Perhaps one of my most formative food memories is the first time I bit into a porchetta sandwich at New York City's Porchetta restaurant. Helmed by the iconic Sara Jenkins, it's one of the best foods I've ever had — bar none.
The loud, almost jarringly brittle chicharon gave way to the toothsome baguette, sumptuously unctuous, lightly herbaceous pork . . . and that's it. No cheese, no aioli, nothing else to gussy up the experience — just expertly cooked, juicy pork, earth-shatteringly crisp crackling, and some high-quality bread. I was one word: astonished.
