Pork producers cut a place in fine-dining menus

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 5, 1990 by Florence Fabricant

Pork producers cut a place in fine-dining menus

Pork has long been something of a stepchild in fine-dining operations. As welcomed as it might be in the most elaborate Chinese or Japanese surroundings, this mainstay of the barbecue circuit has, over the years, been neglected by chefs who innovate.

There are several obvious reasons. First of all pork is considered -- often accurately -- as a less expensive meat than veal, lamb or beef. Given this argument one might wonder about the prestige of chicken these days. Simple. Chicken is supposed to be healthier. And as much as the pork producers might insist that "the other white meat" is lean and light, pork still is perceived as rich in fat, which is another reason for its absence on many menus.

The fact that many chefs do not know how to prepare it properly also might be a factor. Like home cooks convinced that pork must be cremated in order to be safe to eat, it is inevitably overcooked, dry and bordering on shoe leather. That's why long-cooked smoked pork ribs and barbecue are so superior.

This method keeps the meat moist, which standard roasting and grilling often fail to do.

With this issue, the pork producers appear to be making an impact by releasing material that shows 160 degrees (medium well) is sufficient to cook pork adequately, yet keep it juicy. Increasingly, pork has started appearing on fine-dining menus. The economic imperative that has put lamb shanks, ox tails, skate and squid on menus is undoubtedly another factor.

White-tablecloth operations that serve such newly stylish hearty fare as ox tails, lamb shanks, meat loaf and pot roast are comfortable offering pork chops. Some of them that specialize in down-home fare go as far as offering smothered pork chops.

The new Vince & Eddie's on Manhattan's Upper West Side includes pork chops on its menu, as does Jacks' Firehouse in Philadelphia. The Devil Mountain Brewery in Walnut Creek, Calif., serves grilled pork chops with fruit chutney. Grilled pork chops also are featured at the new Merchant's in Nashville, Tenn.

A lavish, brand-new operation in Nashville, the Wild Boar, suggests pork, to be sure. And it is available either as breaded pan-fried pork chops or pork tenderloin rasnici with zingara sauce. As for the wild boar, the operation offers a roast saddle of boar for two. A pate of wild boar is included on an appetizer sampler plate.

Instead of pork chops, roast loin of pork appears to be more in keeping with a fine-dining roster in a number of operations, especially French ones inclined to bistro style. At L'Acajou and Louie's West Side Cafe in Manhattan it is a menu staple. Louie's services it with apples and prunes, something of a classic. Bistro in Bedford Village, N.Y., presents roast loin of pork Normandy-style with apples and creme fraiche.

Boston's Jasper White gives a nod to the Portuguese heritage in the area with his pork chops prepared with clams and garlic sauce, a new spin on the classic clams catalpana, a dish that combines pork and clams. It's this kind of sound creativity with pork that is often lacking. And at Churrascos in Houston, pork tenderloin prepared South American-style is a staple. This operation has even had tests conducted at Texas A&M to prove the pork tenderloin is leaner and lower in calories than beef tenderloin.

Not at Square One in San Francisco, however. In Joyce Goldstein's varied, eclectic and often experimental kitchen there always has been room for pork offered in some of the more inviting preparations in the country. In her hands it transcends the usual chops and roast with some kind of fruit.

Recently she served pork scalloppine alla zaragozana with tomatoes, prosciutto, olives and cream or with apples, raisins, calvados and cream. Pork loin might come grilled Sardinian style, marinated in red wine, juniper, bay and hot pepper and was served with white beans and onions.

Somehow, suckling pig also puts a different spin on pork, the way the baby vegetable craze has upgraded carrots and turnips. At Sandro's, Union Square Cafe and Chez Louis in New York, among others, the suckling pig has long been a dish to be prized. At Sandro's in particular, the suckling pig is classically Italian. Indeed, except for sausage, it is the one style of serving pork that might be expected in an Italian operation.

And in Atlanta, at Veni Vidi Vici, Marcella Hazan, the consultant, has seen to it that her fabulous Bolognese-style braised loin of pork is included. The pork, braised in milk, emerges exquisitely succulent and rimmed with deliciously caramelized pan drippings. It's in Hazan's cookbook, "The Classic Italian Cookbook" (Knopf, 1976), and it's worth trying.