Goat of the meal

A recent Mulvaney’s Building and Loan (1215 19th Street) family dinner titled “A Capricorn Celebration,” featured as its main course—what else?—a whole roasted Bledsoe goat. During Patrick Mulvaney’s customary intro speech, he led us in a chorus of “Happy Birthday” for his wife, Bobbin, and Pasta Dave. After, I tasted Dave’s agnolotti pillows, stuffed with fresh goat ricotta and seasoned with savory, mint and thyme. I was ready to serenade him with “Simply the Best.” Not so when the platters of goat were passed around—the appropriate tune would have been “Hangin’ Tough.” Most diners discreetly palmed the inedible bits, but a (human, not goat) kid at the next table, when queried about the meat, said, “The flavor is good but I can’t stop chewing!” All was forgiven when the ultrarich “pignoli,” or pine nut, pie was passed around—although it didn’t marry particularly well with the also delicious cajeta (goat’s milk caramel) ice cream. Look for upcoming family dinners on Facebook. It’s $35 a head for the most freewheeling, creative, convivial meal around, so seats fill up fast.