CAFE GRAY
10 Columbus Circle, Third FL.
212 823-6338
The pork revolution started slowly several years ago, when a few French chefscautiously tested the fatty but flavorful braised pork belly as a weeklyspecial. Now there’s barely a restaurant in Manhattan without some form ofinventive pig dish on the menu, and it’s not just any old pig, either-thanks toNiman Ranch, heritage breeds raised on boutique farms are everywhere. When GrayKunz opened Café Gray, the Swiss-raised chef featured an old favorite on themenu-pork shank braised in stout and maple syrup, but the great big bony shankoverwhelmed even New York diners. His latest porcine creation is pleasinglysmaller yet no less large in flavor, combining crispy braised pork cheek with a slice ofpork belly drizzled with a tart tamarind glaze and nestled on a bed ofbacon-spiked, oak-barrel-cured sauerkraut infused in a champagne emulsion. Thehumble hog has risen.