Earlier this evening I dined at Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC with a colleague who is a regular patron there. This popular establishment located just down the street from the White House is known for its top notch mid-Atlantic cuisine.
We had a delightful 6 (ok, really 8) course meal. All of the courses were delicious, but the bacon blog-worthy course was the unexpected treat served to us by Chef de Cuisine Ethan McKee (Executive Chef Todd Gray was on vacation this week). That treat was lamb bacon.
I have to admit, I’ve never heard of anyone making bacon from lamb before, so I was definitely intrigued. But it was actually quite good. The bacon was cut from lamb underbelly and cured to give it that delicious salty ‘bacon’ taste. I likened the texture to corned beef, which probably seems kind of weird but there was just something about it texture-wise (not the way it tasted) that reminded me of corned beef. My dining companion thought it was similar to pancetta. His comparison is probably more accurate. Either way it was delicious. And for those who don’t eat pork bacon for religious or other reasons, it’s another way to enjoy the ‘candy of meats.’