The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/957882
into its creation. At Modine, the fried chicken comes in half or whole, cold smoked, brined in buttermilk, and served with a biscuit, two sides and hot honey drizzle. Perhaps the most popular of the sides is Modine's mac & cheese, and to call it a showstopper, might just be an understatement. Served in a tiny cast iron pan, the mac & cheese is a testament to Davin and Meerpohl's days as owners of El Gato Nacho in Brooklyn. "We used to make really fancy nachos," Meerpohl explained. "e cheese sauce is the sauce that Chris developed over time for that business, but here we're using cheddar and Gruyère. e process we use keeps the mac & cheese from breaking." When it comes to innovations, Modine doesn't stop at cheese. eir menu also includes vegan fried chicken, something I've always been averse to trying. But this vegan fried chicken happens to be made in- house, from the seitan base (or wheat) up. "We had a couple of pop-ups before we opened. e vegan pop- up sold out in less than 24 hours." Meerpohl said. "It was then I realized we had to make something special to offer this market. I learned this whole process. We could've very easily bought seitan and breaded and fried it, but I wanted to put the same amount of effort as we do with our regular fried chicken. So we learned to make the seitan from scratch with well-sourced ingredients. We make the seitan. We bake it. We boil it in this aromatic broth. en we brine it. It took a long time to develop! It takes the same amount of time as actual fried chicken, and I think it comes across in the quality. I wanted to make something that was vegan that me as myself, not being a vegan, would enjoy." As with everything, dessert is comfortably familiar but with Modine's own special twist. Aer a full meal of Southern cuisine, one might tread lightly on the subject of sweets. However, Meerpohl's offerings are as promising as they are easy on the stomach. All equally pleasing, the coconut cream layer cake, Big Easy chocolate chicory cake, banana cream pie and (vegan) boozy ambrosia pudding ensure even the smallest appetites have room for dessert. ese can also be served with dessert wine or cocktails like the Beach Bramble, which is heading to the menu this spring. VUE ON DINING V U E N J . C O M 119