Pork Palooza

As many of you who know me or read this blog have come to know, I'm obsessed with the pig! I have written numerous blog posts about pork because I truly believe that pork should be a food group. Sorry to all of you vegetarians, kosher abiding Jews and Muslims out there but blame it on my South Carolinian roots the pig should be enshrined! On my recent trip to South Carolina I think I might've overloaded on pork. In a 24 hour period I managed to eat pork in one shape and form or another at every single meal...but two dishes in particular absolutely blew my mind.

First the pork trotters with sunny side farm egg at Fig...this dish was pure heaven and so simple but so perfect. It was trotters (pigs feet) from a local farm pulled off of the bone and formed into a croquette with a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg perched on top. The plate was simply garnished with purple endive, pickles and a mustard vinaigrette. This dish was so rich, and creamy and salty and smooth and crunchy at the same time. The potency of the farm egg with it's rich, custardy, dark yellow yolk coupled with the salty and crunchy trotters and the bitter of the endive with the salt and crunch of the gherkin pickles. Brilliant...

Another moment of culinary brilliance was the pork chop (bone in of course, as there is no other way to have it) with fried oysters, hollandaise, and smoky bacon with a black eyed pea cassoulet at High Cotton. There was pork in every bite, the tender pork chop with the crispy salty bacon, and the sweet crisp but also smooth oysters and the silky hollandaise all at one time...OMG a party in my mouth, and how innovative to serve fried oysters on top of a pork chop (why didn't I think of that?). Then there was the sharpness of the green onion on top of the hollandaise and the crunch of the panko crumbs and bacon in the black eyed pea cassoulet. Simply amazing!

Another wonderful plus about both of these restaurants is that they support local, sustainable food...the produce and meat and seafood are local if at all possible which adds to the flavor of the dishes...once again (and I know I repeat this over and over) the culinary benefits of going local are showcased! If you go to Charleston these restaurants should be on your short list.