Has US history always been this delicious?

So last week I was obsessing over the idea of pan-fried scallops (and thank heavens Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village could provide).  This week's culinary craving was pork crackling, and I don't mind admitting that I was rather resolute in my commitment to ugly-cry if I didn't get it.

I needn't have worried though, because I have been assured that pork cracklings will forever remain a staple on the menu of King Bee - a wonderful new restaurant in the East Village that opened in early October. 

The restaurant specialises in "Acadian-inspired cuisine" and if that sounds unusual to you, you're not alone.  Without geeking you out entirely, Acadian cuisine basically dates back to the late 17th/early 18th Century.  The Acadians were the descendants of French colonists living in the Canadian Maritimes provinces (modern-day Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick).  They refused to pledge allegiance to the invading British forces, and in August 1755 over 11,000 Acadians were basically kicked off their land.  While some fled to Georgia, many of the Acadians ended up in Louisiana, and there they developed what we know as Cajun culture - the language, the music, and especially the food.


The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana, by Robert Dafford (Image credit here)

King Bee pays homage to this chapter of American history by adapting Acadian-inspired recipes for more modern palates.  The concept totally worked for me but then again, any restaurant whose menu leads with pork cracklings gets a gold star in my book!  The minimalist decor and white-washed walls with funky canvas art allow the food, the bespoke cocktails, and huge wine list to be the real stars of the show - and the formal reviews and informal write-ups from diners have so far been very positive.  This review from the New Yorker had me ready to camp out at the restaurant early.

Our table of four tonight was pretty keen to share a bunch of dishes to maximise our enjoyment.  With excellent service to take care of us, we sipped glasses of tasty Beaujolais (two excellent recommendations) and stuffed ourselves with the pork cracklings and rabbit rillette, plus some faro salad, baked oysters, gumbo, roast chicken, poutine with lamb neck, lobster, and earthy mushroom risotto.  Dessert was a shared piece of the traditional Cajun gateau de sirop - so sweet and tasty.  Definitely "food coma" material.

I had not heard of Acadian cuisine before my visit to King Bee, but I totally loved it.  I really enjoyed the mix of heady spices, and the big flavours present in each dish we tried.  But I'm especially pleased that King Bee has proudly classified itself as "Acadian-inspired" rather that simply "Cajun" or even "Southern" or something more generic like that.  The unfamiliar reference to Acadia made me curious, it got me Googling, and I learned a bit more about US history and the diversity of cuisine available in New York.  And what a tasty lesson that turned out to be.