
To the Nines
Season 1 Episode 10 | 25m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
A dress-up party for grown ups, the crew shows you how to look (and eat) your best.
Sometimes, dressing up just makes you feel better. The group creates a dress-up party for no reason - but plenty of reasons to watch with some easy-to-make, super classy drinks and dishes that don't break the bank but might break some hearts. Pinkies up!
Spatchcock Funk is a local public television program presented by WCNY

To the Nines
Season 1 Episode 10 | 25m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
Sometimes, dressing up just makes you feel better. The group creates a dress-up party for no reason - but plenty of reasons to watch with some easy-to-make, super classy drinks and dishes that don't break the bank but might break some hearts. Pinkies up!
How to Watch Spatchcock Funk
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[PULSING MUSIC] VO: This program is brought to you by the members of WCNY - thank you!
VO: The William G Pomeroy Foundation helps people celebrate their communitys history by providing grants for historic markers and plaques nationwide.
Information about Pomeroy Foundation grants and partnership opportunities is available at WGPFoundation.org Bear Creek: gourmet burgers, craft beers, custom twists on classics and desserts.
More on Facebook and Instagram at BearCreekRestaurantInc Feed the bear!
[BEAR ROARING] MATT: Spatchcock Funk in the house - our house, and your house too.
You know where the party's at?
Wherever you're at.
We're gonna teach you how to throw the best parties, the best dinners, the best get-togethers.
All you need are the people that you love, and we'll take care of the rest.
Spatchcock Funk.
Dope food, strong drinks, great stories.
[instrumental rock music] MATT: Ever find yourself feeling down, stuck in a rut, like it's just the same old, same old?
We feel you baby, we've been there.
Sometimes we need to pick ourselves up and bring ourselves back.
According to mental health professionals, dressing up a little bit and focusing a little on your physical appearance can be a powerful tool to boost self-esteem and your confidence.
Tonight, we're putting on the ritz, sexy dresses, sharp suits, and enough bling to make our boy, Lil Wayne, a lil' jealous.
From time to time, we like to dress up for no reason.
You get that great bump of confidence when someone asks, "what are you getting all dressed up for?"
AND YOU DROP THIS ON THEM: "just because, baby."
A coach of ours used to drop knowledge on us as youngins.
He said, look good, feel good; feel good, play good.
And we got all the players in the game tonight for a little players' ball.
Woo, we stylin' and profilin'.
Tonight, we havin' a dress-up party for adults.
This is To The Nines.
[instrumental rock music] [instrumental jazzy hip hop music] MATT: Yo, when you're getting dolled up, you wanna wear some ice too, get some sparkle, some shine going.
And this cocktail, this is the Iced Wrist.
Now, our boy Jay-Z said he might light your wrist, but that's about it.
But actually, Jay wasn't totally accurate because his girl, Queen B, she was like, yo, if you like it, put a ring on it, and he did.
So sometimes you're gonna put a lot of sparkle on somebody if you love them, so this drink gets a lot of that shine.
So like RiRi says, we're gonna make you shine like a diamond with this thing.
So let's make this drink, man.
It is smooth, classy, looks great with a tux, with a suit, with that little dress.
And one of the things I love about getting dressed up is getting undressed later, feel me?
So a cocktail helps you move in that direction, as long as everybody's making sure we're being responsible.
So let's make a drink.
So the hard spirit in this thing, making spirits bright, is pear infused vodka.
So we took two Bartlett pears, took the seeds out, chopped it up, threw it in a jar, then 3 cups of vodka and a dash of vanilla.
For three days, shake a little bit, good to go.
Speaking of shaking, get yourself a good shaker like this one, fill it with ice.
Then we're gonna put 2 - 2!
ounces of that pear infused vodka goodness in there.
A quarter ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice.
A half ounce of elderflower liqueur.
Now that gives us a nice little different complex twist to the flavor profile, plus, someone's dressed up, bring them some flowers, y'all.
And finally, we have 1 ounce of white cranberry juice.
This is our take on a white Cosmo, it's actually more clear, but we still love it.
So get it in your shaker.
[ice clinking in shaker] 'Cause when you're dressed up, sometimes you like to shake it.
Then, in a classy martini glass with a strainer.
Yeah, look at that sparkly diamond.
And we're gonna throw in three cranberries, so they're like rubies.
And like Alex always buys April jewelry like once a month, so we wanna respect that.
Let them float in there, garnish it with a little tight, tight, tight lemon twist, because we lookin' tight and feelin' right.
This is the Iced Wrist, babe.
[instrumental jazz music] MATT: Y'all ready to cut it up?
When you're opening up a dope dress up party, y'all need to come correct with some classy stuff, and one of the classiest ever appetizers is beef tartare.
Now, it's a French cooking term, a culinary little term that they used to refer to the Tartare region in Central Asia, was where all their fancy food came from, like gherkins, which we're gonna use in this thing.
But it's called Patent Leather for us, man, because nothing looks dope like a pair of patent leather high top kicks, patent leather pumps, you know, you're just looking good.
So this is our take on steak tartare with a little classy touch, but we're also keeping it down to earth in that blue collar background we got.
So the thing you need most is a good cut of raw meat.
We are gonna use beef tenderloin.
So you're gonna take it and try to cut it into about quarter inch strips, and then we're gonna keep cross cutting it till we get it as finely chopped as we can.
[instrumental jazzy music] While the meat's resting and kind of chilling right there, we're gonna make the rest of this mix.
So in a good glass bowl, use glass, we're gonna add in 5 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard.
So get this evenly mixed, and then we're gonna add in all our veggies and herbs.
We're gonna put in 1/2 teaspoon of some freshly chopped, finely chopped garlic.
Now for all of these herbs and vegetables, get them as finely chopped as you can.
If you wanna use your food processor, ain't no shame in that game.
2 tablespoons of Gherkins, before mentioned from the Tartare region, getting it fancy.
2 tablespoons of rinsed and finely chopped capers, this gets a nice little salty thing to it.
Now, some people use onions, sweet onions, but you know what, we're using the shallot, 'cause the shallot is sweeter, nicer, and it just works.
So 2 tablespoons of shallots.
Mix this all together.
Got this beautiful cut meat, we put that in there too.
We're gonna stir it and get that mixed up with all the flavor and the veggies.
It's gonna be mostly pink, how we like it, with the color variant, it's gonna be super dope.
But we ain't done yet.
You know we dressin' up, man, we put on cufflinks, patent leather, we makin' things right!
So, we ain't done yet with this beautiful dish.
So, once you've got that mixed a little bit, we are gonna put in two egg yolks.
And you can use chicken eggs because that's cool, but we are gonna use two fat duck egg yolks.
A little more flavor, a little more protein, a little more goodness.
We're gonna mix that up.
Then as that's goin', startin' to look right and tight, now we're gonna add in 1/2 teaspoon, some kosher salt, and then 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley - you can use dried if you want, but we goin' with the green brightness 'cause it looks so cool.
So get that perfectly evenly mixed so it's all evenly distributed.
Finishing touch, we're gonna squeeze in a little bit of lemon juice, and keep stirrin', evenly mixed.
Now this is not just best eaten fresh, it can only be eaten fresh.
So once you get it done, you gotta put it out and make sure people start bitin' into it between 10, 15 minutes - after 20 minutes, it's gotta go, but don't worry, it won't last that long.
Now it's one thing to have the nice suit, that killer dress.
It's another thing to know how to actually put it on, right?
So plating this is a big deal.
Like tying that perfect tie, getting your stockings upright without any runs in 'em.
So let me show you how to do that.
Take a plate, we're gonna use a long white plate.
We're gonna set that to the side.
We're gonna take a small shape.
We're gonna use, in this case, a little mixing bowl.
And we're gonna tightly pack in this beautiful beef.
Tightly pack it in so it's totally even across the top.
Next, to get the right shape, take your plate, flip it over like this.
Then when you roll it over, you're gonna have it there.
Slowly lift it.
Now, you've got the shape you want.
We're gonna hit it with some parsley.
No crostinis, nothing fancy here, we're gonna use some crisp, kettle-cooked potato chips.
Raw meat, raw eggs, raw protein, raw power.
Let's make sure we power up before we party it out.
[instrumental jazzy music] [BRIGHT INSTRUMENTAL HIP HOP MUSIC] MATT: If you wanna feel good, you gotta look good, baby.
We're here to see my best dressed friend, my man Chino at the Mr. Shop.
We're gonna get fitted for a custom suit.
Now, you're gonna look so good in these things that you can sit next to a dumpster or a supermodel and still feel and act like a star.
Chino, my man.
CHINO: Hey, how are you, man?
Good to see you, welcome back, man.
MATT: Great to see you, you're looking sharp.
CHINO: Hey, appreciate it, man, but listen, I'm not the only one that's gonna be looking sharp, you are gonna be looking like a star.
MATT: I cannot wait, but I gotta ask you, can we make sure we're tight in this area and loose in this one?
CHINO: We gonna see what we can do about that.
Listen, but you're gonna be looking good, trust me, you're gonna be turning a lot of heads.
MATT: That's what I wanna hear - so let's take a look.
CHINO: Yeah, the suit came out phenomenal.
And here it is.
MATT: Yes!
CHINO: Wow, this is so phenomenal.
The color is beautiful.
MATT: Amazing.
CHINO: But check out this lining.
MATT: That is awesome!
CHINO: Your name looks great, but let's take it for a spin.
MATT: Let's do it.
CHINO: All right.
[BRIGHT HIP HOP MUSIC WITH VOCALS] RON: Hey, hey.
MATT: Hey, what's up, Ron, how you doing, man?
Good to see you, bro.
CHINO: Wow, that is great.
MATT: Feeling pretty good in it.
CHINO: Well, step on to Mr. Shop's spot.
Yeah, Ron's gonna look you over and I'm just gonna double check.
RON: Yep, perfect amount of cuff showing there, just enough room for lunch.
MATT: Yeah, you know.
It feels awesome, I feel like I should have a martini in my hand and maybe something on my shoulder, you know what I mean?
CHINO: Yeah, that is a great look.
MATT: So let me ask you guys this, is we're getting ready for this party, right?
So what are some basic fashion tips that I can make my game just look better on a day-to-day basis?
What are things we should be thinking about?
CHINO: Well, you always wanna kinda have some little splash that kinda just sets you apart from everyone else.
MATT: Totally.
CHINO: You know, it could be a pocket silk that just gives you a little pop of color.
Could be a cool shirt, could be a nice sport coat, some cool shoes, even some socks.
So this is some little things.
MATT: Something different that stands out.
CHINO: Yeah, it doesn't have to be anything big, it doesn't have to be anything overly expensive.
Just something that just really sets you apart and just says, you know what, I got a little more style.
MATT: That's what I'm talking about.
RON: This has got just enough pattern to it too, where you could rock that with jeans and a T-shirt and use this as a sport coat.
MATT: Ooh, I'm gonna have to do that, that's a great idea.
CHINO: That would be sharp.
MATT: All right, I'm happy, man, this is great.
CHINO: Yeah, you look phenomenal.
MATT: Thank you so much.
'Cause you guys are geniuses, that's why.
It's hard to, you know what, you made something, a pile of garbage look like a million bucks, and that's what you do.
RON: We do it for ourselves.
CHINO: Yeah, we do it every day.
[laughter] [instrumental jazzy music] Yo, you wanna party in the penthouse at the top floor?
Then you need more top shelf proteins.
So for another main course, for this main dish here we've got are mini lobster tacos.
Now this is inspired from one of my favorite times ever being dolled up, and that was my wedding.
We got married in Central Park, so we had a little reception in the Oak Room in the Plaza in New York City.
And the thing is about that day, man, besides feeling good in this tux, the Mrs., the newly-minted Mrs., man, she was looking like a snack, and she's super cool, super fun, and on top of how awesome she was on that day, there's another big highlight, and that was these mini lobster tacos.
So we're gonna make those, and they're perfect, they're tiny, teeny, tasty, luxurious.
And we're gonna use lobster and get it the right way.
To start out, we have a pound and a half of finely chopped lobster meat.
So originally, it looked like these beautiful guys.
JK, I'm not throwing lobster.
And we minced it up pretty finely.
The thing about lobster, it's a high-end protein, and it's pretty versatile.
We put it in mac and cheese, you can put it on escargot, you can do all sorts of cool stuff with it.
It can get tough pretty quickly, so be easy with it, but this one cooked perfectly.
Let's get making this mix, though, the salad part of the lobster taco.
We got the pound and a half of the lobster; we're gonna put in one cup of mayonnaise.
It's gonna really be good, this is served cool and chilled, right, so we've got that in there.
1/2 teaspoon of cumin - now, all these flavors complement lobster really well.
We've got 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, the zest and juice of 1 fresh lime.
We're gonna start turning it around, get this stuff mixed up a little bit.
What complements lobster, too, are red peppers and little spice, too.
So we've got about a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of paprika all mixed up, and paprika is just dried red bell peppers, so we're gonna stir that in.
We're gonna put in a tablespoon of finely chopped, fresh tarragon, too, a little color, but a great flavor combination.
And then salt and pepper to taste, so we're gonna go about 1/8 teaspoon of both pepper and salt, and mix that up.
Tarragon is nice because it has some anise, licorice notes, and a little bit of citrus stuff, so it really complements lobster beautifully.
Now, we put this in the fridge for about a half hour, so let it chill and move on.
You want an outfit that complements your eyes, your shoulders, whatever it is that really gets you going.
What gets lobster going, complements it super well, is corn.
Corn's like, "Yo, what's up, lobster?"
Lobster's like, "Oh, corn, you're so sweet."
And corn is sweet, so we have two cups of chopped off-the-cob corn that we roasted in a pan.
You can use frozen corn, too, but if you're using fresh corn, it's 3 ears.
So we've got our corn in here, we're gonna put in about a third of a sweet onion.
Make us a little corn sauce, something a little nice.
We've got the juice of 1 lemon, I'm gonna put that in there.
We've got 1 poblano pepper.
Now, poblano pepper is mild, but be easy with it; whenever you use peppers like this, any pepper that has some levels of heat, always wash your hands right after.
We're also gonna put in half of a diced up green bell pepper, 1/3 cup of cilantro, 2 cloves of minced garlic, about a teaspoon of salt, and about an 1/8 teaspoon of ground pepper, and just stir this up evenly.
This is a basic, clean, sweet roasted corn salsa.
So in honor of my wife being a sexy little snack, we got mini sexy little taco shells.
If you can't find these, you can use regular store-bought ones too, because you don't gotta get fancy.
If you can't afford lobster meat, use imitation lobster meat, use crab, use shrimp, it'll still work.
So we're gonna take our little mini shells, I'm gonna put a nice, healthy layer of this beautiful lobster meat on there, going about three quarters of the way.
And then about half a spoon of this beautiful salsa.
And now you've got this color, this beautiful rainbow mix.
And that's what you need whenever you're dressing up, you know, pop a color.
You're wearing that little sexy black cocktail dress, have some shiny earrings, have something else, some shoes that jump.
So to all of y'all jumping up tonight, looking all good, this is a taco, babe.
[crunch of taco shell] [BRIGHT INSTRUMENTAL JAZZY MUSIC] MATT: Yo, if you dancing, partying all night, you're getting dressed up, you need some energy.
And a good starch will give you that.
So what we've got today is the McCaviar, this is a recipe from the great Mason Hereford, he owns Turkey and the Wolf down in New Orleans, and this is his recipe.
It's simple, easy, it's got a huge touch of class without touching that budget.
So the key basic part of the starch here is your old school hash brown patty.
So that patty gets covered with an anchovy creme fraiche, and it's not really creme fraiche actually, it's a cheap way to make a creme fraiche kind of knock off.
It uses 1/2 cup of room temperature cubed cream cheese.
So put that in your food processor or your blender.
It also takes the same amount, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice, basically the juice of 2 lemons.
And then finally, we've got 2 ounces, a 2 ounce can of anchovies in their oil, put that in there.
Now y'all might be thinking you don't like anchovies, but here's the secret: it's a secret ingredient in a lot of stuff that you eat, in caesar salad dressing, a bunch of flavors.
Umami, not "oo, mommy," but kind of, is the flavor profile here.
So you have other flavor profiles: salt, sweet, bitter, sour.
Umami is its own one and it's similar to salt, but a little bit different because it uses MSGs, not Madison Square Garden, monosodium glutamates.
It creates this really cool pump you see in all sorts of stuff like sushi, this stuff, luxurious, fantastic, let's blend it up.
[mixer whirring] We're gonna pull it aside.
And it's gonna be nice and thick, but not too runny.
So this can stay in the fridge for at least a week, it's great on steaks or salads too, it's just something fantastic.
So we're gonna put this in the fridge and now we're gonna fry up our hash browns.
We're gonna get some oil, vegetable oil, up to 350, and we're gonna drop 'em in for about 3 minutes a side, get 'em crisped up.
[BRIGHT INSTRUMENTAL JAZZY MUSIC] Time for the golden hour, these are golden brown, out of the fryer, hit it with some salt, they're resting on paper towels, crispy, crunchy beauties.
We're gonna center that, take our anchovy creme fraiche, little stripe down there.
Then, a little class action lawsuit here, a little classness, we're gonna put in a dollop of caviar for some more salt, and then, some finely chopped chives.
It's so pretty, you don't wanna eat it, but once you eat it, you're like, oh my god, this is so awesome, so glad I put it in my mouth.
Let's see how we did.
Mmm.
Ooh, daddy, the umami, it's on; let's dress things up.
[bright piano music] MATT: Man, everybody in here look like a zillion bucks.
We got houndstooth pants, sparkles as far as I can see, tux jackets, my man looking sharp, you're always looking sharp, though.
EVELYN: Man, you're looking good.
MATT: Well, you know why?
It's 'cause Chino is the most stylish guy I know, hookin' it up - [oos and ahs] EVELYN: You gotta wear that jacket inside out.
MATT: Yeah, totally, I'm gonna wear it all the time, wear it in the shower even.
So - but I feel great in this, and Chino made me feel great as we were getting dressed and talking about it, and it's a great feeling, right?
So, dressing up can change the night.
Y'all ever have a night that just goes and all of a sudden, just 'cause of the way you were dressed?
ALLEN: Yeah, there was a time I was out in Vegas and went to see Gaga, Lady Gaga, and her - MATT: She can dress.
ALLEN: Yeah, she can, she absolutely can.
But her stage show, and the person I went with, absolutely amazing, I mean, that's half the battle, is the people that you decide to party with, and my grandmother would say she was a great broad, she was all in, wanted to have a great time.
She wore a stunning evening gown, absolutely gorgeous.
I wore a tuxedo, and we're walking around the Vegas Strip like it's 1962, and I would've run into Sinatra on the corner.
But went to the show, had an amazing time.
Like I said, just sat there and just thought back, this could've been - just walking the Strip, obviously hit the tables for a little bit.
You know, you can't go to Vegas and not do that, but the only night I won money was the night that I was dressed up, so.
EVELYN: 'Cause of the tux.
ALLEN: Oh, absolutely, it tells a story, you have a completely different attitude.
ALEX: This guy has money, they saw you coming.
ALLEN: Absolutely.
EVELYN: You get a lot of attention, people?
ALLEN: Yeah, like people, you know, people look at you, I mean, people used to dress up when they went to Vegas, they don't do that anymore.
So when it's there, people just notice it.
EVELYN: Now let me ask you this, did Lady Gaga, she call you out?
ALLEN: She did not call me out, and I think if she was gonna call anybody out, she was gonna call my date, she was absolutely, she was just stunning.
EVELYN: But something about clothes, just to me, makes you feel confident, you feel like you look good, you do better, I think, just a feeling.
CHINO: You look good, babe.
EVELYN: Thank you!
MATT: You also garner more respect, like you said, but you feel more self-respect, right?
You look in that mirror, every day, I'm gonna do this.
EVELYN: It's a good feeling.
And for me, I like to dress up every day, that's a part of me, fashion, the feeling of feeling like I look good, the attention that you get, and people looking at you and recognizing like, "Oh, what's going on, who is she, what's going on?"
I just, I like it.
MATT: Yeah, and it works super great for you, you get people's attention and you make change, man, and it's showing others respect, but yourself respect.
So I respect y'all, here's to respecting ourselves, here's to the nines and dressing up.
MATT: Changing your appearance doesn't change everything, but it's a good step in the right direction.
Now, whether it's that dress that just works, those heels that raise you up just right, or checking your cuff links in the mirror, dressing up can pick you up.
BUT HERE'S THE THING: You matter.
The clothes don't make the person, that's up to you.
But it's a start.
Just like some drip in the right fit, a dolled-up cocktail, some high-end cuisine that can lead to an adventure for the ages.
You don't need to be fancy to get gussied up once in a while.
But yo, my crew is showing out tonight, so it's time for me to show up.
Stay classy, Spatchcock Nation.
[BRIGHT HIP HOP MUSIC WITH VOCALS] VO: The William G Pomeroy Foundation helps people celebrate their communitys history by providing grants for historic markers and plaques nationwide.
Information about Pomeroy Foundation grants and partnership opportunities is available at WGPFoundation.org Bear Creek: gourmet burgers, craft beers, custom twists on classics and desserts.
More on Facebook and Instagram at BearCreekRestaurantInc Feed the bear!
[BEAR ROARING]
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSpatchcock Funk is a local public television program presented by WCNY