Mission D&A’s Next Pop-Up Is Family Meal-Themed

It’s been two months and two concepts for rotating pop-up restaurant Mission D&A, opened by Eleven Madison Park alums and future Che Fico chefs Angela Pinkerton and David Nayfeld. Now that month three is upon us, it’s time for concept three, which will be called Family Meal, pulling inspiration from the staff meal restaurants provide employees pre- or post-shift.

“We were eating leftover pork ribs and polenta from the Bistronomy dinners and stuffed cabbage from the Mama Galina dinners at the end of the night, eating off one plate and not even bothering to make our individual plates to avoid more dishes,” Nayfeld told Eater. “And we were talking about how funny it is when cooks eat together. It’s very communal and without pretense; it’s the proletarian version of high dining. Family meal was our thirty minute break where we all took time to sit and break bread together as a whole, dining room and kitchen together.”

With that in mind, Nayfeld and Pinkerton decided to run with it and created an $80 menu (with beverages) that plays off this concept with dishes like “last night’s pasta salad” with handmade gnochetti, “whatever-herbs-we-got” pesto, and ricotta salata, or “walk-in's bounty” vegetable curry with yesterday's crispy rice salad and homemade sriracha sauce. You can see the menu in full below.

Now that Mission D&A is two months through its five-month run, Nayfeld reflected on how it’s going so far. “It’s been a blast. We’ve pretty much sold out every dinner and have had a lot of guests come to all the dinners and become regulars,” he said. “It can be a challenge to ditch a concept that keeps selling out, but it’s a great experience that Angela and I are very lucky to have.”

Family Meal will run September 8 through October 8, and reservations are required.

Family Meal Menu

Snack
Cheddar Biscuits with strawberry d'espelette jam

First Course
"Olive...Garden Salad" Little gem lettuce, pepperoncini, black olives, feta cheese, avocado, Italian dressing
"Last Night's Pasta-Salad" Handmade gnochetti, whatever-herbs-we-got pesto, ricotta salata

Second Course
“Pork ribs all Germancito” with lemon e Sal — nada mas
"Walk-in's Bounty” Vegetable curry with yesterday's crispy rice salad and homemade sriracha sauce

Dessert
“Menu Change Trifle” Yellow butter cake, over ripe fruit, Wednesday's cremeux
“Brunch Service's Bread Pudding” Rum raisins, buttered chocolate croissant slices, vanilla custard
“Monster Cookies”
“Breton Trim Nuggets”

• All Coverage of Mission D&A [ESF]
• Che Fico, Powered by Eleven Madison Park Alums, Plans Winter Opening [ESF]