"Knowledge is power," read my prescient fortune cookie. In ways good and bad, knowledge alters the way your brain interprets food. If presented with two identical dishes, one labeled "pork chop" and the other "Three Willows Farm pork chops," which would you prefer?
So when the words "The Iowa White" appeared on the menu at Westmont's Standard Grill ($15), I didn't bother deducing its meaning, skipping straight to the "baked chicken" part. The dish arrived as a half chicken roasted golden, mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach studded with diced smoked manchego cheese. The chicken satisfied in the way a Sunday roast at home would, the requisite thyme-rosemary-oregano herbs present, and the interior meat a smoked-buttery lusciousness.
Then I called the restaurant to learn more about the dish. Had I been armed with the following knowledge, I might be writing this review in all caps.
Get this: "The Iowa White" refers to the white fat cap from a slab of La Quercia prosciutto (of Norwalk, Iowa). The cured lardo is rendered into a spread, then piped beneath the chicken skin and roasted.
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