Tonight I had the pleasure of dining at David Greggory, a Washington, DC restaurant that has taken bacon cuisine to the next level.
Every Wednesday night, David Greggory hosts an evening of “Pork and Pinot.” Chef Greggory Hill prepares a collection of small plates of pork prepared in a variety of ways. And they match the dishes with Pinot Noir wines.
Chef Hill gets all of his bacon from The Grateful Palate. And he has a table set up in the dining room to carve meat straight from a whole roasted pig.
Chef Greggory Hill and the whole roasted pig
There were 10 items on tonight’s menu, so we ordered one of each along with a couple flights of wine. The items were bacon & bleu cheese salad, pork tenderloin, tempura bacon, bacon wrapped shrimp, pork “burger” with bacon, bacon risotto, Tuscan ham sandwich, pork quesadilla, pulled pork on a bacon biscuit, and soft tacos carved to order from the whole roasted pig.
Everything was absolutely delicious. But there were a couple items that stood out for us. Given that rice and bacon are my two favorite foods in the world, I found the bacon risotto to be quite delicious. I’ve always wondered what deep fried bacon would taste like, and now I know – the tempura bacon was absolutely yummy. And the soft tacos were also really good – the meat from the roasted pig was tender and juicy. And a piece of crunchy pork skin was served on the side – mmm hmm!
Tempura Bacon and Pinot Noir
But the best thing about the meal was not on the menu and was entirely unexpected. After chatting with Chef Hill about my blog, he generously offered our group the last serving of bacon dessert. He called it a “Bacon S’more.” It’s a chocolate bacon souffle topped with bacon ice cream. We were all skeptical at first, but it was seriously one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. There was a slight taste of smokey bacon, which was strong enough to give the chocolate souffle and vanilla-based ice cream a kick, but not so overwhelming that we got weirded out about eating bacon for dessert.
David Greggory also hosts Aphrodisiac Bacon Dinners on the third Monday of each month. We’ve been told by a few people that this is a very delicious and entertaining evening that any true bacon lover shouldn’t miss. We’re hoping to go in March. In the meantime, Pork and Pinot can be experienced every Wednesday night. If you live in the DC area or are just visiting, this is a bacon event you must experience!