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What to Drink with Your Second Dinner at Deadhorse Hill

deadhorse hill’s Korean Wings unveiled earlier this year could prove to be a building block to the menu at Simjang.

Last week, deadhorse hill introduced their new spicy fried Korean chicken wings and pork steamed buns as a “finger food” experiment geared toward after work and after hours customers. I sat down with Wine Director Julia Auger and Manager/Co-owner Sean Woods to talk about what to drink with these new additions.

deadhorse hills’s Asian inspired dishes, pork steamed buns, pair well with their Mai Tai
deadhorse hills’s Asian inspired dishes, pork steamed buns, pair well with their Mai Tai.

Auger suggests pairing deadhorse’s Korean wings with a Riesling. “Rieslings offer a balance of ripeness that compliments spicy foods. Their natural high acidity is refreshing on the palate,” she explains. Rieslings originated in Germany, a country noted for easy-drinking, sessionable beers. Riesling is similar in this way, often coming in at right around 10% alcohol by volume. Auger calls it a “responsible late night choice” adding, “Rieslings are great if you’re having a second dinner of the night or you’ve been consuming a lot of things.” She hopes that Worcester will develop a taste for a grape that is often misunderstood. Auger has dedicated an entire section of her bottle list to Rieslings and vows to always offer the varietal by the glass. “We want everyone to drink Riesling all the time,” she says.

Woods explains that any of deadhorse’s Asian inspired dishes pair well with their unique Mai Tai. He suggests the pork steamed buns, though he would like to add, “My first choice would be to pair a Mai Tai with another Mai Tai.” Woods modeled his own recipe after the original Mai Tai, which yields a complex and layered result as opposed to the sickly sweet Mai Tai’s many cocktail drinkers are accustomed to. Woods’ version includes a blend of rhums, lime, almond, and a mint sprig.

Deadhorse’s Late Night and Happy Hour menu is available from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

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Your First Look at deadhorse hill’s New Menu

deadhorse hill's new late night menu addition: Steamed Pork Bun

Executive Chef Jared Forman hopes you’ll stay late tonight. deadhorse hill is rolling out a few new menu items this evening intended to suit the after work crowd in addition to the customers looking for a quick bite after hours. “Even the busiest Worcester restaurants in Worcester seem to be dead most nights after 9 o’clock. I tried to think about what kind of food might keep me out,” Forman says. He settled on Korean Style Chicken Wings, Steamed Pork Buns, and a unique deadhorse Burger.

deadhorse hill's new late night menu addition: Korean Style Chicken Wings
deadhorse hill’s new late night menu addition: Korean Style Chicken Wings

“Come have a drink and a small bite instead of sitting in traffic,” urges co-owner Sean Woods.

Forman has been stockpiling wings from his Misty Knoll and Brookford Farm chickens in preparation for this night. The birds are responsibly raised, organic, pastured chickens. “Sriracha is a little boring for my tastes these days,” Forman says. His Korean Style Chicken Wings feature an artisanal gochujang sauce – a fermented pepper paste that carries a subtle spice along with light floral notes. Deadhorse uses a blend of four flours and fries the wings twice for a crackly skin that maintains its crunch for hours.

The Steamed Pork Buns are no surprise, given Forman’s history at Momofuku, the iconic restaurant that launched an international pork bun trend. “No one in this area is doing pork buns,” he observes. deadhorse hill will serve them sandwich style, filled with their own hot sauce, soy glaze, and fried pork torchon made from braised pork folded in with pickled mustard seeds and breaded in panko.

The deadhorse Burger is made sans horsemeat, perhaps to the chagrin of the adventurous chef. Full-blood Wagyu from Spring-Rock Farm will have to suffice. The burger is served “smash style” meaning the 6 oz. patty is thrown on the griddle and immediately pressed down for maximum contact. Smash burgers are intended to be cooked medium or well. “This is the best beef I’ve ever tasted in my life. Unctuous and rich,” Forman says. The burger is served with spicy mayo, made in house, cured cucumbers raw shaved white onions, green leaf lettuce, and local gouda, served on a pan de mie bun baked fresh daily at Crust Bakery.

At the bar, Woods promises vibrant warm weather cocktails as soon as the sun decides to come out. “Large format, lots of punch, with a focus on Mezcal, sherry, and rhum cocktails,” he says.

deadhorse hill's new late night menu addition: deadhorse burger
deadhorse hill’s new late night menu addition: deadhorse burger