The Oinkster Strikes Again

I am here, eating a late breakfast of strawberries and cream while writing a post about last night’s dinner at the Oinkster. I had first heard about the “slow fast food” restaurant on potatomato.blog and decided to head on over to try it for myself. There seemed to be much argument over the worthiness of the food on the various restaurant review sites and I, of course, wanted to weigh in on the debate. Anyways, due to the fact that the Oinkster was closed on July 4^th (Sure, I wasn’t feeling well, but that wasn’t going to stop me from eating!), I finally tried it last night.

I had perused the menu online and the dairy queen in me had decided that the cheese burger would be a solid choice. That choice was promptly discarded and replaced with the pulled pork sandwich upon actually walking in to the Oinkster and smelling the barbeque aroma. After ordering one pulled pork sandwich, one Oinkster Pastrami, a side of fries, one Fat Tire, and a Stella Artois, J and I sat down with our number.

The restaurant itself was comfortable but I could see how it would become a place booming with the screams, tears, and laughter of a hundred children on Saturday afternoons. Hence, I will always go during the week.

The food turned out to be worth going back for many times over. The pork in my sandwich was tender, flavorful, and not too sweet or spicy like some BBQ can be. The meat was topped with caramelized onions and pickled cabbage which added complexity to the sandwich but not so much as to overpower the flavors of the pork. My favorite thing about the pulled pork sandwich, besides the sandwich itself, was that when a piece of pork accidentally fell out of the sandwich and on to my lap, it wasn’t greasy or saucy enough to leave a stain on my jeans. I have recently become a food klutz so this particular feature ranks high on my scale! If, for some reason, you look forward to that saucy stain, perhaps as a reminder of a great meal, then you are in luck. Carolina BBQ sauce is available at every table.

The Oinkster pastrami sandwich was packed with more meat than its pulled pork sibling and included gruyere cheese as well as the caramelized onions and pickled cabbage. While it looked fantastically good, as you can see for yourself, I didn’t end up trying it due to the fact that I prefer to consume my beef in hamburger or hot dog form only. I know, I am a sick sick person, but that’s just how I am.

The fries are toted as being Belgian style, a type that is apparently better off being sampled rather than explained according to the Oinkster’s website. Being that I am a well schooled fry consumer and have sampled Belgian style fries before at Pommes Frites in New York City, I was jazzed about having some at Oinkster and was curious to see how they would measure up. The fries held their own! They seemed to have a thicker layer of fried outer portion than other fast food fries without being greasy and the center was still soft and potato-like. While they are certainly good enough to eat too many of, they feel considerably more substantial than other fast food fry options which in my mind means that I can eat less and feel more satisfied. Also, the garlic sauce they come with is a tangy alternative to sweetened ketchup.

If you are in the area you should definitely seek this restaurant out.

The Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles (Eagle Rock), CA 90041