Austin Restaurants Celebrate the Year of the Pig!

The days when your mother would lecture you on the dangers of trichinosis from eating undercooked pork now seem but a distant memory. Americans in general and Austinites in particular seem to be developing an entirely new and almost passionate relationship with all pig-related foods.

This has been fueled in large measure by some very talented Austin chefs who have recently opened restaurants where pork is not just the star but the raison d’être.

Bryce Gillmore got things rolling with his Odd Duck Trailer and then more famously, with the nationally recognized Barley Swine on S. Lamar. The core of the menu revolves around small plate specials like spicy pig head, pork cheek, and a pork belly salad. The place is SRO virtually every night. Gillmore has a sensibility that is unusual for a young chef: but he is very talented.

Raymond Tatum is another one of my favorite chefs who became smitten with pig fever. His Three Little Pigs Trailer on 1209 Rosewood begins with Pork Belly sliders, Braised pork with milk and sage, and his Cracklin’ Meatloaf wrapped in bacon. All are simply delicious. Of course Raymond is an Austin legend so you’d expect nothing else.

Another strong entry is the Noble Pig at 11815 Highway 620. I have tried their Spicy Ham and Pulled Pork sandwich and it is simply stunning! Likewise for the BLT. The house smoked bacon is decadently good and makes for a serious BLT. They have excellent breakfast tacos as well. They also feature monthly dinners: the most recent one featured a Boar Loin wrapped in Boar Belly with parsnips.

Co-owner John Bates comes from Asti and Wink so he gets the art of pleasing higher end customers. But the Noble Pig reflects his love of a great sandwich and I for one am a new fan.

Still another blatant homage to the pig comes in the form of the recently opened Bacon at 10th and Lamar at the former site of the Screaming Goat. You can get everything from Bacon waffles to Bacon Cookies, not to mention a burger that has bacon IN it and on top of it. As is often the case the YELP reviews are all over the place so no help there. I’ve got it on my to do list for this weekend and will post my report next week. They have a Facebook page that appears quite popular and I must admit the dishes look intriguing.