“Put a pig on it” could be the motto at Pork & Mindy’s, the Bucktown sandwich shop from the Food Network’s Jeff Mauro, aka the “Sandwich King.” In addition to smoked pork (available in sandwiches, atop tater tots, and as an add-on to the salads), the quick-service spot makes its own candied bacon (aka “Pig Candy”), which is heavily deployed in the previously mentioned sections of the menu, in two of the three milk shakes, and served straight up.
Still, I suspect that Mauro and his team know what they’re doing: if there’s one thing people love, it’s bacon (though it’s a toss-up whether they prefer to actually eat it or just talk about how awesome it is). Pork & Mindy’s is more concept than restaurant, easily recognizable and reproducible. The food, it seems, is mostly an afterthought.
