Amis chef Brad Spence says he can cook any animal — nose to tail — in just three courses. And beginning Thursday, he’s going to prove it with a new menu feature. As a recurring special, he will focus on whole animals, and incorporate them into an antipasti, pasta and and entree. For the first round, he’s featuring free range, Lancaster-raised chickens that are humanely slaughtered in accordance with both halal and kosher standards. With them he’s serving a chicken and pork jowl terrine with Mostarda di Cremona (whole mixed mustard fruits); fettucini with chicken sausage and bitter greens; and a chicken involtini with a deboned chicken thigh and leg stuffed with prosciutto and herbs, and served over polenta. “Pigs, goats, rabbits — you name it,” Spence told Grub were some of the animals he plans to serve in weeks to come. “We’re going to do everything.”
The whole animal dishes will be available together as a dinner or individually, a la carte.
‘We don’t want people to feel like they’re locked into doing a tasting menu,” Spence added.
For next week’s installment, suckling pigs will serve as his meaty muse.
“When I have pigs on, I’ll definitely do, like, a mixed grill with them,” Spence added. “It will have a little piece of chop, a little belly, ribs and little baby porterhouse.”
He said he’s eager to bring in and butcher different types of whole animals in his kitchen on a more regular basis to keep his cooks sharp. So after next week’s spotlight on pork, anything is possible.
“It’s good for the cooks, because they get a chance to break down whole animals,” Spence said. “It’s good for the customers, because they can try a bunch of different parts of an animal in one sitting. It’s good for everybody.”
