The new Porkchop & Co. is the type of restaurant you’d probably like to see in your own neighborhood, (Ballard and Capitol Hill, do you really need more restaurants?), one that’s refreshingly the opposite of so many new establishments. This one is casual, quiet, and non-pretentious—putting out high quality food at often reasonable prices.
A menu board hangs high above the counter where you place your order. You can survey the scene in the open kitchen; better yet is the chance to chat with chef/owner Paul Osher, who might very well be staffing the counter. Osher’s a down-to-earth guy who’s proud of the earth in which his produce grows and upon which his animals have grazed. He and his staff prepare food that’s at once simple and yet strong in flavor, sometimes rustic and sometimes whimsical.
The sandwiches are the crux of the lunch menu, ranging from the unique Smoked Beet to the namesake, Flintstones-like “Porkchop.” Those same sandwiches are available for weekend brunch (there’s a scrambled egg sandwich available for weekday breakfast, along with a couple of breakfast bowls built around grits), along with other items like kimchi hash and shakshouka.
What deserves special interest, though, is the newly launched dinner service. A few of the lunchtime sandwiches are again available, but you can find real value in the selection of plates like pan-roasted salmon and porchetta roast. The quality of ingredients and preparation is on par with some of Seattle’s fine dining restaurants, where the plates would surely fetch far higher prices. (Some of your savings come from the casual nature of this open-air, pleasant restaurant. Besides ordering at the counter, you go to a station to collect your own napkins, silverware, and water. Porkchop staff will, however, bring the food to your table.) The sides are another great deal, enabling you to enjoy small plates like smoked trout salad, pickles, and chicken cracklins/wings at affordable pricing.
Check out some of Porkchop & Co.’s food (and more) in the slideshow above.
