DISH OF THE WEEK: Spiced Pork Chop at THE HARRISON

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

Exectuive chefs come and go all the time at restaurants in this city. Even at places with an established and consistent reputation like The Harrison. The Tribeca restaurant is owned by Chef Jimmy Bradley, but over the years, many talented chefs have overseen  – including Amanda Freitag (now famous for being a judge on Food Network’s Chopped). The latest chef to don an apron and continue Chef Bradley’s vision is Ari Bokovza.

The truth is I know Ari. I used to work with him years ago at The Modern when he was the Chef de Cuisine of the Bar Room and I was a server. It’s where I first truly understood the concept of balance in food. Ari’s (and Chef Gabriel Kreuther’s) dishes were impeccable and full of complementary flavors and textures.

So when I ran into him on the street in Tribeca and learned about his newest job, it was only a matter of time before I came in for dinner.

Ari’s Mediterranean-inspired food did not disappoint. In fact, everything was spot-on that it was really tough for me to choose a single dish to document here. I could have picked the blackened octopus appetizer with spicy harissa and a very unique sweet potato falafel. Or the seared arctic char with a cooling cucumber and horseradish sauce. Or the heavenly side of truffled orzo.

But the spiced pork chop won out. I’m always a sucker for pork chops. This one is brined and encrusted with spices and lots of black pepper. The tender, smoky meat had a flavor that I can only compare to pastrami. Sadly, you won’t find this very unkosher chop in a Jewish deli. It’s balanced with a creamy mound of cannelini beans and some bright black kale.

I kept thinking about the entire dinner experience for days to come (even pastry chef Colleen Grapes’ extraordinary desserts), but especially that full-flavored pork chop. It’s unlike any pork chop I’ve had around the city and it’s food like this (and innovative chefs like Ari) that keep The Harrison relevant all these years later.