Porchetta might translate from Italian to “little pig,” but the traditional dish—skin-on pork belly wrapped around a boneless loin and slow-roasted for hours—requires big effort. “You cook it on a spit, and then [to get the skin crispy], you ladle super-hot oil over it,” says AJ Paloni, chef-owner of the 10-month-old Porchetta House, a lunch-to-late-night sandwich shop in City Park West. While Paloni hopes to someday go full rotisserie with his recipe, his current oven-roasted adaptation doesn’t sacrifice the original’s crispy yet tender texture for the sake of ease. Case in point: Each day, the chef scores, rolls, trusses, and cooks two to three porchettas for the next day’s service. Then, he slices and sears individual portions to order on the flat top to regain that all-important crunch, an extra step that requires him to forgo the boneless loin and only use pork belly to keep the meat juicy.

Paloni, who is half Italian and half Hispanic, straddles convention and creativity with his flavors, too. Each menu staple—the Original with arugula and a pink-peppercorn-laced sauce; the achiote-rubbed al pastor with caramelized pineapple pico and Cotija cheese (pictured); and the red-miso-marinated banh mi with pickled veggies and black sesame mayo—can be ordered as a hearty sandwich or as a loaded-fries-style dish. Call us the Big Bad Wolf, but those are three little pigs we’ll happily eat.

5280 January 2024
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This article was originally published in 5280 January 2024.
Ethan Pan
Ethan Pan
Ethan Pan is 5280’s former associate food editor. Follow his dining/cooking Instagram @ethans_pan.