Cooking Head to Tail with Ben Ford

As much as we like to give love to LA's many veg-heads, once in a while, you've got to give equal billing to good old meat. "Snout to tail" cuisine, which encourages the use of every single little bit of the animal, has long been a way for us omnivores to practice a more ethical approach to meat-eating. Now you can enjoy a four-course "Head to Tail" menu, along with a lecture on the practice, at Ford’s Filling Station next Monday night. Leading the lecture will be none other than chef/owner Ben Ford himself, alongside star chefs Neal Fraser (Grace, bld) and Nate Appleman (from San Francisco’s A16). So what does the head-to-tail philosophy espouse?

By using all parts of the animal or vegetable, from cutlet to cockscomb, diners will not only experience new tastes and textures, they will meditate upon the art of butchery and the environmental impact of modern factory farms. “Considering the recent beef recall and the growing demand for locally produced, artisan food products, I felt like creating a Head to Tail event would be a great jumping-off point for a discussion about the factory farming techniques of today compared to how our forefathers farmed and ate,” said Ford. “I feel that it is disingenuous not to use the whole beast and there are a growing number of chefs who feel the same way. Nate and Neal are both supremely talented chefs and we had a great time creating this menu together.”

For $75, you can enjoy the four-course menu that includes dishes like flatbread with headcheese, lardo, and pork rillet, roasted fava beans with lambs tongue, and roasted hen with cockscomb au jus. Wine pairings are an additional $25. Call Ford's Filling Station to reserve your spot for 6:30pm on Monday, April 14th, and enjoy the flavors of everything these beasties have to offer.

Read our previous entries on Ford's Filling Station to get your appetite going.