Piranha Club: E 2 tha Z: Noche de Krampus

“Make it look like the shrimp scene in Beetlejuice” Michelada Tower “Cabrón Gigante”

Somewhere along the line my typical Grinch-ishness opened up to the idea of the holiday party. I dig how X-mas is celebrated in other cultures, sidestepping the American consumerist frenzy in lieu of feasting with loved ones. So its become an annual tradition, the Piranha Club holiday party. Good timing that the Goat Boy was ready to throw down E to tha Z style, my German + his goat +  X-mas= Krampus time.

The Germans and the Mexicans both do X-mas right, so we co-mingled our respective cuisines and came up with some surprisingly copacetic flavor combos like spaetzle + molé and kuchen + cajeta. Above all it was a thrill to work with Jon again– he doesn’t smell that bad, lands at least 50% of his one liners, and it helps that I always have a clear view of what’s happening over his head. I kid, I kid, boy is one of my favorite chefs. I took one bite of his albóndigas and declared “this tastes so much like you” (no not those meatballs).  There’s a quality in JZ’s cooking that I, fumbling for words, described as nuanced, but his approach is more upfront than that. Not precious, not fussy, but reverent to the deep flavors of home cooking. Plus dude’s also got the chops, the techniques, of his years in fine dining kitchens. Jonathan Zaragoza is a baller, literally 😉

Homage to St. Rick

The always photogenic, pulpo

CONFIT

Sloppin the spaetzle

Smoke maintenance. Mexican much?

Liver spaetzle brownin, goose breast searin

Not bad for a vato

Tender guys showed up

Even a birthday guy (shout out to Jessica for the stunning table design)

Flautas de confitas y chayote kraut

Goat & pork skin albóndigas

The main event: seared goose breast with molé Poblano, liver spaetzle, braised red cabbage

Muggin

Post-party Krampus shrine (style by J. Labatte)