A Casa do Porco Bar
Cupuaçu Soda
Café da Manha – House Mortadella, Pork Fat, House Sourdough, Egg and Snout Salad, Apple, Mashed Manioc and Pork, Pork Broth
u! u! u! Qui Beleza – Aged Pork Tartare, Marrow, Mushroom, Radish
Sushi – Pork Aspic, Black Tucupi, Nori
Beringela Parmegiana – Fried Eggplant, Pork Ragu, Canastra Cheese, Tapioca Chip, Tomatoes, Legumes
Panceya com Goiabada – Crispy Pancetta, Spicy Guava, Pickled Onions
Feijoada Mexidinha – Brazilian Black Bean Stew, Pork, Chili Peppers, Lime, Salt, Tapioca, Manioc Flour
Churrasquinho de Porco – House Linguica Sausage, Smoked Pork Rib, Pepper, Tomato, Manioc Flour
Porco Sanze – Roast Pork, Bean Stew, Banana Tartare, Onion Farofa, Greens Salad
Pamonha! Pamonha! Pamonha! – Corn Cream, Goat Cheese Ice Cream, Crunchy Corn Cake, Corn Pickles, Corn Bread
When one first reads about Jefferson Rueda’s A Casa do Porco Bar it sounds too good to be true, but, as it turns out, the Restaurant is very real and for those willing to brave the lines an unique experience awaits with creativity, flavor and value at every turn.
Translated to English as ‘House of the Pig,’ the butcher-turned-Chef embracing a focus on sustainability that sees Brazilian breeds raised on a natural diet of Whey and Vegetables in an open environment before slaughter, it is ninety minutes before A Casa do Porco Bar’s daily opening that guests begin to queue, the no reservations policy doing nothing to harm a business that remains at capacity through closing.
Born and raised in São Paulo, with time abroad including a stint at El Celler de Can Roca enriching professional training, it is from an open kitchen that Chef Rueda can be seen working side-by-side with a staff of at least six, English-fluent servers immediately directing first-timers to Porco’s $45USD Tasting Menu, though a variety of a la carte plates are also offered.
Professional but not at all formal, the voices of tightly seated customers raised to be heard over music, it is toward the front that guests will find a small butcher shop, the presence of several off-cuts showing Chef’s desire to respect the Pig’s “life and death without waste,” though that certainly does not mean the menu is without Offal such as the whipped Pork Fat and bits of Snout in Egg Salad served as part of breakfast-themed course number one.
Producing everything from Pasta and Bread to Syrups and Sausages on-site, Cupuaçu Soda proving an excellent complement to the expectedly salty menu, course two features Pork served raw with added creaminess from Bone Marrow, a bit of aging adding richness that leads well into Chef Rueda’s signature “Sushi” made of Aspic brushed with fermented Manioc Root Juice.
A steadily-paced nine-courses, sequentially larger dishes arriving five to ten minutes after another, it was next atop fried Eggplant that Pork Ragu shined, the idea of Parmigiana furthered by Canastra Cheese while a follow-up vessel in the shape of a Pig’s head continued crunchy with Pancetta topped in Pickled Onions and spicy Guava Preserves.
Locally focused but globally aware, the afternoon’s sixth course spinning Brazil’s national dish as though it were Aguachiles, it was soon thereafter that BBQ was served, both Sausage and Rib well-crafted and an easy transition to A Casa do Porco’s famous roast Pork with crackling Skin and modernized traditional accoutrements including Greens, Bananas and Farofa.
Offering an array of Desserts and Cocktails, one featuring Cashew Fruit easily the latter’s top-seller, it is fortunate that sweets trend small as most guests will be stuffed by meal’s end, though if “Pamonha! Pamonha! Pamonha!” and its exploration of Corn is any indication an a la carte visit for Dessert alone might be a justifiable use of time, money and calories.
www.acasadoporco.com.br
