"I find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted, cured meats."
George Costanza was right about one thing: charcuterie is damn sexy. Case in point: The Char Bar at Asador Restaurant inside the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.
The Char Bar was of particular interest to me because, fig. A: charcuterie is SO hot right now; fig. B: charcuterie has the word "cute" in it; and fig. C: Asador's char situation includes an impressive, well-curated list of house-made meats and well-sourced cheeses. Here's what went down when I went for a visit.
The short version: All of the meats and all of the cheeses and all of the accoutrements.
Ready for the long version? Grab a pen and paper and get comfortable; you're gonna want to take notes.
A. Deep Ellum Blue B. House-made mustard C. Cottonwood River cheddar from Wisconsin, a gold medal winner for domestic cheddar D. Macerated cherries cooked in red wine, orange zest and juice and agave nectar E. Heirloom prosciutto F. Sopressata G. Wild boar salami H. Veldhuizen manchego-style cheese from Dublin, TX I. House-made chicken liver paté made with all-natural chicken livers sautéed with sweet onion, green apple and rosemary J. Fig compote made with dry figs and a touch of balsamic and honey K. Pena Gorda aged goat cheese from Spain L. Picked heirloom carrots shaved on a mandolin and lightly picked with citrus and sugar to preserve the great natural flavor of the carrot M. House-smoked duck N. Saint Angel Brie-style triple cream cheese with lamb, goat, and cow milk O. Salametto P. House-pickled cranberries made with rice wine vinegar, sugar, coriander, fennel seed and pink peppercorns Q. Sartori Parmesan, a gold medal winner for domestic Parmesan cheeses R. House-made beef tongue sausage
Yes a friend and I shared this for dinner on a weeknight. Yes, I'm quite proud of that. Do yourself a favor and don't sleep on this incredible meat-and-cheese-and-accoutrements-board situation.
Because people like to say "Char Bar."
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