August 2008

Swine Dining

It’s not called Hogtown for nothing. How to eat your way across the city By Rachel Heinrichs


For the gastro-elite (or the gastro-got-something-to-prove), nose- to-tail eating is practically a competitive sport. With its luscious fat content, the humble pig is tailor-made for culinary thriftiness—its many cuts can be braised, boiled, grilled, roasted and simmered to melting deliciousness. Here, a tasty checklist for going whole hog.

BELLY
Crush (455 King St. W., 416-977-1234) prizes this fat-streaked cut, giving it two weeks of pampering—brining, drying, rubbing and slow-roasting—before adding a tangy tamarind glaze.

BLOOD
The pha lau soup at Mi Mi Vietnamese (688 Gerrard St. E., 416-778-5948) is a heart elixir for anemics: slices of intestine are boiled to tenderness in a rich blood broth.

BONES
Ka Chi (612 Bloor St. W., 416-533-9306) serves bowls of chili-zinged broth holding heaps of slow-simmered pork bones (traditionally spine), potatoes, vegetables and fresh napa.

CHEEK
Guanciale, like pancetta but with more flavour, is rarely made outside Italy, but Cava (1560 Yonge St., 416-979‑9918) cures its own, offering morsels in a starter of amatriciana pasta.

EARS
Ba Shu Ren Jia (4771 Steeles Ave. E., 416-335-0788) transforms this chew toy for dogs into a delicacy. Paper-thin slices arrive cold with chili oil and green onions for a Chinese carpaccio.

FOOT
At Langdon Hall (Exit 275, Hwy. 401, Cambridge, 1-800-268-1898), head to toe isn’t just a turn of phrase: a braised trotter is stuffed with slices of jowl, shoulder and tail.

LIVER
In addition to its venerable blood sausage, Splendido (88 Harbord St., 416-929‑7788) now has sump­tuous pork liver sausage that’s seasoned with fresh cilantro and ginger.

RIBS
An order of all-you-can-eat side ribs at Cluck, Grunt & Low (362 Bloor St. W., 416-962-5050) brings a Flintstone-sized rack slathered in finger-licking sweet barbecue sauce.

SHOULDER
Pulled pork—that rapture-inducing, sauce-smothered mix of macerated meat, fat and tendons—is best piled high on a soft bun from Black Camel (4 Crescent Rd., 416-929-7518).

WHOLE BABY PIG
At Trevor Kitchen and Bar (38 Wellington St. E., 416-941-9410), 10-week- old, milk-fed piglets are roasted, deboned, pressed flat, carved and plated with chorizo gravy.


Illustration by Ingrid Gerberick





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