Cabo — Review by Bon Appetit
New York, United States — Pan-Caribbean
Paul Carmichael from Cabo in the East Village showcases the restaurant's signature Kanan, a traditional Puerto Rican pork chop featuring crispy skin, pork belly, and loin cooked to perfection. The dish demonstrates meticulous butchering, seasoning with recaito and coriander, and careful cooking techniques to achieve the ideal crispy exterior and tender, medium-cooked interior. This is an exceptional preparation that honors high-quality pork sourced from an Amish farm.
What was great: Crispy, perfectly cooked skin with juicy loin and belly, high-quality pork from Amish farm in Pennsylvania, traditional Puerto Rican preparation, complex flavors from recaito and cilantro oil, variety of textures and experiences when eating
What could improve: Nothing mentioned
The Dishes
The star of this video is Kanan, Cabo's signature pork chop that represents traditional Puerto Rican cuisine at its finest. The dish consists of three components from a single pork chop: the loin, belly, and skin, all cut fresh daily by the restaurant's butcher Jyn from whole sides of pork sourced from Happy Valley Amish farms in Pennsylvania. Each chop weighs just over a kilogram.
The preparation is meticulous and intentional. The skin is carefully scored with a box cutter to allow fat to render and create the signature crispy, puffy texture that resembles a traditional Kanan dress. The pork is seasoned generously with recaito, a Puerto Rican base seasoning made from onion, garlic, and oregano, along with black pepper and coriander. It's cooked slowly to render the skin until golden and crispy, then seared for the Maillard reaction, and finally finished in a 400-degree oven until the loin reaches a perfect medium at 145 degrees.
The dish is served with a simple pork jus made by boiling pork bones and water until flavorful and reduced, plus a cilantro oil made with culantro, an amped-up version of cilantro. The presentation is beautiful, with the bone left attached for visual impact and the wonderful juices poured back over the sliced meat.
The Experience
This is a behind-the-scenes look at how Cabo executes this dish during service. The restaurant operates as a pan-Caribbean establishment spanning English, Dutch, Spanish, and French Caribbean cuisines. The video captures the joy and care that goes into each component, from the butchering process to the final plating. Paul Carmichael's enthusiasm is infectious as he describes the different experiences diners have with each bite: crispy skin, tender loin, and rich belly fat.
Value & Pricing
No specific pricing information is mentioned in the transcript, though the quality of ingredients and labor-intensive preparation suggests this is a premium dish at a fine dining establishment.
Notable Moments
This checks the kebab box because one, it's very tasty. This is a high quality piece of produce that's been treated really well and kindly and we try to honor it here.
There are many different experiences. Gnawing on the bones, different than eating a piece of loin, then some belly. There's just all these joyous moments, especially if you're a fat lover.
The Verdict
Kanan at Cabo represents some of America's best pork preparation, with impeccable sourcing, traditional technique, and genuine passion for the ingredient. This dish is best for adventurous diners who appreciate high-quality pork, traditional Caribbean cuisine, and the craft of fine cooking. The varying textures and flavors make it an exceptionally memorable dining experience.