My newfound love affair with The Squeaky Bean continued this week.  They now serve brunch, and I convinced my buddy to take his groomsmen there before his wedding.  I’ll keep his name anonymous, so let’s call him David Y.  Nah, that’s too obvious.  We’ll call him D. Yood.

Turns out brunch here is equally as impressive as dinner.  We began with a “for the table” dish called Snack Attack:

Snack Attack: Charred lime peanuts, cashews, chicken skin, shrimp chips, dates, farro

Thanks to the charred lime peanuts and crispy rice, Snack Attack reminded me of a Thai dish I love called nam kao tod, which is a mix of crispy rice, peanuts, lime juice, sour sausage, red onion, and bamboo shoots.  I love it and I loved this.  The shrimp chips were cool too: they were kinda like a shrimp-flavored Pop Chip.  And who doesn’t love chicken skin?

Next up I got some charcuterie, in the form of pork rilletes and head cheese:

The server (actually one of the chefs) described it as more “pig face” than true head cheese…So in your face, pig! Or, in my face: pig!

I loved the creamy, slightly smoky rillettes (a paste made of pork cooked in fat…it’s the stuff in the jar)  accented nicely with a dab of spicy mustard and cornichons (tiny pickled gherkins, which are a type of cucumber…they’re often served with pâtès along with mustard, as this was).  The pig face/head cheese (the slices in the middle of the platter) was great as well, and much lighter than I expected.

Finally, the main course, crostini with favetta, Cremeux de Citeaux, calabrian chile, and fava leaves:

Umm…there’s something growing out of your bread, Squeaky Bean.

I chose this because it has two ingredients that I absolutely adore in Cremeux de Citeaux and Calabrian chiles.

Cremeux de Citeaux is an awesome French triple cream cheese.  It is a lesser-known cousin of the much-revered Brillat-Savarin.  So soft, smooth, and creamy that it tastes like a cross between cheese and butter, it’s half the price of Brillat but almost as good.  The Truffle Cheese Shop (which is where Squeaky Bean gets its cheeses) always has some on hand.  Go get some, it’s awesome.

Calabrian chiles are these chopped up delicious little slightly spicy Italian peppers drenched in olive oil.

The creaminess of the cheese made for a great contrast with the spiciness of the peppers.  The favetta (fava bean spread) was also delicious, and the fava leaves were what seems to be par for the course in Squeaky Bean produce: bright, fresh, and vibrant.   Great dish.

Can’t wait to come back again.