If you haven’t been to Bacon Brothers Public House on Pelham
Road, do yourself a favor and go make a reservation and eat your face off. The menu isn’t just a celebration of
bacon, but a celebration of all things pork. You will find an array of pig parts from house-cured meats,
sausages and hot dogs, headcheese, all the way to pig trotters. Vegetarians and dieters beware: this
restaurant is not for the faint of heart.
Bacon Brothers Public House opened in May with a bang by the
new duo running Coal Fired Bistro, Chef Anthony Gray and Jason Callaway. The two are backed by a team of both
front and back of the house industry vets, several of whom are formerly of
Maverick Southern Kitchens along with my friend Christina Blackwell.
Start your meal with a craft brew or a cocktail from the bar
while making the hard decision of what to order for dinner. The cocktail list is a mix of well
thought out original cocktails and a revival of classics from Jason Callaway and
team, some of which people may have never heard of like the Corpse Reviver #2
(gin, Cointreau, Lillet blanc, lemon juice and Absinthe) or the Blood Sand
(scotch, orange juice, cherry marnier, and sweet vermouth). The wine list is short but appropriate
for the fare and atmosphere; however, some usual suspects do appear.
On each occasion I have visited I have tried different
items, but the one menu item I can’t get away from each time I dine is the
“potater tots.” This delicious appetizer is a gut-busting, sinful amalgamation
of pit cooked pulled pork shoulder combined with potatoes, then formed into tots
and deep fried to perfection, topped with shredded American cheese, crispy
buffalo pig ears and sorghum vinegar. As previously mentioned, I have ordered these each
visit to BBPH and have enjoyed these each time, even though each time it’s a
little different than the last while the kitchen still figures out the right
heat level for the buffalo sauce.
The devils dust eggs are tasty with country ham and pickled mustard
seeds as well, but beware of the ghost pepper spice flecks on top, as they can
leave your lips in a state of numbness throughout the rest of the meal. The trout dip with house made saltines
is another great option to start, along with the Bethel Trails Farms chicken
wings with Southernyaki sauce and benne seeds. Be careful when eating the wings; overzealous diners can end
up burning their fingers and/or mouths, as the sticky sweet sauce is hot like
molten lava.
Sandwiches range from more in-house items like the fried bologna
and pimento cheese sandwich to the eponymous burger. The new favorite among diners and staff is the BET: a pork
belly pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese, green peppercorn mayo, arugula,
yellow tomato, and to top it all off….a fried over easy duck egg! If your mouth
isn’t watering yet then it should be, because it is as great as it sounds and
it’s no wonder why it has quickly become a favorite. If that’s not your thing you can always go with one of the
dogs, sandwiches or the burger. As
a fan of corn dogs I was anxious to try the house-made all beef hot dog breaded
with Anson Mills corn flour, served with sorghum ketchup and mustard. It didn’t disappoint! For the burger, Chef
Gray blends his own ground meat mix of bacon, smoked brisket and chuck for the
double patty burger. The mix of
meat makes for a juicy and smoky combination that is set off by the pickles,
American cheese, and special sauce.
Really it’s like a grown up and much better version of the Big Mac.
(Remember two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions
on a sesame seed bun?) The burger is real steal for ten dollars since you get
two double burgers on the plate instead of just one, but if your appetite is on
the smaller side just one burger is still a filling option for six dollars. For
something on the lighter side, there are salads, but none have been on my radar
just yet since there have been so many other menu items I have wanted to try
first. They all look great though,
and just know that there are some in case you feel the need to save a few
calories, but it may have bacon on it.
Selections from the “Classics” portion can vary, but a
couple that I have loved were the pig trotters (or pig feet) with succotash and
surprisingly the shrimp and grits.
This ubiquitous Low Country dish is not one that I ever order any
restaurants because it can be found on almost any menu in town. Chef Gray has managed to breathe some
new life into the dish with the addition of tomato gravy and shitake
mushrooms. Just try it and you’ll
see. The rotating sides are a la
carte and can range from butter beans, onion rings, french fries, skillet cornbread,
and chicken n’dumplings to name a few.
I suspect they could be a meal in itself as all of the portions are
extremely generous and most of all damn good.
There are so many options on the menu it seems like you
can’t go wrong at BBPH-- and you can’t. Chef Gray and his team have very little
missteps here, which can be hard to do while finding one’s culinary footing in
a new restaurant. I’m glad to have this restaurant as a part of my dining repertoire
now and have already found my own favorites from the hearty menu and many more I
can’t wait to try.
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