Food Porn: Mintwood Place

A few weeks ago, my parents traveled from Pittsburgh to DC for a short visit. The visit ended up being even shorter due to a winter storm coming into the area. But we made the most of the short time, taking trips to Union Market and other great food spots. One place in particular was the shining star during our visit. That was our Friday night meal at Mintwood Place.

But before I got into the awesomeness that is the food there, I have to give mad props to the bartender at Cashion's Eat Place who served up some awesome pre-dinner cocktails. I was a big fan of their "French Riviera" cocktail, which was made of rye, apricot brandy, and lemon. They had a lot of other interesting cocktails on their list, so I look forward to going back and trying some more. But that would have to wait for another night. I was on mission for dinner.

Mintwood Place has been celebrated a lot as of late. It tops many of the city's best lists and their chef was a recent James Beard Award finalist. I was fortunate to get a Friday night reservation there two weeks in advance, but I would be shocked if that continues to be the place. This restaurant was an absolute delight. From the décor, to the friendly staff, I was extremely impressed. We started off the night's meal with a bottle of Malbec, a cheese plate and these suckling pig fritters. So tender and rich, it reminded me of my last time indulging in this dish...during my trip to Barcelona in 2010. These pig fritters sat on a sweet potato mash and that brown sauce you see there? Mole. Holy mole. This was a great flavor combination and a wonderful way to start the meal.

My mother opted for the steak frites which was cooked to perfection and was pretty sizeable for one person. Then again, we had already indulged in some fairly rich foods early on in the meal, but I'd be remiss not to mention that this was a great choice.

My father and I both opted for the pork chop. I swear, this was the thickest pork chop I have ever seen and it was cooked to perfection. It came with crispy kale and a spaetzle carbonara, which included swiss chard and bacon. But the real flavor in this came from the pork glaze. Essentially this was a pork chop glazed with meat. I can't recall the exact technique as it was described (see above reference to bottle of wine and pre-dinner cocktail), but that glaze combined with the fried capers sealed the dish for me. Biggest, baddest, boldest pork chop ever. Go and get it. Now.