Chicharrones at Mr. Pio Pio
Fattacular.
It's Forget the Resolution week on AOA: a whole lineup of foods that can send your New Year's resolution to eat better/eat less/exercise more/lose weight to its timely end.
When AOA asked me to come up with something special for its Forget the Resolution week, I thought: "But I eat like that most of the time I go out." I mean, what better way to celebrate the very act of dining out than going whole hog and ordering with abandon?
While I might be remiss in these thoughts, the first thing that immediately sprung to mind for a fattacular, resolution-killing dish was chicharrones.
Deep. Fried. Pork.
Chicharrones aren't just deep fried pork, they're deep-fried pork belly -- fried layers of fat and meat. I don't know any other dish that so simply flips the middle finger to any idea of diet, health, and moderation.
You could try making them, but it would require a luxurious amount of time, and a fearless attitude toward cooking with grease.
The chicharrones at Mr. Pio Pio are an awesome way to indulge in some fried pork belly goodness quickly and locally. They're perfectly crisp on the outside, with layers of alternating unctuous (and delicious) fat and moist belly meat. They don't taste at all greasy or oily, but if you think that makes them remotely not-so-bad-for-you, it's more than your resolutions that are F'ed.
They come with a sauce on the side: green or red. I love the avocado-based green sauce, but I've got it on solid authority that the red sauce is equally swoon worthy. Still, the truth of the matter is that these chicharrones require no such embellishments. They're the perfect combination of savory-crunchy-greasy-salty all on their own.
If you are considering calories, a side order is more than enough to split with two or three people, and costs a mere $2.90. Or, if you're being really bad, you can just order them as lunch for yourself.
Albany Jane writes about her food adventures at Albany Eats.
Also from the Forget the Resolution week:
+ Akum vs. The Machine at Uncle Dan's Diner
+ The Deep Fried Hamburger at Swifty's
Find It
Mr. Pio Pio
160 Quail Street
Albany, NY 12203
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Comments
That's certainly something to break the resolution for!
MUST RESIST!!!
... said derryX on Feb 23, 2011 at 10:55 AM | link
Oh. Dear. Lord. You guys are killing me!!
... said Summer on Feb 23, 2011 at 11:03 AM | link
When I was a kid in South Texas I would walk home from school and some days stop by this corner store that sold chicharrones in greasy paper bags. Mr. Pio Pio chicharrones taste pretty much exactly the same. I used to live down the street from Mr. Pio Pio for a while, and it was not a healthy time in my life.
... said Cecelia on Feb 23, 2011 at 11:17 AM | link
BEST. THINGS. EVER. This time of year I am so glad I don't live in midtown any more. Mr. Pio Pio is the ultimate comfort food. Definitely contributed to my freshman (and sophomore and junior) 15.
... said Bill on Feb 23, 2011 at 1:11 PM | link
Celina and I agree- the red sauce is where it's at.
... said Jess on Feb 23, 2011 at 2:28 PM | link