>> meatetarian eats: White Tiger, King Restaurant of Normaltown

Y’all know I call #MeatetarianEats my “Very Occasional Food Blog,” right? This post is the prime example. I had a few different experiences with White Tiger Gourmet back in 2016 and 2017, and really wanted to write about it, but for various reasons I didn’t.

Once I wasn’t impressed with the photos I took. Once I was with a group that made fun of me for taking pictures of everything I eat. That was back in the days when it was harder to talk myself into being myself/doing my thing, so I gave in to peer pressure and chose not to photograph or take notes.

So, if there is any bit of silver lining for the foodservice industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that I could get White Tiger Gourmet delivered to my front door and take my own damn pictures and food notes without feeling any sense of judgement. *insert smirk emoji here* My delivery experience with White Tiger was the first time I ate there not at brunch, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect except dang good barbeque. 

Yep. I know. I just wrote about barbeque. Sue me; it’s my food blog. 

the barbarella sandwich from white tiger gourmet

My favorite thing about White Tiger ‘que is that the meat itself has almost a vinegar tang to it. It’s earthy and moist and the bark is just sweet and fatty and dissolves the moment they hit my tongue. That’s true for brunch; that’s true for lunch.

I guess my overall feel about White Tiger’s atmosphere in-house and food in general is that, to me anyway, it’s RUSTIC. Authentic. Like I cannot tell you the last time I hand intentional crust in a barbeque sandwich or barbeque plate. Most places trim and toss, but to me the burnt ends and bark are a delicacy.

What’s BBQ bark? SO GLAD YOU {probably didn’t} ASK!

Bark is primarily the result of the Maillard reaction, which, as a meat science student who very much sucked at chemistry, is the only chemical reaction I nerd out about. As the dry rub on meat heats up, some of the salts penetrate deep into the cut, but the rest of the spices essentially melt to become a glaze. The type of smoke — hickory, applewood, you get my drift here — can alter the flavor and color of that glaze as particles stick to it. As water evaporates from the meat and the “glaze” begins to dry, the Maillard reaction kicks off as the amino acids (aka baby protein building blocks) in the meat and the sugars in the glaze interact. They form those crusty bits that become known as bark on the surface of the meat. The Maillard reaction is where a lot of the colors and rich flavors come into play when cooking pretty much anything with protein, but it’s especially noted for pork, beef and lamb. 
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Anyway. I don’t know what White Tiger does to get its bark to be pulled pork candy, but it is DAMN GOOD OK. 

For this particular delivery, I got the Barbarella sandwich and the side salad.

We’ll start with the salad, partially because it was the first of the to-go boxes I opened, and the scent that hit me truly deserves a candle made in its honor. The salad mix I believe is seasonal, so this day’s offering was bitter greens with a mild, herby and faintly lemony vinaigrette. It was served with tomatoes and slices of apple and grapefruit. I will admit to skipping the grapefruit and tomatoes, because those are flavors I find unpalatable, but I really enjoyed the tart, crisp Granny Smith apple slices that to me made the bitter lettuce more mild.

I gotta admit, I was very proud of myself for eating the green stuff before devouring what I really wanted … that divine Barbarella.

If you didn’t believe me earlier when I described White Tiger as “rustic,” I hope you do now. The bread, which is from local 

the seasonal side salad at white tiger gourmet, which included a fragrant arrangement of grapefruit and apple slices

Independent Baking Co., has a fresh, crusty smell to it. It’s flour-dusted and seemed lightly toasted.
You know how people say pastas like penne are great because the sauce gets all up in the little tube? That’s how this bread carries this sandwich. All the sauce and the juices from the pulled pork, and even some of the moisture from the mozzarella just kind of like, absorb into the porous innards of the bread. The outside remains crisp though, so every bite is a burst of flavor.

I couldn’t tell that there were two sauces on the sandwich — the menu says it’s red and white BBQ sauces — so that may have been a delivery fluke or I was just starving and didn’t notice. But sauce or no, this is a HUGE portion and I was able to get two meals out of it, even though I was super hangry when I ordered it.

At the moment, White Tiger has limited hours for to-go and delivery, and I cannot recommend them enough. This was my “eat local” purchase this week and it was way worth the splurge. So grateful these folks are able to keep some of the best food in Athens going right now! Plus, with all this stuff about “Tiger King” — which I have not watched; calm down guys — going around, it seemed a most appropriate time to post.