"Big Night" aboard the SS Yankee Ferry: Part 2

As promised in "Big Night" aboard the SS Yankee Ferry: Part 1, here's the part you've all been waiting for - THE FOOD!

I really was honored to receive an invitation from the amazing culinary artist, Jamie Busch, to attend this once in a lifetime event aboard the SS Yankee Ferry. Viewing the extensive and creative menu, I knew I'd be in for something truly special.

Prior to our tour of the ship, Jamie emerged and greeted guests who had arrived. You could tell right away that he was a very warm, caring, and engaging person. When speaking with the guests aboard the ship, he truly connected with each one and made us all feel welcome, further adding to the general excitement about the meal yet to come.

 Jamie & Emma preparing the feast (photo credit: Gwen Charles)

The room where the meal commenced was the deck above the family living quarters. It was an expansive area, split in two, providing enough room for a 25-person dining table on one side and the pop-up kitchen on the other side of a curtain drawn down the middle of the space. The lighting was low - provided by strings of fun shell lights adorning the windows and candles on the table. Further adding to the ambiance was Jamie's good friend, Eric Hayes, who provided the soundtrack for the evening with his cool piano and soothing voice as he performed as assortment of chill cover songs while we munched away. The vibe was perfect.

Before the start of the meal, the first group that toured the boat awaited the arrival of the second. Those people in the first tour group were quickly greeted with the first memorable menu item, a Mojito mocktail (cocktail without alcohol = mocktail). It was so fresh and absolutely luscious, it was like a specialty cocktail I would order at a swanky Hoboken or New York bar; I had to ask for the recipe! The drink contains mint, lime, pineapple, coconut sugar, and salt, which was blended, then strained, and mixed with sparkling water. I think I might have to try and make my own, but I might add a little white rum to mine for an extra kick!

Mojito Mocktail

As the rest of the group arrived, we were encouraged to take our seats at the table and once we were all situated Jamie introduced our meal. To begin, we were all asked to place our hands on our hearts and be thankful for our experiences, our loved ones, our lives, and the meal we were about to enjoy - almost an earthy agnostic prayer. As the courses arrived one by one, Jamie's food philosophy truly shown through as he featured locally sourced items that were from sustainable farms. Everything was completely fresh and flavorful, while the stories behind the meals seemed to make everything richer!

The first course we were served was so excellent that my expectations for the rest of the meal continued to grow. To start, we received a warm spinach salad, featuring lentils, grain mustard, and New Jersey cured bacon. Holy heck. It was absolutely fantastic - fresh and delicious.

Spinach Salad w/ Lentils, Grain Mustard, & Bacon (photo credit: Gwen Charles)

Next, our meal took a slight detour into a community celebration when a guest unexpectedly borrowed the microphone from Eric. The guest began to speak, acknowledging our earlier expression of gratitude prior to our meal. He continued on to say what he was thankful for and concluded with a wedding proposal to his girlfriend! She said, "yes," and we all cheered and gave them a round of applause. Yet another unexpected moment that made our collective "Big Night" even more special. My happiest and best wishes to Daniel and Jaycee. Cheers to you!!

 Daniel & Jaycee's big moment

Following the proposal, we received our second course, roasted sweet potato with maple curry aioli and pea shoots. To be fair, I don't think you can go wrong with a sweet potato, but the pairing of the maple flavor with the crisp pea shoots was to die for! I tried to make sure a little bit of everything was included in each and every bite, which can be difficult with petite pea shoots. I would like to say it was my favorite course of the evening, but the flavors just kept escalating.

 Roasted Sweet Potato w/ Maple Curry Aioli & Pea Shoots (photo credit: Gwen Charles)

The third course of the evening was a winter beef stew with Shiitake mushrooms and wild rice. The beef was so perfectly cooked that it nearly fell apart when you tried to stab it. The flavors were classically rustic, but with a uniqueness added by the mushrooms. The perfect meal for a chilly night, and even better for a chilly night aboard a ship floating on the Hudson.

 Winter Beef Stew w/ Shiitake Mushrooms & Wild Rice

Next came the soup course - a smooth Thai butternut squash coconut soup. The soup was served in adorable handmade country style mugs. Absolutely adorable. However, I need to be completely honest, I typically avoid squash soups, but the day you are offered the most amazing meal of your life, you must suppress your inner childish picky eater and just go for it. I sipped the soup and it definitely wasn't bad! I'm not a connoisseur of squash soups, but I thought it was alright.

 Thai Butternut Squash Coconut Soup

After the soup came Atlantic cod served a top of lemon kale quinoa with a side of sweet sour beet kraut. I'm so glad I was able to save just enough room to eat nearly every spec of food on my plate. Everything about this dish made me want to be able to order it in a restaurant everyday. The mild cod was a great foil to the bitterness of the lemon kale with quinoa, then add the sweetness of the sauerkraut and the whole thing was perfection!

 Atlantic Cod w/ Lemon Kale Quinoa & Sweet Sour Beet Kraut

Oh wow... at this point, I was in heaven and I was very, very full. However, it was time for one last course and, as I used to tell my mother when I was in grade school, "you can always eat ice cream, because ice cream melts!" Still brilliant logic, if you ask me.

As the meal's grand finale, we were served in those adorable homemade mugs fresh milk and raw honey gelato. The milk was locally sourced from a nearby Amish farmer. It was to die for! And, as if that weren't enough, Jamie went around the table giving each of us a square of organic dark salted chocolate.

 Fresh Milk & Raw Honey Gelato

As the evening came to a close, everyone was so completely full and giddily happy that it seemed we were on a food high, but it was just great, local, fresh food - no additives here! Even Jamie was in such a good mood that he decided to join Eric at the piano.

One of my food philosophies is that, no matter where you go, no matter what you do, food is the common language. We've all had meals we've loved and meals we've hated, but this is definitely the former. I've added the night and the food to my mental Rolodex of amazing experiences that I will not soon forget - great food and lovely people, all in a unique atmosphere.

Thank you to all the folks out there who made this night possible. I really do appreciate and value the amazing experience we shared. Thank you!

Follow all the cool folks from Saturday night on Twitter!
Culinary Artist, Jamie Busch @letspoon
The Amazing Miss Emma @wordsprout
SS Yankee - @SSYankee
Crew member and new Hobokenite, Thom O'Donnell @Thom0Donnell
Photographer, Gwen Charles @swamigwen
And of course, yours truly! @TheHobokenista

For your entertainment, here's a photo from when Gwen caught me Tweeting!