worked for me except for the pomegranate seeds. I did not like the occasional crunch of the pomegranate seed mixed with the tenderness of the lobster meat. Everything else worked for me, and since there were only a few pomegranate pieces it was not a major deterrent to the dish. The flavor has a mild spiciness to it, which was toned down by the freshness and sweetness of the fruit pairing.

Course #7 Chef Bean: Chicken adobo lumpia: Filipino egg rolls, Asian slaw, and papaya relish.

 Filipino egg rolls, Asian slaw, and papaya relish. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Filipino egg rolls, Asian slaw, and papaya relish. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

For this dish, I was pleasantly surprised. I anticipated a fairly traditional egg roll but the flavor was anything but that. The breading was very light and fresh, just enough to coat the inside without taking away from the filling. The filling had mint, which complimented the chicken and spices well. There was a definite heat factor to the egg roll, but the cool Asian slaw and sweet papaya relish keep it balanced. This dish took a very common appetizer and made it intricate, high-end cuisine.

Course #8 Chef Jean-Paul: Slow cooked pork mignon, tangerine and habanero jam, micro salad with Dijon dressing.

Slow cooked pork mignon, tangerine and habanero jam, micro salad with Dijon dressing. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Slow cooked pork mignon, tangerine and habanero jam, micro salad with Dijon dressing. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

The meat in this dish was my favorite meat of the evening. The pork was so tender you could cut it just by pulling with your fork. The Dijon dressing was the perfect pairing for this meat, and I personally liked mixing the micro parsley salad with the pork. The tangerine and habanero jam had a little too much cinnamon for my taste. The jam mixed well with the pork, but again, I think the cinnamon was overpowering. The presentation of the dish had the salad on one said and the jam on the other, which I liked because it allows the diner to vary the topping for the pork. The side components were good, but the pork by itself was a spectacular cut of meat cooked to perfection.

Salted bacalao gratin bites, bed of leeks fondue and lemon drizzle. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Salted bacalao gratin bites, bed of leeks fondue and lemon drizzle. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

Course #9 Chef Bean: Wild pig el taquito style, creamy polenta, micro greens, crème fraiche and dry freeze smoked corn.

The wild pig meat comes in a close second to the pork for best meat. Once again Chef Bean layered his ingredients, this time horizontally, to allow for the ingredients to keep their honest flavor. The pig meat had what I described as being in between barbeque and stew flavored sauce. The creamy polenta had a very mild taste, almost like a creamy tortilla. The dry freeze smoke corn has the texture of a sweet pea. Swiping my fork from left to right gave me the impression of a liquid taco, which might sound odd, but tasted fantastic. The crème fraiche drizzle was very small but my first fork swipe had just enough of it to give the ingredients, as Chef Bean said, “That little something extra that it needed.”

Course #10 Chef Jean Paul: Wild boar sausage, piña colada chutney and micro beet sprouts.

Wild boar sausage, piña colada chutney and micro beet sprouts. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Wild boar sausage, piña colada chutney and micro beet sprouts. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

Sausage is one of my absolute favorite types of meat, and the wild boar sausage did anything but disappoint. Once again, the meat was very tender, and cooked perfectly. There was a slight spiciness to the meat but the piña colada chutney toned it down. The piña colada chutney had a very honest tropical flavor. The coconut and pineapple tasted authentic with natural sweetness. The sausage and chutney had smooth textures, which contrasted the sprouts. I think the sprouts made the dish feel complete. Chef Jean-Paul says the wild boar sausage is a staple item on his food truck, and after tasting it, I can see why.

Drink #2 Chef Peluffo: Caribbean sangria: red wine, rum, fruits, vanilla, blue agave nectar.

 red wine, rum, fruits, vanilla, blue agave nectar. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
red wine, rum, fruits, vanilla, blue agave nectar. (Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

The sangria was meant to compliment the final dinner plate of the meal. Personally, I found the sangria to taste more like a traditional fruit cocktail than a wine, and for me it was too strong. The fruit flavor was particularly pronounced, which I think took away from the essence of the wine. I think the strength of the alcohol overpowered the flavor. The liquor and the wine fought with each other rather than blend together.

Course #11 Chef Bean and Chef Jean-Paul: Pavalovas, quince membrillo, charcoal peanuts, grappa chocolate mousse. 

This dessert was composed of delicious ingredients, but for me, I tasted each one as a separate entity versus a cohesive dessert. The pavalova, which is like a homemade marshmallow, was very light and fluffy, almost like a gooey meringue. The chocolate mousse served was the base of the dessert, and had a much more liquid consistency compared to traditional mousse. Atop the mousse was a small scoop of blackberry jam, which tasted fresh, but for me, was unnecessary. The quince membrillo tastes a lot like fig, and was delicious, but I would not have paired it with everything else. A crowd favorite though were the charcoal peanuts, which I found were best eaten at the end of the dessert. I think the pavalova, chocolate mousse and peanuts on their own would have made a better combination. However, no ingredient in this dessert was bad, everything had superb flavor individually.

Course #12 Chef Jean Paul: Mini Meyer lemon Napoleon, blackberry drizzle and minty fruity insalata. 

Mini Meyer lemon Napoleon, blackberry drizzle and minty fruity insalata.(Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)
Mini Meyer lemon Napoleon, blackberry drizzle and minty fruity insalata.(Margaux Farrell/Neon Tommy)

The napoleon dessert stole my heart. I was so happy to end with a citrus flavor because I found it to be a refreshing taste after so many savory ingredients. The presentation of the dessert was horizontal, which I think worked perfectly. The pastry crust of the napoleon was airy and light with a crispness to it. The crème in between not too sweet or heavy, and the lemon flavor was enough to make it sweet with a hint of tart. The blackberry drizzle was authentic blackberry flavor that tasted like a liquid form of the fruit. Finishing with the minty fruity insalata was the perfect palate cleanser. The mint was just enough to enhance the fruit flavor without taking it over. 

The pacing and portions of each plate was perfect to allow appropriate digestion and enjoyment. 

The two chefs are planning their next pop up for the end of February. They say they will continue to pour their love for food into their creations and that nothing is off limits.

“This meal, it is my heart talking,” says Peluffo. “It is everything I feel and what I have a passion for.

Reach Staff Reporter Margaux Farrell here or follow her on Twitter here.



 

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