Forking Tasty

Porkopolis

I have recently been in Cincinnati and my co workers and I were headed to the Red and Giants game on a rainy Tuesday night. We decided to get some food before the game instead of eating hot dogs all night. We stopped off at Local 127 and was not sure what we were getting into but there was a giant pig in the middle of the restaurant. That is always a good sign.

Bullet to Bratwurst

Last week I had the unique opportunity to partake in an ancient ritual that in modern days has come under quite a lot of scrutiny. I’ll let the video speak for itself, mostly. I will say, I love meat. I think our industrial food chain is a disturbing mess but at the root, eating meat is a pleasure that I will not willingly give up. The recent advent of smaller farms providing better living conditions, feed and slaughter practices have thankfully given me an alternative to funding these disastrous factory farms and “processing” plants through my meat habit. I am conscious of where I by my meat from. How they were raised and how they were killed are just as important as what they taste like. In fact the two go hand in hand. That said it is very difficult to buy meat from these sources all the time. Not to mention expensive. I hope, over time, these smaller farms become the norm and the availability and usage increase to become the norm. The video above chronicles my very personal experience on the road to this goal. Enjoy.

If you are looking for more, my friend Liza does a great job telling a bovine story.

A Bracciole in Kielbasa Land

We all know Greenpoint is home to many Polish families. Maybe you don’t, but if you have ever walked down Manhattan Ave. north of Greenpoint Ave it takes but a block to realize. Three butcher shops and 2 bakeries in the first block all with too many consonants in their name is a good tip off. I’ve lived on this stretch of Manhattan Ave. for three years now. There are weekend mornings I wake up and on the walk for coffee I hear not a word of english. It’s a bit eerie and a a bit comfortable at the same time. The comfortable far out weights the eerie, at least for me. Not only does it make me feel like I am traveling, which I love, but it excites my sense of discovery. The effect is intensified once you step into one of the shops. Be it a stop for Kielbasa or bobka the first words spoken to you are usually not those you understand. This may make these places intimidating. It may even make them a hassle to shop in.

I writing to debunk that theory. To do that I went straight to the heart of this matter. I went to…

Pig by the Pound

Last week was a doozy. Yesterday was no exception. Lots of eatin’. I ended the work week on a high note that took my belt back a notch. I don’t think there is much more to say that the video can’t explain. But, if for some reason you do have a question, drop it in the comments and I will be sure to answer. I will say, if you are looking for a mess of smoked pork piled onto butcher paper and thrown on a cafeteria tray, Hill Country might be the best game in town. The theatrics alone are 5 star. Quick warning, never go to this spot with me. I will make you leave in pain. Have you ever passed a 3″ pork chop around the table with your hands? I didn’t think so.

Hill Country
30 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 255-4544
hillcountryny.com

Double Cut Brunch

When I say this was a long time, and talk, coming. I am not kidding. I was in Santa Barbera for my great friends’ wedding. The night I arrived in town I needed some tasty. I was with my work wife Jen, who most of you know. We walked the main drag in SB looking for the right spot. As we passed Pierre Lafond’s Wine Bistro I was drawn in. Then I saw it. On the brunch menu was a double cut pork chop First of all, a pork chop for breakfast is KING. Second, you double cut that and I’ll love faster than Tom Cruise saying “Hello” to a swollen Zellweger. But, I had to postpone the infatuation for 18 hours…