Where To Go For Belgium's Independence Day In Baltimore...

Where To Go For Belgium's Independence Day In Baltimore Mindful of this dictum, the trendy TriBeCa cocktail emporium Macao Trading Co. recently enlisted the services of Chef Josh Blakely, who earned his culinary stripes under Mario Batali in the kitchen at Babbo. Judging from a recent tasting, Blakely fills the void and then some.

As we ate, there was a Ninja that came around and did different magic tricks with decks of cards and coins. I have to admit he was not the best Magician, nor did he know any spectacular tricks.

Maybe he should have just kept his job of being a Ninja. But overall it was very entertaining slow cooker pork belly watching him try. But after awhile he started to be a "nuisance" and just needed to leave us alone so we could eat.

The shoulder is a cheap part of the pig and you can roast it. It can be cut into cubes for kabobs or casseroles or ground for sausages. The shoulder has a rich taste. Pork ribs are cheap to buy because they contain a lot of bone. This is where spare ribs come from. The ribs have some pork belly kimchi on them but not enough to call them chops. Ribs are great if you grill or roast them. You can get the ribs as a joint and roast them like a rack of lamb.

Next was the pork meal. I love pork so this was good but who knows what we were to get. Roti de Porc is its name and it was actually incredibly delicious. It was Roast White Rocks slow cooker pork belly in the slow cooker with Pork Rillette Pancake and Panada Stuffed Baby Apple. All sweet and very delicious.

Pigs make very good housekeepers and ensure the dirt outside of their sty is kept very clean. They love to interact with those who care for them and enjoy nothing slow cooked pork belly more than a scratch on their backs or a good pat.

The pressure is on as the 100 hopeful cooks descend on the large warehouse that has been turned into a massive culinary arena of sorts and are set to the task of making that one fateful plate. After their hour is up, the cooks will go before the judges where they will have five minutes to plate their meal while being questioned by the judges. The judges will then taste the food and tell them their verdict.

Food only is $20 per person; wine only is $30; and, you guessed it, both are $50. The festivities run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There's even a parting gift: Cracklin' with Sea Salt. In other words, fried pork skin. But with sea salt?? That's truly making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.