We have previously mused over the 1679 journals of Jaspers Danckaerts through Manhattan and Brooklyn and in particular he food he ate. This meal he had near “Gouanes” (Gowanus) with a family has a particular fairy charm:
We proceeded on to Gouanes, a place so called, where we arrived in the evening at one of the best friends of Gerrit, named Symon. He was very glad to see us, and so was his wife. He took us into the house, and entertained us exceedingly well. We found a good fire, half-way up the chimney, of clear oak and hickory, which they made not the least scruple of burning profusely. We let it penetrate us thoroughly. There had been already thrown upon it, to be roasted, a pail-full of Gouanes oysters, which are the best in the country. They are fully as good as those of England, and better than those we ate at Falmouth. I had to try some of them raw. They are large and full, some of them not less than a foot long, and they grow sometimes ten, twelve and sixteen together, and are then like a piece of rock. Others are young and small. In consequence of the great quantities of them, everybody keeps the shells for the purpose of burning them into lime. They pickle the oysters in small casks, and send them to Barbados and the other islands. We had for supper a roasted haunch of venison, which he had bought of the Indians for three guilders and a half of seewant, that is, fifteen stivers of Dutch money, and which weighed thirty pounds. The meat was exceedingly tender and good, and also quite fat. It had a slight spicy flavor. We were also served with wild turkey, which was also fat and of a good flavor; and a wild goose, but that was rather dry. Everything we had was the natural production of the country. We saw here, lying in a heap, a whole hill of water-melons, which were as large as pumpkins, and which Symon was going to take to the city to sell. They were very good, though there is a difference between them and those of the Caribbee Islands; but this may be owing to its being late in the season, and these were the last pulling. It was very late at night when we went to rest in a kermis bed, as it is called, in the corner of the hearth, along side of a good fire.
Gowanus today is famously polluted canal, then it was still tidewater swamp with wonderful oysters. But it is this menu that is suggested. Could you recreate it a restaurant? After tasking the AI-bot, it had a hard time pulling these things together in one meal. So let’s take them one at a time (if at all), across town.
The Menu
Oysters: Jaspers has them roasted, and then raw. Raw oysters are rather easy to find on our menus (though most have come the distance of Massachusetts or even farther). But roasted oysters are a bit rarer. The Grand Central Oyster Bar beckons us—we can start our Jaspers menu here. First with the roasted Oysters Rockefeller, and then a nice selection of raw oysters. They frequently drank cider or beer or (less to his taste), rum from Barbados (which he tells us the Dutch called “kill-devil”).
Venison [skipped]: Here we hit our first wall. It’s not just that it’s spring, because NYC restaurants do not rely on hunted wild deer in autumn, but farmed fallow deer. Deer does occasionally appear based on pass reports and experience, but it is basically an occasional menu special meant perhaps more as signifier for “interesting” as the restaurants serve what all NYC restaurants seems to serve: steak/chicken/salmon. This will have to be something cooked at home: Butchers have it year round (usually) frozen, Whole Foods has ground venison.
Goose [skipped]: Same goes for this too. A rare menu item, perhaps only at Christmas, and farmed rather than wild. Even specialized butchers only have in December. Again (unless very luck), a likely at home item, if at all.
Roast Turkey: Okay, though many places sell its farmed version (such as every deli!), only a few actually bother to do the roasting themselves. We’ll head over to Hill Country BBQ fro their smoked Turkey, which they do over oak. We can also avail ourselves of the cornbread (which Jasper also tried at a different time - he didn’t love it, its seems he more of a hard tack version done in ashes).
Watermelon: Though many restaurants like to offer some kind of watermelon salad in summer, we will be sure to go to the grocery for this one, maybe even just getting a humble container of chunks to enjoy on the walk home.