THE DISH: Grilled and Braised New Hampshire Pork from Applewood

With forever changing menu, each day is something new.

One day last week, the 11th Street restaurant served an entrée that, for meat eaters at least, was something not to be missed: Grilled and Braised New Hampshire Pork.

The tender and flavorful pork, half of which was sliced and the other half was so tender that it lay in shredded pieces, was enough to satisfy a hungry man or woman. But underneath the farm fresh swine was something all to itself.

The cannellini bean cassoulet sat next to sautéed collard greens and they both sat in a nice pool of savory bacon jus.

The cassoulet did not fall short of amazing. With white beans, lamb sausage, bacon, roasted shallots, roasted garlic, breadcrumbs and cooked in pork stock, it had the makings of its own meal. Its flavor was strong and savory—with a heartiness that soothed a body that needed nourishment.

A forkful of the cassoulet, with a bite of the pork made for a mouthwatering combination.

For appetizer, which must be mentioned, we had the house-made charcuterie with garlic crostini and stone ground mustard. Applewood made their own pork testa with sage, thyme and parsley to add some flavor and lamb terrine, wrapped in a fatty layer of lamb belly.

These two pâté-like dishes were great starters — not too filling, but not lacking in serving size. The pork testa, which is the Italian version of head cheese, was a thick loaf of meat with a subtle farm flavor and was easily spreadable on the hard crostini. The lamb terrine came in crescent moon slices—the best part being the lamb belly on the outside, white and packed with a punch.

To wash it all down we had two cocktails. First, we drank La Palabra Picosa, which is their jalapeno-infused tequila with green chartreuse with Luxardo Maraschino and lime. Once dinner came we tried their strawberry margarita, which was the favorite with Hornitos Reposado tequila, Luxardo Triplum, lime, fresh strawberry puree and chile salt to coat the rim.

What’s your favorite dish at Applewood? Let us know in the comments section below and upload a picture of your meal to the photo gallery above.