Each Friday, this list will track five of the best things Heavy Table’s writers, editors, and photographers have recently bitten or sipped. Have a suggestion for the Hot Five? Email editor@heavytable.com.
The Hot Five is a weekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm.
Pork Jowl at Heirloom
A great dish is a meeting place where different flavors can convene and converse — Heirloom accomplishes this with gusto with its Pork Jowl served with cranberry compote, sour cabbage, and an uber-creamy sweet potato puree. Sweetness, tartness, savory depth, and funky sourness all work together, and the meat was both tender and beautifully charred.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | From an Instagram post by James Norton]
Oaxacan in Memphis at the Hi-Lo Diner
If you are toasting Prince tonight, Oaxacan in Memphis ($11), an unusual cocktail at the Hi-Lo Diner, is a place to start. The drink layers together George Dickel 12 Tennessee Whiskey, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Licor 43, honey, Tatersall Amaro, and just a hint of thyme tincture to great effect. The result is lightly sweet, wonderfully smoky, and very refreshing.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Susan Pagani from an upcoming review]
Ginger Beer by Earl Giles
The days of stirring beautiful craft spirits into generic, corn-syrup-laden mixers may be coming to a close, or it will be if the Earl Giles Kickstarter campaign is successful. The cocktail company specializes in syrups and other flavorful mixers, and their specialty is ginger beer. We sampled it at a promotional event, and it tastes like a ginger candy, with more zing than soda, but without being too spicy.”
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Paige Latham]
Space Bar from Mayana Chocolate
At $7, Mayana Chocolate’s Space Bar is the Ferrari of candy bars, and it performs like it. Toasted almonds entombed in sugary nougat, topped with a thick layer of salty, buttery caramel, all wrapped in chocolate that immediately melts at 98.6 degrees … no one would laugh if you ate it with a fork and knife. It comes all the way from Spooner, Wis., and we found it at Clancey’s Meats in Linden Hills.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Ted Held]
The Monster Cookie at Q Fanatic in Minneapolis
The newly opened Q Fanatic location in South Minneapolis is bringing the same bold bark, deep smoke, and overall quality that we’ve come to expect from its Champlin location, and it also brings a seriously killer dessert: a monster cookie that’s stacked to the point of collapse with white chocolate, milk chocolate, toffee, oatmeal, and more. It’s one of the few desserts we’ve had that can follow the full-flavored act that is real barbecue.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]