Guilty Pleasures: Rob Dalzell
BY OWEN MORRIS
Rob Dalzell owns four downtown restaurants. He splits his time between the kitchens of his newest restaurant, the Power & Light District's Chef Burger, and his flagship 1924 Main. He also owns Pizza Bella and Souperman. I caught up with Dalzell at 1924 and asked him what he eats when no one is watching.
There will be some nights when I have to stop by Poncho’s on Main Street. It's not the cleanest place and one time out of ten you won't feel good afterwards but it's just so good. I feel really guilty when I do go there but it's such a pleasure.
Don't go in. Go through the drive-through. It's open all the time, but it's definitely a late-night thing.... After the bars, after a busy night here [at 1924] we'll have three or four beers and if we're really starving, we'll go to Poncho's and I have to get this one dish.
It's the pork carnitas plate. The tortilla is filled with so much lard that you can actually see your hand through it but it is one of the best pork carnitas plates that I've ever had and I've eaten at a lot of Mexican restaurants.
The pork carnitas are just done really well. They’re crispy on one side, moist on the other and then they either cure it or do a rub on it because it's not just the flavor of pork, it's the flavor or oregano, little bit of lemon, salt and pepper. They do a lot of dishes well but if it's not broke, don't fix it. Pork carnitas is my staple. We used to go a lot more. They used to know my wife by name at the drive-through.
The first time I had it, It was an orgasmic experience. It was one of those things that they call a culinary boner. You taste its layers of flavors, its depth. You have a little salsa on the side for heat and at the end, the tortilla bursts apart and you just scoop the rest of it up with some lime-covered chips. Amazing.
Look, I was happy the day my child was born. I was happy the day I opened the restaurant. I was happy the day I married my wife but I'm really happy whenever I'm sitting at home eating the pork carnitas plate from Ponchos.
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