Proper Black Beans

Back in La Sirena Clandestina’s early days, black beans — a Brazilian staple — were on the opening menu in the form of a vegan black bean dish. And it was tasty enough to pass John’s lofty standards, so on the menu it stayed. Then John collaborated on a dinner with Rob Levitt of The Butcher & Larder and made his OG, pre-LSC black beans: he started with pork (in the form of renderings), made a pork stock (by adding onions, garlic, melegueta peppers and such), then emulsified the pork into the beans. He took a little taste and guess what? They were perfect.

Remembering the vegan black beans on La Sirena Clandestina’s menu, John shook his head. He looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the man he’d become — a man that would serve vegan black beans. Because [insert higher power of your choice] made pork and beans to go together. Forever. It’s pure coincidence that we say ‘like peanut butter and jelly’ instead of ‘like pork and beans’.

The vegan black bean dish was immediately stricken from the menu, and John began drafting an apology letter to his staff. La Sirena Clandestina is not a restaurant with a bacon agenda, but John insists that porkless black beans is simply “counterintuitive” and he was ashamed that he’d gone so far off course as to forget that.

So that’s what you get at the Mermaid Shack these days: proper black beans. And Feijoda Black Beans & Rice is one of the best dishes on the menu, though “only” a side dish.  And our solemn promise to you (from that fateful collaborative dinner and beyond): you’ll never see a porkless black bean dish on our menu again.