And I'll huff! And I'll puff!
That's supposed to be a reference to the big bad wolf. It is also, however, fitting for me, huffin and puffin and stuff (you will understand momentarily). A few days ago, to celebrate my birthday, my lady friends took me out for an awesome dinner at Silver Palm, a fun little restaurant tucked away on the west side of the city. You may have heard of this place (if you watch the same outrageous amount of food-related television that I do) as it was featured in Anthony Bourdain's recent trip to Chicago on No Reservations (video below).
It was at Silver Palm that Mr. Bourdain indulged himself in what was, for me, the ultimate pig-related sandwich. I say "pig-related" because it wasn't just a ham sandwich. Or a pork chop sandwich. No, my dear friends, this sandwich was allllll P.I.G. Fried and juicy pork cutlet, topped with tender slices of ham (real ham, not deli ham), topped with crispy BACON (!), topped with melty gruyere cheese, topped with a fried egg, TOPPED WITH an onion ring, all on a buttery brioche bun. "Three Little Pigs" it's called. Oh. Yeah.
Now I trust Tony to steer me in the right direction when it comes to eating. But I was still skeptical. You see, when things are so over-the-top ridiculously indulgent, I tend to think a lot of their hype comes from that alone, not really the taste or quality of whatever food concoction we are talking about. So while I was OF COURSE planning to order this make-me-a-fatty sammy, I wasn't convinced it would live up to it's reputation.
SURPRISE!! I was clearly mistaken, and despite not even wanting this sandwich to be that great (its proximity to my house is waaay too dangerous), it was. It was heavenly. It was also huge. I cut that baby in half, took a bite and passed it around to my four friends who each took a bite. After that, there was still 3/4 of a sandwich left. I finished the first half and promptly wrapped the second to savor later (sometimes leftovers are a happy thing). It took me the better part of 4 days to finish the rest, and each time I went to the fridge, I was impressed by how utterly delicious that sandwich still was. I loved every calorie laden bite of it.
Here's a clip about it from No Reservations. See fo yo self!
AH SO YOU HAVE FOUND OUR AMBROSIA, WE KNEW WHAT CLUES TO LEAVE; OUR BOURDAIN DISCIPLE SERVES US WELL.
YOU TOO SERVE US WELL, AND THUS HAVE WE REWARDED YOU WITH THIS HANDFUL OF LIPIDINOUS GLUTTONY FOR YOU TO GORGE YOURSELF ON BEFORE LICKING CLEAN YOUR FINGERS (LEST YOU WASTE THE SCRUMTRULESCENCE WE BESTOW, FOR WHAT WE GIVE CAN WE TAKE AWAY IF OUR BLESSINGS BE BETTER SLICED FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S PLATE). BUT FEAR NOT, YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO SPREAD OUR GREASY GOSPEL AND WE FIND FAVOR WITH YOU LIKE WE FIND SOLACE IN THE THICK CUT SMOKED AND PEPPERED KIND.
BUT AGAIN WE MUST IMPLORE, MAKE THOSE WHO WOULD JOIN IN OUR WORSHIP CONFESS THEIR ALLEGIANCES PUBLICLY. THEY WILL NOT COME CLEAN QUICKLY; PANS ARE NOT EASILY WASHED AFTER A BACON-OFF AND GRISTLE IS NOT DIGESTED FAST. BUT YOU MUST URGE OUR WOULD-BE DISCIPLES WHO LIVE SO NEAR TO YOU TO COME IN TO THE LIGHT OF THE GREASEFIRE.