Chicken-Fried Pork Belly at Gaslight Brasserie du Coin

[Photo: Gaslight Brasserie/Cal Bingham]

Chefs around town are creating special homages to their favorite greasy spoon fare in honor of Eater's Greasy Spoons Week, and the next one you must try is at Gaslight Brasserie du Coin in the South End, where chef de cuisine Michael Zentner is offering a twist on classic chicken-fried steak.

"Chicken-fried steak is my favorite dish," says Zentner. "I have had it in many places, but the best are always pan-fried, not deep-fried. An old truck stop in central PA my pop used to take us to called the Sunset West had a great one. They served it with thick sawmill gravy that had chopped breakfast sausage in it. A couple eggs, biscuits and home fries. This is a pretty serious meal. I don't eat chicken-fried steak all that often, but every time I get home, I try to make the trip."

"Every so often, I do a pork belly app that has the chicken-fried crust on it and serve it with a sunny-side-up egg. I soak the braised pork belly in buttermilk, pickled Serrano chilis, pickling liquid, garlic, and crystal hot sauce overnight. This changes the texture to make it super tender and gives it a little tang. Then I dredge it in a cornmeal, rice flour, and bread flour mix and pan fry it in lard until super crisp on the outside and creamy and meaty on the inside. In the winter, I serve it with a soubise sauce made from country ham broth, but for the warmer weather, I will serve it with a preserved lemon salsa verde, radishes and radish greens."

Warmer weather is definitely here, so here's what you can put in your mouth at dinner all week for $12.95: chicken-fried Brambly Farms pork belly with a sunny-side-up egg, breakfast radish, preserved lemon, and sauce vert.
· All coverage of Gaslight Brasserie du Coin [~EBOS~]
· All coverage of Greasy Spoons Week on Eater [~EBOS~]