NYC 2009: I Heart Porchetta!

In 2005, Lorena and I went on Eurotrip part deux over Christmas holidays. Easyjet dictated the places we would visit and we ended up in the South of France to explore Nice, Monaco and Cannes. In addition to the wonderful and convenient little hostel we stayed at (I'd consider it a hotel really), one of our favourite parts of the trip was exploring the market in Nice. While wandering, we came upon an amazing discovery: porchetta! In Nice, it was a delicious roasted pig, stuffed with an assortment of meats, sausage and spices. It was served by the deli in slices. While we ooh'd and ahh'd in excitement at the piglet in the display case, a friendly American lady came to help us - thank goodness she spoke English because we really wanted to try some of the then unknown delicacy! She gave us small portions to try and explained what it was. AMAZING.

In Tony's relentless research of places to eat in NYC, he discovered Porchetta, a small deli on the East side that featured its namesake. I was thrilled to discover this little gem since I have not had porchetta since our trip to Nice! We were the first to arrive on a rainy and cold Saturday morning, and happy to take a seat at one of the few bar stools in the intimate deli. Most patrons came and went with a sandwhich to go but I couldn't have been more excited to sit and enjoy my food and stare at the porchettas. It wasn't exactly like the stuffed piglet I had in Nice (the meat was wrapped rather than fully stuffed and roasted), but it was pretty darn close. Less exotic stuffing for those less adventurous as well, but delicious all the same. Tony and I split a savoury mushroom soup, a porchetta sandwhich and a porchetta plate, which came with beans and vegetables. It sure satisfied my 4 year long craving!

If you are a meat lover in the NYC area and looking for something unique and delicious, be sure to stop by Porchetta, a sandwhich is only $6! They also feature a cozy cookbook, which unfortunately we did not pick up as we had no way to keep it from the pouring rain that day, but we'd love to hear if anyone does and picks up any recipes!