The patio at City Pork Brasserie & Bar is perfect for an afternoon sampling of the restaurant’s hearty fare. Photos by Amy Shutt
I had heard plenty of buzz about City Pork Brasserie & Bar long before I darkened its doorstep. Buzz is really a misnomer: It was a resounding roar of positive reactions. I bowed to the pressure and finally checked out this pork palace for myself.
The brasserie began operation less than two years after the original City Pork Deli, conceived by former co-owner Trey Williams and owner Chase Lyons, quickly amassed a devoted following at the Perkins Road overpass area. Now Chef Ryan André has been brought on board to take the original concept to the next level at the Jefferson Highway brasserie.
I’ve seldom seen a restaurant so completely transform an interior, but this place, previously a Dempsey’s restaurant, has done it and with rustic style. Exposed beams, reclaimed wood panels and pipe sconces work together to impart chic industrial flair, offering a dining room where you’ll want to linger.
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While the menu features a couple sandwich options and charcuterie familiar to those who have visited City Pork Deli, most dishes at the new location venture in a unique, fusion-centric direction.
First on the appetizer menu was the intriguing Rabbit Debris Springrolls. I’m unsure how the kitchen managed to infuse the flavors of Thailand, Korea and Cajun country all in this electrifying dish, but I’m so glad they did. Served cold, stuffed with noodles, carrots, cabbage and earthy rabbit meat and served with an enticing peanut sauce, this multicultural delight is impressive.
For a meaty sampling, we chose a charcuterie board of smoked duck breast, cheek pastrami and rabbit rillette. Smears of house-made strawberry marmalade and grain mustard played on the board and our tongues. The cheek pastrami was mildly spiced and lightly salted with a pleasing smoke that lingered on the palate—it paired beautifully with the mustard. The duck breast was meaty and salty, though a slathering of the marmalade helped in dissipating the saltiness. The rillette, similar to a pâté, was soft and mild. One of us loved the gentle flavors and the other found it bland.
For entrées we chose Shrimp and Boudin and Rabbit and Dumplings. The large grilled shrimp were substantially spiced. Light on rice but heavy on meat, the uncased boudin cradled the shrimp and provided a soft pungent foil to the crispy fried onions that crowned the dish. Served with the shrimp dish, the side of spinach, black-eyed and English peas and onions screamed freshness—and lots of luscious butter. This was the “Vegetable of the Day.” If more sides tasted like this, parents would never again fight with kids about eating their veggies.
The Rabbit and Dumplings came as a huge surprise. The dumplings were gyoza-style and stuffed with shredded pork. The taste and texture were so well executed that the surrounding slices of roasted rabbit almost went unnoticed. But the sweet, earthy sauce, reminiscent of Asian duck sauce, tied the rabbit and dumplings so beautifully together that one component would be lost without the other. The distinctive flavors caused my partner to exclaim: “Without a doubt there is no dish like this in Baton Rouge. Nothing even close to this.”
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The food at City Pork would never be confused with health food. But it is outstandingly delicious, well-crafted food prepared with great care from locally sourced ingredients. If this sounds like your kind of pig palace, then belly up to the trough. Just be prepared for a wait because the good word is definitely out.
The Basics:
7327 Jefferson Highway
615-8880
Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Closed Sundays