4Black Hoof

The craze for charcuterie is all over town, but it's hardly worth the fat count if you don't worship at the feet of the master. To call Grant Van Gameren a chef is like saying that Fernand Addria of El Bull in Spain fools around with food in a lab - because Van Gameren smoked and cures meats with the passion and purity of a gifted artist. By his own confession he gets bored easily, which is why the menu is never the same from one night to the next. One constant, though, is his signature, the long charcuterie board, everything on it either house-made or local: Elk salami that goes down like butter, boar salami zinged with fennel, fat sweet pork terrine, strong but tender pancetta, bresaola sliced thin and almost smoky rabbit rillettes sweetened with hints of tarragon, cinnamon and nutmeg. There is tongue that your grandma never made, pickled lamb's tongue with the texture of filet mignon; veal tongue in brioche is so delicate it recalls foie gras. The tarragon mayo and purple mustard made from grape must don't exactly hurt. Chef's backyard smoker does enchanting things to crisp fat pork belly pastrami. And what other chef would think to spike olive oil with chorizo and mayo with olive puree to garnish fragile octopus cooked in white wine? No reservations, no credit cards, and you can wait at their bar across the street for maybe an hour. If this guy were in France, Michelin would be awarding him stars.