I Ate Pig Brains at The Citizen Public House

Let's just say this first - today's specials include fried pickles with bacon mayo.  They had me at hello fried pickles.  But last night I was not there for the pickles, but rather the pig.  I was at The Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar with the Harvard Law Epicurean Society (if you're tempted, as I was, to roll your eyes at how pretentious that sounds just remind yourself: bacon mayo) for their famous whole pig roast.

  

They served us a 35 pound suckling pig, which was brought out to us whole and then carved.  Admittedly, the night seemed more about the spectacle of the pig (and the flights of whiskey) than anything else (the meat was a bit dry and the skin not quite crispy) but it was a good time nonetheless.  The highlights for me were the one bite of pig jowl that I tasted and the salad with truffle vinaigrette. 

Jake ate pig foot, pig tail, pig eyeball and pig brains.  I thought the eyeball was the bravest part of all.  The waiter said it was like an olive, in that it has a soft outside and you have to spit out the inside 'pit,' i.e. the lens.  Jake said it was the same gelatinous texture of the fat in pork belly, but with a more intense pork flavor. 

I was reluctant, but I tried the pig brains too.  Served right out of the skull, I had a bit of brain smeared onto a crostini with lemon and smoked sea salt.  It tasted like...lemon and sea salt, but creamier.  When I was in Namibia I tried a lot of things just to say that I had done them and while some were thrilling, some I never want to do again.  And although pig brains are no caterpillars, I still don't think I'll be ordering it again anytime soon.