Chef-turned-food-writer David Hagedorn gathered 12 of his closest friends — or the dozen of us who could eat and drink late into the night on a Wednesday — for pig roast on the patio at Poste Moderne Brasserie yesterday. Y&H was among the group that crowded around the outdoor chef’s table, itself tucked away among chef Robert Weland’s wonderland of herb and tomato plants, and waited on our bronzed suckling pig to arrive on a giant platter surrounded by grilled stone fruits and the fang-dripping expectations of the gathered carnivores.

When the pig finally landed on the table, with the sort of ceremony that I imagined surrounded a Roman feast, most of us had already downed a cocktail and/or several glasses of viognier or rose, which had more than primed us for pig meat. We had plenty of pork flesh to choose from.

But before the sacrificial pig made it to our corner of the patio, Weland’s kitchen had soaked the young porker in a combination of soy honey, cardamom, and ginger, and injected some of the same mixture under the animal’s thick skin.  He purposely limited the pig’s exposure to the flavoring agents, so as not to overwhelm the natural flavor of the pork meat. Weland also opted not to salt cure the skin, lest the pig lose moisture from the process and dry out while roasting over the open, hickory-fueled pit in the middle of Poste’s courtyard.

Perhaps as a result, the skin on our suckling pig had a chewy, almost leathery texture, not unpleasant but not the crisp crackle that I had been expecting. I related this to Weland, who expressed some dismay and humbly admitted that the “Poste Roasts” are still in the experimental phase. “It’s sort of a learning process each time we do this,” Weland told Y&H.

The best part of the meal, for me, was the chance to literally do some nose-to-tail eating — and, for once, not just read about this resourceful use of animal products. During the course of the meal, I sampled ham, loin, shoulder, and pork skin, but thanks to Stefano Frigerio, the former Mio chef who now sells his own jams and sauces, I got to try so much more.  Frigerio secured a good knife from the kitchen and started breaking down the pig’s head.

Before I knew it, I was trying pig cheeks (fatty and still gooey with connective tissue), tongue (dense and livery), and even brains, which Frigerio had spread onto a crusty piece of bread as if it were pate. (The gray matter was indeed creamy, but also surprisingly livery.)

I told Weland about our head games, and he was delighted. “That’s very cool,” he says. “That’s true nose-to-tail eating.” He said that, in the future, the kitchen would serve the offal meats from the skull, should any Poste Roast diners want to take up the gustatory challenge.

The roasts are offered daily at Poste (except Thursday), and you don’t have to go the pig route. Weland’s team will also roast locally sourced duck, goat, brisket, lamb, squab, salmon or poussin as well. It’s a helluva deal at $27 a person (not including drinks, dessert, etc.)

It’s even more of an adventure for those who want to go beyond the standard animal cuts.

Baum + Whiteman, the self-described “world’s pre-eminent food + restaurant consulting company,” has predicted the top 13 trends we can expect to see next year in the increasingly fragile hospitality industry. B+W warms up to its list with this caveat: “The global economic meltdown is forcing profound changes in the hotel and restaurant world. Costly frills are out. Wanton indulgence is now bad manners.”

So guess what’s in? Comfort foods, bistros, and, in an apparent nod to Ren-Fen geeks everywhere, turkey legs. Below are the highlights of Baum + Whiteman’s list.

• Bistros: “So all those new restaurants that recently were hell-bent for opulence and dripping with luxury will now be part of the cyclical ‘bistro-ization of America.’ And if not bistros, look for “osterias”, which are the Italian equivalent.”
• Fewer Celebrity Chefs at Hotels: “We look for fewer hotels turning their restaurants over to star chefs. The cost of building these things often outstrips potential profits, and when times get tight, hotels can do without. Besides, we’re running out of star chefs.”
• Comfort Food: “Exotic seafood topped with micro-greens and frou-frou is out of bounds in the face of 401(k) deprivation, so the old standbys are coming back,” including mac ‘n’ cheese and spaghetti and meatballs.
• Turkey Legs and Other Meats: “We’d be surprised if TURKEY LEGS don’t pop up on menus around the country, as well as lots of BRAISED AND FRIED CHICKEN—this time in various ethnic flavorings, particularly from twice-fried Korean chicken chains that are growing in popularity wherever you find concentrations of Korean expats.”
• Even More Offal: “Last year we predicted a great upswing in innards and odd parts, and this year we’ll see even more. Guanciale (pigs’ cheeks), pigs’ feet, tripe, lardo (cured pork fat), artisan salami, beef cheeks, tongue, neck meat, oxtails … and chicken livers taking the place of costly foie gras.”
• Fewer High-End Tasting Menus: “LUXURY RESTAURANTS that got away with $75-and-up price-fixed dinners will be unbundling their menus, allowing cash-strapped patrons to control their checks by ordering a la carte.”
• More Underground Restaurants: “There’ll be big growth in ‘black market’ restaurants this year … one-night-only unlicensed dinner ventures staged by skilled home cooks (and occasional professionals) in warehouses, garages, cellars, vacant nightclubs and personal dining rooms. With ambitious menus, these dinners are by invitation only … word spreads via blogs, text messages, notices on Craigslist.”

I’m sorry, but I’m not buying the turkey leg trend. As Jack Nicholson’s character says in As Good As It Gets: “Sell crazy someplace else, we’re all stocked up here.”

Image by Flickr user corsi photo.