Jentri Colello
Not all tenders have to be fried.
The story of MACN Chef Week is filled with the contrast between sacred and profane. A ticketed dinner at Harvest highlighting dramatic modernist techniques of food preparation and presentation on one hand, and a chicken wing smackdown on the other. An all-truffle dinner menu at Osteria Papavero, or a late-night ramen bacchanal at Nostrano. The thrill is in the juxtaposition.
On March 10 around 10:30 p.m., haute and lo-fi merged for an event named Tender Is the Night, held in the cozy confines of Natt Spil on King Street. Evan Dannells and Dave Oliver, chefs at Merchant and Natt Spil, respectively, pitted two chicken tender preparations and blended cocktails against each other, all set off against the thumping beats of DJ Radish.
Is there a darker restaurant in Madison than Natt Spil? Maybe a steakhouse, but I contend there are few as minimally lit as Natt Spil. Makes for a cool scene when nighttime’s lesser lights shine, though.
My wife and I arrived a little before 10 p.m. and were seated way in the back, hidden in the shadow of the wings behind the DJ stand. Due to some last-minute schedule shifts, we weren’t able to order from the MACN menu until closer to 10:30; sipping on a smoky Mezcal Last Word and a fruity Let’s Do Lunch kept us occupied.
Jentri Colello
Chicken tenders, blended Negronis and daiquiris and DJ Radish were the stars at this Chef week event.
After a little while, our land of deep darkness filled with fellow chicken tender enthusiasts, easing my concerns that we’d be forgotten back there. The soundtrack for the evening was ideal; DJ Radish never intruded with too raucous a mix, but not once did we forget we were at Natt Spil after 10 p.m. With great delight we sat in his shadow as he spun. (Why don’t I go here more often?)
The Tender Is the Night menu was slim, just two drinks and two chicken tenders. Every group in our back room ordered one of each; that was the obvious way to go. Having missed out on the boozy slushes promised at Nostrano’s Ardent ramen pop-up (the machine didn’t make the trip from Milwaukee) I was thrilled to be able to order a blended negroni from the Merchant team. The acidity and bitterness didn’t quite translate into a frozen version, though, leaving it bland. The higher alcohol percentage also meant that the icy suspension broke fairly quickly. Still, fun.
Of the two cocktails, the Natt Spil daiquiri took top honors at my table. Much of the flavor profile of my Mezcal Last Word — Luxardo cherry liqueur and lime — proved to be a shadow of what was to come with the daiquiri, which had a strong lime and grapefruit kick, and a Luxardo cherry nestled atop the frothy swirls of ice.
Chicken tenders might play as a goofy throwaway, but they actually had a bit of a moment in the food world last summer thanks to a paean to their virtues by Eater editor Helen Rosner for Guernica. In truth, who doesn’t love chicken tenders? Be honest.
Jentri Colello
Evan Dannells of Merchant at work.
Dannells paid homage to the home kitchen (“teased,” says Dannells) with “3 Cup Tenders,” a riff on the much-beloved three-cup chicken at Natt Spil, featuring shredded nori, sesame and kung pao sauce. In turn, Oliver channeled something of a Merchant vibe with grilled tenders (controversial!) over Israeli couscous with tabouli, tzatziki and pomegranate molasses.
I loved everything under the grilled tenders. The couscous was just soft enough, and the bright, creamy tzatziki penetrated the deep sweetness of pomegranate molasses so the darkness did not overcome it. And sure, the tenders were seared nicely, but it’s a daring move to not bread ’em and fry ’em. I missed the crunch.
Crunch was all over the skewered Merchant tenders, thanks to a tempura-style batter. They were heavily sauced but the batter remained crisp. Nori brought some funk, and chopped cucumbers cleared the palate. The light tempura batter shone in the darkness of Natt Spil, and the darkness did not overcome it. 3-cup tenders — the winner.
Jentri Colello
Dave Oliver of Natt Spil dishing it up.
Dannells said some of the earliest inspiration for this event came from Joshua Berkson, co-owner at Merchant. But he also described the regular appearance of three-cup chicken containers in the Merchant fridge. “Dave [Oliver] is a neighbor and buddy of mine,” he said, and highlighted how most of the Merchant events for MACN highlight some sort of friendship or proximity between kitchens.
Our neighbors last night were talking about Dannells’ future as executive chef at Merchant’s forthcoming pizza shop, Lucille, and it struck me that in this chef-focused week, not a lot of attention has been paid to the new era underway at Merchant. What I learned in the dark of Natt Spil, let me tell you in the light of day: Whether it’s chicken tenders or the French technique fare of the regular menu, what Evan Dannells and Merchant’s team are doing is worth some evangelizing.
