The Food Chain

Nudel Chef Bjorn Somlo Apologizes to Himself Before Eating the Pork-Belly Sandwich at Patois in New Orleans

Egg, crispy pork belly and fried green tomato sandwich with cheddar cheese and Crystal hot sauce aioli on brioche.
Egg, crispy pork belly and fried green tomato sandwich with cheddar cheese and Crystal hot sauce aioli on brioche. Photo: Emily Smith/FleurdelishNOLA

Each week on the Food Chain, we ask a chef to describe a dish he or she recently enjoyed. The chef who prepared the dish responds and then picks his or her own memorable meal. On and on it goes. Last week, Paul Pearson of North Pond in Chicago discussed an intense carrot soup he’d loved at Nudel in Lenox, Massachusetts. Now we want to know what Nudel chef Bjorn Somlo has enjoyed lately. Bjorn?

Who: Bjorn Somlo, chef at Nudel in Lenox, Massachusetts
What: Egg, crispy pork belly, and fried green tomato sandwich with Cheddar cheese and Crystal hot sauce aïoli on brioche
Where: Patois Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana

“It’s this big sloppy pork belly, with fried green tomatoes and egg. It’ll fix ya! I loved it. What can I say? It’s one of those sandwiches that you apologize to yourself before you eat it.”

Patois chef Aaron Burgau responds:

“To me, it’s a Sunday type of dish. People are hung-over, gearing up for a festival or whatever. It has pork belly, fried green tomatoes (which are such a staple in New Orleans), and runny eggs. It’s a good stomach filler and a hangover cure. It’s one of those types of guilty pleasures — not so low-cal. It’s our take on somewhat of a BLT, egg-and-bacon-and-cheese type thing. It’s served on a brioche, but I’m thinking of changing it; it breaks up easily. Maybe we’ll go with a crustier bread.”

Nudel Chef Bjorn Somlo Apologizes to Himself Before Eating the Pork-Belly