The Story Behind the Dish: Juniper & Ivy's Whole Roasted Duck
After two years, the Whole Roasted Duck at Juniper & Ivy is a menu staple thanks to careful sourcing and thoughtful techniques.
The Story Behind the Dish: 20|Twenty’s Heritage Pork Porterhouse
20|Twenty restaurant in Carlsbad proudly claims to showcase “the best local ingredients” on their highly seasonal menu, an ethos that is exemplified by their Heritage Pork Porterhouse, made with pasture-raised pork from Cooks Pig Ranch and served with stunning seasonal sides.
“Spring and summer are the perfect times of year for grilling, and the porterhouse cut is perfect for the grill,”says Chef Julian Quiñones. “We’re still in early spring so the current sides are based on what’s available locally right now. As we inch closer to the summer months, seasonal ingredients like stone fruits and corn, tomatoes, peppers, and squash will also compliment the pork very well.”
Currently, the Heritage Pork Porterhouse is served with Babé Farms cabbage and dates from DaVall that are lightly sauteed in olive oil with garlic, shallots, and fresh thyme.
The savoy cabbage maintains its textural integrity even as it is sauteed, while the flavor profile becomes sweeter the longer it cooks. The cooked dates yield a caramel-like texture that compliments the rich salt of the pork. To complete the plate, Weiser Farms fingerling potatoes are confit in rendered pork fat with sea salt and fresh thyme.
The star of the dish remains the pork, which is simply grilled with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Porterhouse cuts are special because you get the tenderloin and striploin cuts—the best of both worlds.
The meat is served relatively unadorned aside from house-pickled mustard seeds that add a pop of flavor. “We slightly toast the mustard seeds then simmer them in apple cider vinegar until they bloom or plump up,” chef explains. “We add the seeds to a rich pork stock, bringing together sweet, sour and peppery flavors. Due to the acidity of the pickling process it tones down the heat in the mustard seed flavor profile.”
This is a dish whose subtle flavors, from both the fatty and lean parts of the meat, continue to reveal themselves throughout the meal.
Other notable spring menu options include the coconut hamachi crudo, served with Ken's Top Notch Cara Cara oranges, kaffir lime dust, sugar snap peas, and Fresno chile. The smoked sunchoke soup comes topped with a crispy, golden thread mushroom and cipollini onion from Schaner Farms. And a butter basted diver scallop is served alongside Hokto Kinoko Company king trumpet mushroom, harissa eggplant, and tender leeks.
To accompany the spring menu, mixologist Steve George has been working on a “Locals Only” cocktail menu that brings together local produce, like Polito Farms berries and Koral Tropical Fruit Farm citrus, with spirits from local distilleries like Henebery and Venom.
Especially good is the strawberry ginger shrub, which combines Malahat Ginger Rum, Valdivia Farm strawberries, Baker & Olive Ginger White Balsamic, and club soda for a refreshingly savory-sweet cocktail.
Taste the Heritage Pork Porterhouse at 20|Twenty Grill
5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad
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