I had been waiting to try Sarah Jenkins's East 7th St. pork sandwich spot, Porchetta, for a while now. Several attempts made in the past were thwarted by long lines, and not enough time to wait in them. But, after stopping by on a curiously slow Saturday afternoon, I got to sample two of their signature menu items. [bxA]
The porchetta sandwich features the restaurant's namesake meat--a pork loin slathered in italian herbs, rolled and slow roasted. While the flavor from the pork is fine--reminiscent of a very good homemade pork chop--the meat is dry as a bone. I was really expecting a big, wet, sloppy pork sandwich. The nicely crusty ciabatta bread's fluffy innards are just begging for some rich, fatty juices to absorb. There's a nice anise kick to the seasoning that's spread on the meat before it's roasted, but the pork cracklings that are scattered on top are flavorless, and biting into them is like crunching down on hard little shards of plastic. When homemade pork shoulder turns out right, the skin is pliant, and hugs some delicious fat. Not the case here. For nine dollars I was also expecting a lot more meat.
The potatoes with burnt ends look great, and are also just okay. As far as pan fried potatoes go, these are on the oily side, and not crispy enough. The herbs on top don't do anything, and the burnt ends from the meat are dry, brittle and ruddy tasting.
I know people love this place, and there are a few things that I didn't try that are supposed to be great--notably the beans and the okra salad. While I feel that many of my problems with the signature pork sandwich could be resolved with a heavy ladle of gravy or drippings--and a nixing of those ridiculous cracklings--I can't help but wonder if Team Porchetta have just gotten a bit lazy now that the buzz has died down. In a town as pig crazy as New York, there are certain standards to uphold with your roast pork sandwich, you know?
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