The East Village is abundant with Italian restaurants but thin on Italian speciality shops where you can find great sandwiches and well prepared sides. Porchetta, which opened this week on 7th Street between 1st Ave. & Avenue A, provides just that but in a very streamlined manner; the only meat served is porchetta.
The fatty, moist and boneless Italian roast pork comes in sandwich form ($9 on ciabatta and topped with fatty crackling) and as a plate ($12) with the bean of the day and greens (broccoli rabe & swiss chard). Read on to find out what makes it so flavorful and how Porchetta can turn it into a value buy…
What makes Porchetta’s namesake dish so delicious
Think of porchetta as the jelly roll of pork. Rosemary, garlic, fennel, sage, salt and pepper are all cooked together, spread over the pork loin and rolled up like a jelly roll before being tied with butcher’s twine and roasted, usually for about two and a half hours. The result is a tender and juicy hunk of pork encased within fatty, crispy skin (crackling).
What makes Porchetta’s version so delicious is the subtly fragrant flavor derived from the rosemary, fennel and sage. It all combines to mask any hint of gamieness and depending on where you bite, deliver bursts of flavor.
Thoughts on the Ciabatta & Crackling
Sullivan Street Bakery’s ciabatta is delicious but it’s not the perfect fit for Porchetta’s sandwich as a result of the callous crackling. A flatter and less toothsome ciabatta would have enhanced the eat-ability. If they’re sticking with this version, however, a light toasting and perhaps a dab of extra virgin olive oil might improve the sandwich.
Then again, if there’s as much crackling on your sandwich as there was on mine, you don’t need anymore crunch. Although the crackling was laced with juicy bits of fat, its texture was too tough to blend with the tender porchetta. Instead of enjoying the complex flavor of the pork, you’re left battling the crackling. My favorite bites of pork were attached to spice-rubbed pieces of chewy, slightly crisp skin which I will specifically ask for in the future.
Why Value is Lacking & How to Fix It
At $9.75 (including tax) for a small sandwich of nothing more than roast pork and bread, I would sooner go for a similarly priced, yet bigger, Italian hero at Faicco’s. Porchetta has some good things going for it: Pride in their product, great customer service and some damn tasty pork. But if they want lasting power among a younger generation of people, who want some bang for their buck, they should expand on the basic sandwich by adding one of their sides, such as a hearty spoonful of their crispy potatoes with burnt ends, to the serving.
Conclusion
As week one draws to an end for Porchetta, I look forward to eating chef-owner Sara Jenkins’ other pork creations. The East Village could really use a go to Italian sandwich spot, I hope the black and white tiled storefront on 7th street fills that void. In the meantime, my next stop on the sandwich trail is at Caffe Emilia, an Italian sandwich shop owned by the Gnocci master at Gnocco.
Porchetta
110 E. 7th St. between 1st Avenue & Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
212-777-2151
Hours: 7 Days a week, Noon to 11PM
Tags: east village italian, NY Food Tour, porchetta, SANDWICHES
September 25, 2008 at 11:27 am
Oh my goodness! I love the cracklings on top! The looks SO good. I have yet to try your sandwich choices but it tis the season for more hearty fare! That looks so good:)
September 25, 2008 at 11:44 am
Went there a couple days ago. I wanted about 15 minutes for my sandwich after ordering, and they weren’t very busy. Ten bucks and it barely filled me up, and about half the sandwich was inedible gristle. It wasn’t the “creamy” pork fat that some foodies seem to love either. If it was a few dollars cheaper and less fatty I might get it again.
September 25, 2008 at 5:01 pm
For a phenomenal Italian sandwich, nothing beats Ali Doro!
September 25, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Ulla,
You said it sister, it’s time to expand the horizons.
Dan,
I feel your pain but as far as the wait goes, I attribute that solely to first week blues (they just opened) but I agree wtih you about some the crackling being borderline inedible. There were other pieces of pork, as I alluded to in my review, that were fatty and delicious. Those were the best. Where else do you like to get Italian sandwiches? Have you tried Faicco’s?
Matt,
Thanks for the rec man. I’ve heard a lot of good things but I’ve also heard that Alidoro’s sandwich situation is a little pricey? Your thoughts? Whats the best sandwich there?
September 28, 2008 at 9:59 pm
dr dyspepsia, did your dyspepsia kill you???
October 1, 2008 at 11:29 pm
No, just laying low for a while, not much to say. Unlike many devotees of Food Guy, I have a job that keeps me busy at intervals.
But it’s nice to know that I’m missed.
Dr. (not dead, thanks, I’ll let you know…) Dyspepsia
PS: where’s Docchuck?
October 7, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Anyone interested there was an article on this place in the latest New York magazine.
October 8, 2008 at 11:09 am
You rang?
I had given up on this site, as the blog operator seemed to have abandoned it.
By the way, I have a stunning new MySpace page, should that excite you. Take a peek.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=413052639
October 8, 2008 at 4:27 pm
DocChuck,
Welcome Back Sir. Sweet MySpace pag. Had any good meals lately? Making any trips to NY?
October 20, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Great review. I found them a bit expensive and delicious too. I agree that the bread was sometimes too chewy and recommended that they get softer bread and hollow out a bit of the inside. Nice photos!
Have a look at my review here: http://www.simplysandwiches.net/2008/10/15/helloo-roasted-pork-o-vision/
October 28, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Ben, that sandwich looks great. Better than FoodGuy’s. I’m going. And crackling can’t be bad, even if it cracks a tooth.
By the way: anyone know where to get pork rinds in NYC?
Doc D
October 29, 2008 at 10:00 am
Ladies and gentlemen…… the Doc is back!!!
November 2, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Completely agree with your review. Definitely need to do something about the bread. It’s too hard and was very cold today. Lightly toasting or kept under a heat lamp would be better. The sandwich is a bit pricey. I will continue to eat there since the pork is so good but not as frequently as i would otherwise.
November 2, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Gee, Phil, thanks for the warm greeting. Good to feel welcome.
Any word from anyone on where to get pork rinds in NYC?
November 6, 2008 at 4:48 pm
[...] on a crusty roll, the sandwich is delicious, (some say it’s too pricey) but quite fatty. Half a sandwich was plenty for me. The server did suggest cutting the [...]