Yes, this is a picture of a whole roasted suckling pig. No, I did not eat it all myself. A few weeks ago, I was invited by Cindy, a.k.a. Chubby Chinese Girl (who is in fact, far from chubby), to partake in a pig feast at The Breslin with some of her friends, which included bloggers Katie, Henry, and Addie.
Having a whole roasted pig on the table made it feel like Thanksgiving dinner. A whole pig is definitely more gluttonous than a turkey, but it wasn’t too different. For example, I like dark meat on a turkey, but sometimes you can’t have all dark meat because you have to fight your cousins for the legs. Similarly, during the dinner, there was only so much pork belly to go around, and initially, I was only served the hind leg meat (the ham), which wasn’t as fatty and juicy. I made do though with the accompanying sauces: a bright Salsa Rossa and a minty Salsa Verde. Luckily, on my second plate, Addie made sure I got a good piece of the tender and more flavorful pork belly. Not much sauce was needed for my second round. Much thanks to Addie from my stomach!
The whole roasted suckling pig was accompanied by fresh Herbed Ceaser Salad with anchovy croutons, amazingly good Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes, well-cooked Roasted Fennel, and sad, overcooked Broccoli Rabe. The roasted potatoes, with a thick golden crust that was redolent of duck fat, were my favorite. It was possibly even better than the whole roasted pig. For dessert, we were served an intense Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with vanilla ice cream. It was decent, but after such a heavy meal, something lighter would have been nice.
For the entire meal, it ended up being $85 per person (including tip). For the amount of food, it wasn’t bad, but I don’t have the urge to do it again. Although it was great fun to eat with new friends, I rather go to a restaurant and order my own plate of pork belly. Sorry, but for that amount of money, I don’t want to share.
The Breslin
20 W 29th Street (b/n Broadway & 5th Ave; map)
New York, NY 10001
212-679-1939
