#5 – GREENMARKET MELONBALL at PEGU CLUB

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

SADLY, PEGU CLUB IS NOW CLOSED.

During this food adventure, I often sling a video camera with me. Last year I made a hilarious (if I do say so myself) video montage of me eating all 100 dishes. This year, I may well do the same thing. But just to make sure I don’t miss anything, I’ve been video documenting the journey. It’s a bit awkward to pull out a camera at certain restaurants. Believe it or not, I don’t really like the attention and it just seems weird that a guy is filming his meal. Or maybe nobody cares in today’s society with all this social media and documentation.

Except I think somebody at Pegu Club cared. Or at least they were curious. Pegu Club was one of the first secret cocktail dens in NY and one that I had never been to. The bouncer checked our ID’s and then ushered us upstairs to a swanky, dark cocktail lounge. I recognized Kenta Goto, the resident mixologist, at the bar making drinks. We found ourselves a seat in the light (always important for secretly videotaping yourself) and checked out the extensive menu.

Even though summer had officially ended and there had been a cantaloupe scare, I was relieved to still see the Greenmarket Melonball on the menu. Goto told us he was still keeping his summer menu for the time being. I wonder if this cocktail being on Time Out’s list had anything to do with that decision.

The cocktail looked beautiful with a haze of orange-colored pulp underneath a frothy head and an unusual garnish of cantaloupe rind. I stirred the drink up in hopes of mixing the colors, but that orange sediment stayed firmly on top.  In addition to fresh cantaloupe pulp (which was a very subtle flavor here), the drink features gin, a splash of absinthe, and Calipco. The last ingredient is a Japanese soft drink that is a combination of fermented non-fat milk. It has a sweet, tangy dairy flavor. I’ve seen this on the shelf at quite a few Asian markets in the city.

The Melonball reminded me of a creamsicle, which I’ve mentioned is not my favorite combination of flavors. I think that turned me off at first, but the more I drank it, it sort of grew on me and I enjoyed the subtlety of the flavors.

As we were sipping our cocktails, I overheard Goto say to a man in a suit the word, “camera.” Uh oh. Were we spotted? On the way out, I wanted to film some of the surroundings. That man in the suit followed us down the stairs. And then acted busy so he could spy on us. I’m not sure if he was just curious about the camera or wanted to make sure I didn’t cause any trouble. Or maybe he just recognized me from all the previous videos I’ve made and wanted to make sure I had a good time. Whatever it was, he made me feel like a food spy. Hoffman. Brian Hoffman.

Would Pegu Club’s Greenmarket Melonball make my Top 100 of the year? It was definitely an interesting cocktail and while it grew on me, it wasn’t immediately my favorite combo of flavors. I give it a 7 out of 10.