Bespoke Post November 2014: The Slate Box

Many if you reading my blog are subscribed to one or more monthly mystery boxes, and if you live together with your significant other chances are he is well aware of those shipments. Do you think he’s a little bit jealous? 🙂 Here’s where the November Bespoke Post comes in to remedy the situation.

HOW IT WORKS
Created for a modern gentleman, Bespoke Post is a men’s monthly subscription service that delivers curated packages for $45/month, with the ability to skip a box if you don’t like that month’s selection. Each box is guaranteed to have a retail value of $70 or higher.
Click here to subscribe to this box.

The Slate Box in this review is filled with all kinds of gourmet foods that will make a great gift for any guy in your life. It contains a variety of sweet and savory treats, and a beautiful hand-crafted slate board for serving cheese, fancy meats, and other snacks.

Brooklyn’s Slate board is a hand-cut, rough-edged piece of beautiful gray slate, sourced from the founders’ family-run quarry in NY. It’s a large weighty piece that comes with four sticky rounds for padding on the bottom, and a small slice of white soapstone that you can use for writing.

Good dressing can make those picky carnivores eat the salad and actually enjoy it, so Bespoke Post included this fancy duo of Old Town EVOO and Reserve Balsamic Vinegar. Together they pack a powerful punch of flavor and deliver smooth silky texture unlike regular mass-produced vinegars and vinaigrettes. Last night I made the usual fresh salad for dinner dressed it with these two, and my husband seemed to like it. Victory!

Guys like BBQ, ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, and all kinds of meat; and if there is one condiment, that perfectly complements them all, it’s mustard. In this box I received a small bottle of garlic and dill mustard from Mustard and Co, made using organic olive oil, vinegar, fresh dill and garlic of the highest quality sourced from local farms. I sometimes make my own mustard dressing by mixing EVOO, dijon, bavarian grainy mustard, herbs, garlic, and chopped shallots. I’m kind of a mustard snob, but I loved this one because it tasted like something I could have made at home. Yum!

What kind of dessert would you get for a manly man? Bespoke Post suggests Buffalo Trace Bourbon Brittle, that isn’t too sweet, and comes in plain neutral packaging. Honestly, my husband wasn’t a big fan of this one, mainly because it was a bit too thick for his liking and [according to him] lacked flavor, but he’s the kind of guy who likes bolder-tasting things. I agreed on the “too thick” part, but disagreed on the flavor – IMO this brittle is delicious and I’d buy more in a heartbeat.

Both my husband and I enjoy small batch artisan salami, and Creminelli Sopressata was quite a treat. It has that amazing dense & chewy consistency, and bold flavor with a little bit of smokiness spiced with the right kind of “smelly”. Last time I tasted salami this good was when we bought some at a random food market in Mestre, Italy around Christmas time 6 or 7 years ago, so it’s been a while for both of us.

The last item in the box was a small pack of toothpicks that would complete any gentleman’s outfit, but plain toothpicks would be too boring. Daneson’s Bourbon Toothpicks are made with white birch and soaked in high quality Kentucky bourbon to get those pesky bits and pieces out of your guy’s teeth and add some boozy charm to his breath. Just make sure he doesn’t use them at work 😉

THE VERDICT
What a wonderfully-curated box! It includes a variety of delicious treats and trinkets that any guy would enjoy, and might even share with you if you’re lucky. The slate serving tray alone would make a fantastic hostess [or host!] gift for the Holidays, while snacks and sweets will send your man on an epicurean journey.

If food isn’t your guy’s thing, Bespoke Post offers a variety of other curated gifts, you can see the full list here.