“Many of us grew up on crappy food, but with fond memories of it. So why not make a better version?”
So says Forrest Brunton (former executive chef for Linda Derschang’s bars and restaurants), when asked his vision of Snack/Bar’s mission. I was invited to stop by his first pop-up, held last weekend at Miyabi 45th. With talk of a possible food truck or brick-and-mortar location, he wants to see how other people react to his play on convenience food, fair food, and bar snacks.
The ideas are interesting. In addition to the evening’s menu items, Brunton bandied about ideas like cotton candy combined with candy corn, and foot-long foie gras-ed corn dogs. His goal is to “make snack food that’s good quality but still affordable.”
It’s hard, and not necessarily fair, to judge the future based on a first night’s effort. I got a sense that the kitchen crew was figuring things out as it went along. My “haute pocket,” for example, looked a little pale and naked, whereas later in the evening others’ were more attractive: browned and topped with black sesame seeds. The food was fun; a couple of items were definite keepers, and a couple were forgettable—one saved only by a serving of foie gras. Here’s a look at the snacks I sampled. It will be interesting to watch the evolution and see the public’s reaction to Snack/Bar. (Like Snack/Bar’s Facebook page to keep posted on future events.)
I enjoyed these Prosciutto Rinds, dusted with freeze-dried prosciutto blended in a Vitamix.
The Duck McNuggets have that disconcerting hot dog-like texture of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, but that’s by design, as they contain duck forcemeat. It was fun to have a few sauces. I liked the tangerine sweet and sour sauce over the honey mustard sauce, with the plum BBQ sauce a distant third.
Here’s the Haute Pocket. Good flavor, but while the menu shows a plural number, it’s a bit expensive at $8 for one—even if filled with coq au vin.
The Party Pizza reminded me of the boxed pizza of my childhood. I can’t imagine buying the cheese version (unless, of course, drunk and craving a snack at a bar), but if you have the dough, you can spring for a foie gras upgrade. Now that’s fun!
The Pudding Pop is a play on the Jello-O version, and is essentially pot de crème on a stick. But is it elevated enough?
Hungry for more? Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more delicious dishing.
