Food & Drink

Bah-hungry! Get in the spirit with a Victorian feast inspired by ‘A Christmas Carol’

Truffle-stuffed poularde, a fattened hen perfect for roasting at Christmas

Truffle-stuffed poularde, a fattened hen perfect for roasting at Christmas (
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A warm glow emanates from a fireplace on the second floor of a cozy town house as heavy plates heaped with buttery mashed potatoes, honey-braised chestnuts and tender poularde are passed across a large dining room table. It’s a scene redolent of Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” save for the contemporary holiday music playing over the sound system and the female diners dressed in an assemblage of trendy attire and vintage couture.

This holiday season, Amali, a year-old Mediterranean restaurant on the Upper East Side, is offering a chance to experience the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge not as a play or a Bill Murray film, but as a lavish supper series that’s meant to get diners in the true spirit of the season.

“I always loved the values of the story — among them that one should take time to celebrate feast and family,” says the restaurant’s owner, James Mallios, 38, a Queens native and former lawyer. “That is at its core Mediterranean, so we started to research the food and develop the pop up-idea.”

Working with Amali’s Brazilian-born executive chef Nilton “Junior” Borges, Mallios combed through the Dickens text for menu inspiration.

“I realized that food-wise, there were all these things going on,” he enthuses. “I love oysters and poularde, and then we learned it was part of it.”

The dinners are being held nightly through Jan. 6, and are only available for large parties of eight to 12, with the aim of bringing the whole gang together.

Guests are welcomed with Cratchit Hot Gin Punch, a hot-toddy-like concoction made with gin and lemons that was traditional in Victorian times. Next, an amuse bouche of pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) stuffed with Portuguese sausage and a creamy cheese croquette pays tribute to Borges’ homeland.

Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, his holidays were summery affairs. “On Christmas Day, everyone is wearing T-shirts, shorts, going to the beach,” he says.

Still, the Dickens’ novel resonated with him from an early age. “I read it a long time ago and saw the movie,” recalls the 31-year-old, who came to New York City 12 years ago. “With all the snow, it was almost like a fantasy for us.”

After the Brazilian detour, it’s back to Dickensian times (the “culinary past,” if you will) with a first course that showcases two different preparations of oysters, which came into culinary vogue during the Victorian era. The second course represents the present with a lavish spread of modern takes on 19th-century British standards: Goose confit with crisp apples and pickled chanterelles; a whole poularde roasted with black truffles, foie gras and brioche stuffed under the skin; mashed potatoes topped with fried sage; and a mélange of roasted vegetables with chestnuts. For the final course, Borges shows diners the “culinary future” with a theatrical table-side preparation where he uses liquid nitrogen to create “plum rocks” that then garnishe apple-plum cakes and plum gelato.

The idea for the Dickens dinners came to Mallios from his wife, Janell Vantrease, who grew up in the arty Southern California resort town of Ojai. Every Christmas, her family would attend a dinner at a local inn where one of Dickens’ grandsons would recite “A Christmas Carol.”

While the Dickens classic won’t be read at Amali, Mallios has taken pains to reference the tale not just with the food, but with some decorative touches as well. He hung boughs of greenery along the walls of Amali’s private dining room in reference to what Dickens described as “crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there.”

There’s even a hearth, albeit one with faux flames, to evince what the literary giant called “a mighty blaze . . . roaring up the chimney.”

Still, despite such high-minded decor, Borges is quick to note that “I don’t want people to feel like they have to read the book.”

If you can’t recall all the details of Dickens’ story or catch every allusion, no matter — just enjoy the meal and the company, and you’ll get at the main theme. “Christmas is not just about getting gifts,” says the chef. “[It’s about] sharing time together, sharing the table.”

Tiny Tim would agree.

Dickens Dinner series at Amali (115 E. 60th St.), now through Jan. 6; $95 for adults, $40 for “Tiny Tim” (children under 12); tax, gratuity and additional beverages not included; reservations required, call 212-339-8363 or e-mail events@amalinyc.com.