Pig & Whiskey 2012 in Ferndale, Michigan

My buddy Phil [mr BBQ King] was coming down to Detroit for the day on the last day of Pig & Whiskey 2012.. and we’ve been trying to plan a meetup for awhile so holllaaaa…. I’m glad I dragged W out cuz he needs to get out and about Detroit more. Sure it’s a bumfuck place, but still :]

It was about a 20 minute drive thru super super ghetto depressing Detroit

…and then we were in Ferndale.. a nice less scary town :]

First place we hit up was Lockhart’s BBQ… we got one of each :] SO GOOD!

We didn’t even use any BBQ sauce.  W had the burnt ends.. suppppper fatty and tasty… sooo tender and melted in my mouth.  I had the brisket, FULL of flavor.. also super fatty and tender.. melted like crazy on my tongue… loved it more than Slow’s [shh don’t tell] and then Phil had the Hog Wings. AMAZE BALLS.

You hardly ever see hog wings, I think I’ve only seen it once or twice before in my life at one of the Meatopia or Pigs Island events… don’t remember.  I was upset that NO ONE had a WHOLE suckling pig WTF. First piggie/BBQ/meat event I’ve been to that DIDN’T.

We ended up getting corn here after chilling and drinking a few shots and beers in the VIP area… INDOORS with AC hahaha

CORN ON THE COB

Sadly it was under done, NO char, NO grill taste, NADA. No sweetness.. I tried adding some of their BBQ sauces which were GOOD but still didn’t save the corn :[ W and I were sad. :[ WOMP WOMP.

Inside the VIP area at the Loving Touch Bar.

Free drink tickets from the person who made this all happen :] Def met a lot of amazing great ppl at this event!

Whiskey Tent, over 40+ whiskeys…

I ended up trying a Bushmill’s Honey Whiskey.. slightly sweet and OH SO YUMMY IN MY TUMMY

<3 Baby and I

We bought a Blueberry Sage Peppercorn Jam

More beers.. it was SO freaking HOT.. we NEEDED bubbly. And beer vs soda, might as well get the buzz from beer :D W got a PBR and I got some Blondie beer.. it was on the sweet side…

Back in the VIP area they had free caramel corn and pizza.. I ended up eating 4+ slices… these two were my fav. FREAKING BLT PIZZA WAS THE BOMB!!!!

A few more beers and shots later… we took a nice steamy hot taxi back to MGM, we went to the pool for a bit and then I promptly passed out for a few hours… and then?!… Burgerssssssssssssss at Bourbon Steak! Which is the next blog…..

You got me to eat LAMB! @ the Lamb Pro Am

After a yummy brunch and a trip to the museum… we headed over to eat some lamb at the Lamb Pro Am at the Hotel Palomar! Now ya’ll know that I’m not a huge lamb fan.  I never ate it growing up, and didn’t have my first bite OF lamb til college.. I’ve had SOME good lamb experiences and some bad so I’m always open to it :]  I also get REALLY excited when someone can take me to the …. dark lamb side :] So this event is when the food bloggers make the recipe and the chefs make it?!.. They got voted on, online and then the top four got to compete at this event.  I’m pretty sure this is what it was. I have linked to the bloggers’ recipe on their blogs! ENJOY!!

The room was pretty stuffy… so need beer… ice cold.. there was this Amber one that I loved…. there was tons of wine and beer flowing thru-out the event, small space, mostly booze haha and only four stations of food, one station of swag….

The first thing we tried was:

Chinese Roast Lamb with Rice Noodles – Chef Anthony Lombardo of 1789 Restaurant

Large chunks of lamb stir-fried with tender silky noodles and some sprouts and scallions.. the flavors were good, but still a bit gamey for me, a bit too much lamb for my liking… and while I loved the noodles.. I was kinda disappointed it was like getting takeout. I wanted something with a bit more OOOOMPH to it. Altho I’d eat noodles all day long if I could :]  I’m also super biased cuz I’m asian HAHAHAHA…..

Lemongrass Lamb Stew – Chef Adam Sobel of Bourbon Steak

Fluffy yummy rice on the bottom and the stew on top and you could add your own toppings.. reminds me of Pho :D Hahaha.. Basil, Onions and Sprouts, MMMMM

It was nice and hearty and comfort food-y.. definitely less gamey than the dish before NOM NOM NOM.  Sad I didn’t really get much lemongrass flavor out of it.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Caramelized Onions & Fig Sauce – Chef Nick Stefanelli of Bibiana

MMMM this was sooo good.. the textures, flavors.. creamy… UMMM, I have no idea what that scoop of meaty stuff was but it was good.. MMMM… meat paste.. tender perfectly cooked lamb, the onion the sweetness of the fig. CHOMP! So far my favorite but we still have one more to go…. MMMMMM

Welsh Rarebit Lamb Nachos – Chef John Critchley of Urbana

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

This was SOOOO good, not gamey or lamby AT all.. I could snack on these all day long. How awesome would it be to eat these during superbowl?! I’m a sucker for nachos anyways.. MMMMM AMAZING!

That creamy sauce was crack. MMMMMM

See, W inhaled two in a row and I caught him licking the sauce :]

As the event started winding down… we headed back to the Bourbon Steak table.. and chitted and chatted… time for…

SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS

Sorry you were yummy!

I came back with tons of lamb swag, including pins, tattoos, stickers and chapstick lol :] AND YAYYYYYY the Nachos, my favorite of the night, won!!! WOOHOOOO congrats!!!