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Hell Night

We kicked of 2011 with our hottest Mystery Meet yet - literally! We journeyed to East Coast Grill in Inman Square for one of their legendary Hell Nights. After signing our souls away, we played Russian Roulette with spicy meatballs, gobbled up the Wings of Mass Destruction, and choked back tears as we sucked down Inner Beauty Hot Sauce. Most of us survived.

Welcome to Hell

We kicked off 2011 with our hottest Mystery Meet yet - literally! The 25-year-strong East Coast Grill, Chris Schlesinger's BBQ joint in Inman Square that won The Boston Globe's 2010 Munch Madness competition, is known for its legendary Hell Nights. These spicy evenings typically sell out in minutes.

East Coast Grill recently made their Hell Night menu available to private parties, so, on the eve of a massive snowstorm, we gathered nearly 30 foodies to make the trek thru Hell.

The road to Hell is paved with spicy meatballs.
When leading people to Hell, it's always a good idea to make them sign waivers first.
Foodies signing over their souls.
The heat of Hell Night dishes are rated on a scale from 1 to 10 bombs.
Even the decor seemed to taunt us.

Hell Night begins with a ritual known as the Russian Roulette Style Spicy Meatball Challenge. Everybody at the table receives a meatball. Some are extremely hot; some are not. But there's only one way to find out. Your humble host found himself on the losing end of the toothpick.

Moments later, some of these foodies were no longer smiling.
This meatball would come back to haunt me later.

The Meatball was followed by a number of appetizers served family-style, ranging in heat.

Smokin' Hot Pork Spare Ribs with Guava Lava Glaze and Real Inner Beauty Hot Sauce.
Hottest Item on the Menu: The Wings of Mass Destruction "Phucket Style" with Ghost Chile Oil, Aromatic Herbs & Nuoc Cham.
Korean Fried Chicken Thigh with Apple Kim Chee & Super Charged Kochujang.
We ordered a side of cornbread to help with the heat.
Pickled veggies to provide relief from the heat.
Our friendly server, Jess, kept the water flowing.
Some of our foodies traveled 90 minutes each way to go to Hell and back.

The appetizers were followed by our choice of entrees: the spicy Jamaican Jerk Grilled Pork Chop or the more subdued Latin Spice Grilled Mahi Mahi.

Jamaican Jerk Grilled Pork Chop with Banana Guava Ketchup, Real Inner Beauty Hot Sauce, Curried Sweet Mashed Potatoes & Cumin Seared Greens.
Latin Spice Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Chile Mojo, Grilled Pineapple, Hot Spinach and Rice 'n Beans.
A pair of Mystery Meet veterans came back for more.
Raise a rib if you like the heat!
Little Known Fact: Hell is located at the base of a volcano.
We concluded the meal with a Mango-Berry Crisp with Fresh Whipped Cream.
Clean-up duty.

We had a number of brave bloggers in the house: Rachel from Fork it Over, Boston!, Bianca from Confessions of a Chocaholic, Amanda from Tales from a Kitchen Misfit, Jacki from Just Add Cheese, Nicole from I am a Honeybee, Tracey from 40-Something Life, and Frank from The Earnest Life. Special thanks to Robin and Jess from East Coast Grill for making our seventh Mystery Meet such a memorable event.

Published January 12th, 2011