By Susannah Black
Dish: Pork Belly Tarte, $16
Where: BRABO Tasting Room, 1600 King St., Alexandria
The garlic’s pungent kick collaborates with the pork belly’s spice-dominant rub of cayenne, paprika and esplette peppers for a complex mix of savory flavors. The chewy, woodfired flatbread serves as a bed for béchamel and melted, earthy Gruyere cheese. Spicy and sweet-ish, pickled Cubanelle peppers top the tarte for a tangy and salty surprise. Described as personal sized, this tarte more than fills this eater, but if the size doesn’t satisfy you, the blast of flavors certainly will.
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