This is another awesome Tasting Collective dining club event we attended in July 2024. (You can read about the previous posts about Tasting Collective events here: Jaz Indian Cuisine, Fish Cheeks, Win Son, FOB, Xixa, Huertas, Bessou, Maharlika, Traif, Lalito, Noreetuh, Traif #2, Txikito, Oka, Xixa2, TabeTomo, Houseman, Nowon, GAUDIr, Contento, NAR, Cecily, and 8282). Tasting Collective is a dining club for food lovers, and they offer brunch and dinner at great NYC restaurants. They close off the restaurants for the club, so we get to have the entire restaurant and Chef(s) all to ourselves. So, this is more than just eating food at a restaurant, but you get to have the background story and its passion from the Chef(s), eating 5- to 12- or more course brunch/dinner created specifically for Tasting Collectives. There is a discount code at the end of this blog for those of you who are interested in joining.
This event was held at Meadowsweet, 5-course Modern Locavore Tasting Event. This restaurant has been features in great lists such as Infatuation’s “12 Perfect Restaurants” and Grub Street’s “Absolute Best in Williamsburg.
So, we headed out with excitement! The inside was very open and bright, loved how they had lots of greens on the top. You can peek into their kitchen in the back, where all the culinary magic happens. They had a fully stocked bar, beautiful and elegant. I say the word “elegant” fits this place so perfectly from every angle.
We started off with a couple of drinks, but this time, we tried Zero Proof kinds for a change. We got Phony Negroni ($12) and Al’s Classic N/A Golden ($8). They were both pretty good, but especially the Phony Negroni was really good! Didn’t miss the alcoholic version at all. And of course, the way Meadowsweet poured this drink to make it look like a real cocktail made it extra special too.
The Chef/Owner Polo Dobkin came out to greet us and to talk a bit about what we were going to be eating at this event. He has been nominated three times for a James Beard “Best Chef: NYC” Award. He graduated from the French Culinary Institute with honors and was the executive chef at the Michelin-Starred Dressler. So impressive! The first course of the event was Crispy Baby Artichokes with parmesan, arugula, parsley, and lemon. Artichoke was nice and crispy, with great flavor from the parmesan and salt. With fresh arugula and great notes of parsley, it was delightful. I haven’t really been a big fan of artichokes, but I will happily have this dish again and again! We are off to a great start.
The second course was Tagliatelle with chanterelle, truffle, and parmesan. Pasta was cooked just right, firm and plump. It had an amazing truffle aroma and flavor. It was a simple, elegant dish that was done to perfection.
The third course was Spanish Octopus with beluga lentils, Spanish chorizo, harissa, fresh herbs. Spanish octopus was slowly poached, and then seared to create this dish. Octopus was cooked perfectly, with a note of smoky flavor. It had a nice kick from harissa without being too spicy. Balance of flavors on this dish was amazing!
At this point, we were thinking “every dish has been amazing!” So, we were wondering if they could continue with such high quality, delicious dishes? Well, they certainly did! The fourth course was Spiced Duck Breast with fresh corn polenta, grilled escarole, cherry mostarda, peanut-almond dukkah, sesame, and mole. I mean, just look at this beauty… Duck was incredible! Tender and juicy, not too chewy, but the perfect texture. Mole with duck combination was ingenious! The cherry mostarda was a great compliment to duck, nicely balanced between the sweetness and tart flavor. Crust of the duck was maybe my favorite bit. Delicious!
The last course, means dessert time! It was Flourless Chocolate Cake with cocoa crunch, and caramel. The cake had this amazing aroma of chocolate. It was not too sweet, but rather, symphony of bitterness and sweetness. It had the perfect gooey center, which was the best! So chocolatey without being overwhelming.
The bathroom is located at the end of the bar, you will see a small sign on the wall. Then go down the stairs to the bottom. It is a bit narrow, so watch out for others coming up or down the stairs. And here, how much they care about their patron shows… The staircase has motion-sensor lights! So, as you go down, it gets light up for your safety. Thank you! There are one women’s and one men’s bathroom.
The bathroom is huge! I first thought there are more than one stool behind the wall in the back, but alas, there was only one. The wall the divide sink and the stool looked like there used to be a door, but there is no door. So, make sure you lock the main door to the bathroom when you enter!
We had such amazing time here at Meadowsweet. Everything we had was freakin’ amazing! We will definitely go back for more delicious food in a near future. If you are looking for some elegant, delicious, incredible food, head over to Meadowsweet!
For those of you who are interested in joining this great dining club, Tasting Collective, you can use this link to get a discounted annual rate of $125 (over 25% off the normal $165/year) for the first year: https://tastingcollective.com/?invite_code=JUN4346
Meadowsweet – 149 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211