That would be the pork belly I got on a recent trip to Herbsaint. I’ve had some revelatory lunches there, rife with chef Donald Link’s spin on carbonara and the best banana brown butter tart I’ve ever tasted, but I was especially excited to order the pork belly for dinner one night; I felt I would be in good hands with Link, who’s also behind Cochon and, more recently, Cochon Butcher.
Pork belly IS flavor, to be succinct about it, and served in this form – crispy outside belying tender inside, and seasoning galore – it can be a religious experience for a passionate carnivore. The beans underneath provided a classic textural counterpoint, their smooth consistency complementing and humbling the audacious, extravagant pork. The piquant pistou brought some color and lightness to the dish, enhancing it like a glistening bauble of jewelry on a buxom, opera-bound sophisticate.
May I add that their Pimm’s Cups, which actually use a sparkling lemonade that you can pick up at Whole Foods, are OUT OF THIS WORLD?! I didn’t have one there, as my age presents a bit of a problem in the Ordering Drinks arena, but the bartender gave the recipe to Jessica, and we sipped on a very fine replica of the drink when we were cooling off watching the sun set over Nicholson, Mississippi.
I realized I should probably be posting addresses, so from now on, those will be here at the end:
Herbsaint
701 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-524-4114
Wish I could have been there with you all, godchild – at Herbsaint and in MS.