100 Favorite Dishes: #2 -- Pork Belly From Max's Harvest

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Photo by Chris Miracolo

Farm-to-table restaurants are amazing. Because they source ingredients from local farms rather than from Sysco, their fruits and vegetables teem with flavors often lacking in their cousins that are picked for shelf life and transport. Because farm-to-table chefs must work with the bounty that's in season rather than ingredients that are always stocked on a store shelf, their adaptations of dishes tend to be dynamic. And when you're dealing with chefs who care this much about their product, even standard menu items might evolve several times a year.

Max's Harvest reaps the benefits of the farm-to-table manifesto. Everything on the menu is sourced as locally as possible. Every protein is hand-picked with sustainability and animal welfare in mind. These ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves. Dishes such as the $5 Deviled Heritage Hen Farm Eggs, the $17 Broward County Burrata, and the $28 or $48 Prime Grass Fed Akaushi Beef are simply prepared to highlight their distinguished flavors. For foodies who try to adhere to ethical eating practices, this is your place.

Our favorite dish here, though, is the ever-changing pork belly. This delicious nugget of protein has been prepared various ways by chef Chris Miracolo -- but always with the mouthwatering combination of salty, sweet, tart, and, most important, fat. With that winning flavor combination, you just can't go wrong. Last month, it was being served with sautéed peaches and mustard greens (here's  the recipe), but the latest incarnation of this $14 dish includes a bourbon-maple-glazed belly paired with watermelon radish agro dolce, young raab, and pepitas. You can't get bored

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