“Meat with a Twist” at City Winery featured 10 cocktails paired with 10 chef selections highlighting local sustainably grown meats in the form of succulent duck, lamb, chicken, pork, beef, bison, and ostrich. The party launched a week’s worth of events throughout the city that celebrate the slow food movement bringing sustainable meat to our tables appropriately dubbed “Meat Week.”

With this being the second event we’ve recently attended at City Winery, it must be said that this one of the best rooms in town to hold events of this caliber. Equipped with a rustic yet modern decor, the display of barrels aging in plain view delivers a certain charm that simply cannot be beat. And just like the night’s event, sustainability plays a huge factor into everything City Winery does. For instance, “City” has built an ingenious tap system, allowing for fresh sulfate free wine to flow from their cellars, into the tasters glass without the use of bottles, yielding one of my favorite samples of a bold red, with a clean finish.

The variety of meat dishes present at each tasting table were both unique and inventive. You literally did not have to sample the same thing twice, and still wound up satisfied in the end. But who are we kidding we made several return trips to each of the stations. The trend of repeat tastings began as soon as we entered the venue when we spotted one of our favorite delicacies- beef tartar. Chef and consultant Ryan Tate had expected building upon the savory and sweet flavor of the raw red meat, combining it with tangy pickled red onions, and citrus notes. Needless to say, Tate got a good look at my face, as I ended up at his table several times.

Jimmy Carbone’s restaurant Jimmy’s No. 43, organizer of the event itself (Food Karma Projects), brought out the big guns to the winery, serving up a savory duck slider topped with a vinegar based slaw served atop a bite sized bun. Sliders are one of the best finger foods out there, but when it’s filled with duck meat, the flavor becomes other-worldly. It also doesn’t hurt that their station was directly adjacent to Brooklyn’s own Kelso Brewery. The much loved local brewmeisters came with two bold selections- a winter ale, and brandy cask aged brew. The brews and sliders went hand in hand, literally rendering our hands useless.

Expertly made cocktails flowed from the Mixologists at Blue Owl of the East Village. Patrons could watch as beverages of yesteryear were muddled and shaken and served up with a smile. It was a very happy table. I wonder why. The spirit selections were plentiful including selections from Bache-Gabrielsen Cognac, Karma Tequilla, Plymouth Gin, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Tito Vodka. Luckily there was plenty of food on hand to keep the sold out crowd on their feet.

After a strong cocktail and a stomach stuffed to the brim, it was time to jump back on the subway and head on home, leaving us longingly thinking about the tender meats that we’d just enjoyed. When an event as fun and filling as this ends, you just wish that every week could be “Meat Week.” But the week runs until November 12th, so there’s still some time to get your fill. Check out MeatWeekNYC.com for all of the juicy details!

- Jay Rubin