The Silver Palm

“This is a work of genius, in an evil way…. A two-fisted symphony of pork, cheese, fat, and starch… that sandwich is the greatest sandwich in America. This is the apex of the sandwich-making art… the sandwich that dreams are made of.”

--Anthony Bourdain

If you were looking for the best pork sandwich in Chicago (and quite possibly the known universe), you'll find it in an old dining car installed at the corner of Milwaukee and Chicago.  The Silver Palm (768 N. Milwaukee) was one of those lucky places to be on the Bourdain tour of Chicago, as seen on No Reservations.  If you've seen that episode, you'll remember that Mancow took Tony to this eatery to show off the Three Piggy Sandwich.  I decided to meet the guys there Friday after work.  Unfortunately, some of us weren't as prepared as we would have liked to have been going into this mad experiment.  We knew very well what we were getting ourselves into: a panko-breaded pork cutlet, multiple slabs of smoked ham, a layer of bacon, Gruyere, an onion ring, and two fried eggs, all stacked high on brioche.  Brilliant and sublime.  My caloric appraisal would be no less than 2,500, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 1,000 more than that. 

I went the less macho, more intelligent route splitting it with a friend.  I told the server my intentions, so they cut it in half for us and brought it out on two plates.  Divide and conquer.  

For a moment (three to four seconds), I felt guilty eating this threesome on a bun, the cast of which could be deconstructed and reassembled to feed a family of four.  But then I rationalized its consumption believing it was created for some higher purpose, as Mr. Bourdain suggests.  Whatever helps me sleep at night, right?  Unless you are in peak physical and mental form, I would advise against hubris in this situation, as another friend decided to dance with all three piggies at once.  Getting it all down proved to be only half the battle, as the Three Piggies eventually got the best of him.  The ensuing gastric impasse brought a grown man to his knees.  A humbling experience, to say the least.  Consider yourself warned. 

I definitely plan to head back to the Palm for some of the other sandwiches on the menu.  In particular, one duck breast sandwich caught my eye.  The Three Piggy alone is enough to bring me back.  Now, if there was just some way I could work out a schedule of regular visits between my cardiologist and this place...