The best Thai-style boar collar at Pok Pok in Brooklyn, New York

Back to our regularly scheduled programming…In continuing my gastronomic adventures in New York, let’s talk about Brooklyn. It was my third venture down into this borough and the hubs’s first. We were looking forward to the brief escape from crowded Manhattan and decided to lunch at Pok Pok, a Portland-based restaurant serving up northern Thai-style food. Perhaps their most famous dish is the Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings ($16), though I’ve tried them twice and, while they’re great, I think my caramelized fish sauce wings are superior. (The hubs agrees.)What I do love, though, is their boar collar with sticky rice($18). The plate isn’t very big, so if you’re sharing with three or more, I’d order at least two servings. The boar collar is rubbed with garlic, coriander, and black pepper, glazed in soy and sugar, grilled over charcoal, and served with pickled mustard greens, sticky rice, and a (to me) hella spicy chili garlic lime sauce. Albeit spicy, the flavor is fantastic: a perfect balance of sweet, salty, umami, and spicy. Use that rice to mop up the sauce, if you can stand the heat.I really admire Pok Pok’s juxtaposition of the casual “street food” vibe with elevated dishes and creative cocktails. It’s worth traveling the BT for.Pok Pok117 Columbia St. (At King St.)Brooklyn, NY 11231Phone: +1 718 923-9322