A look at Hell Night
Andrew, from Gentleman Gourmand, dropped me a quick note to let me know he went to and survived Hell Night at East Coast Grill – here’s a few words on the night:
East Coast Grill; Hell Night (Seriously) – A buddy of mine who works at East Coast Grill had been hounding me for months to give Hell Night a try at ECG. He knew about my weakness for hotter-than-hades peppers and the like, and encouraged me to get a reservation. Hell Night is basically a niche-market promotion/party/sweatfest that encourages diners to eat some really, really spicy food.
About a week ago, he mentioned to me that a couple early tables were still available for this go-round and I decided to give it a shot. After checking out some reviews of the hell pasta and insane drinks (one guy passed out on the way to the bathroom after taking a nuclear tequila shot — scotch bonnet peppers left in a vat of jose cuervo for a week), we decided that proper attire would be in order.
The Infamous Pasta from HELL, with Sausage Bolognese (You Must Sign The Release Form!) (9 Bombs) Now, this pasta is where things started to get serious. It was the last thing we recieved, and immediately I could tell it was in a whole different ballpark. You can see the slices of peppers just sitting on top (what I believe are either scotch bonnets or habaneros….or some crazy south american superpepper), and the entire sauce was little more than chili paste and meat. What made this dish so difficult for me to eat was the fact that the pasta was slightly underdone, meaning I really had to chew each bite.
I can honestly say I have never had anything spicier than that pasta. It made my face flush, my nose run, my voice quiver and my spirit shake. Seriously — finishing that bowl not only took willpower, but a tolerance for pain and hellfire. My tablemates took a few bites and wallowed in agony while I plodded on, deaf to their cries for me to stop.
Ike Sway was hurtin.
Chris Schlesinger (the chef/owner) came by a few times during the night, and awarded me with a Hell Night t-shirt for conquering the pasta. It was worth it.
In all, I’d say that Hell Night is awesome. The food was, on the whole, delicious. I would absolutely return to Hell Night, and would definately return to East Coast Grill. While I might not ever order the hell pasta again (except for serious wagers), everything else succeeded mightily. Thank you Chris for such a wonderful (and Boston-unique) event!
Thanks Andrew for sharing! Looks like some of us might be paying Chilehead Ed a visit the next time Hell Night rolls around…
