Fast Break: City Pork Deli

Since opening late last year, City Pork Deli and Charcuterie has been on the tip of Baton Rouge foodies’ tongues. Hearing nothing but positive feedback about the new local joint, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

City Pork currently features a small menu with a few sandwich options, soups, salads and small plates. The owners are planning a menu expansion in the near future. However, I don’t mind the small menu especially with the location’s size, which has room for maybe 40 people.

This week, I tried the Cubano, a $10 sandwich with 17-hour smoked pork shoulder, honey ham, house pickles, Dijon mustard and Swiss cheese, pressed on po-boy bread. Like the rest of the sandwiches, this one came with a few house pickles on the side and house-made chips.

As advertised, the sandwich’s flavor was a home run. The meats weren’t dry, and the bread was perfectly po-boy-ish, with a crisp outside and flaky, almost doughy middle. Simply put, there was not a single crumb of food left on my plate. For dessert, there were chocolate chip bacon cookies. As a fan of salty-sweet items, this too hit the sweet spot.

If it keeps up with this level of quality, City Pork could easily become one of the best restaurants in Baton Rouge. Believe the hype. —Matthew Sigur