100 Favorite Dishes: Pork tenderloin with bread pudding and green split peas from the Wooden Table

Lori Midson

No. 51: Pork tenderloin with bread pudding and green split peas from the Wooden Table

Last week, I was sitting around the dinner table with a handful of chefs, all of whom were discussing the great food debate of the moment: Is our obsession with pig waning? Is pork overrated? Is there too much pork belly on plates? After much consideration, the majority ruled in favor of swine, predicting that our infatuation with the prized pig has the same kind of staying power as Elvis Presley. That, perhaps, is overstating it ... unless you consider the pork tenderloin dish at the Wooden Table, where chef Brett Shaheen -- an alum of Frank Bonanno's empire -- governs the kitchen. The pork -- Berkshire -- arrives sliced, fanned and rosy and perfumes the air with pronounced smokiness. And it's simply fantastic. But the pork is just a teaser for what's burrowing beneath. Shaheen pairs the pig with an insanely good bread pudding, porky with ham hocks and studded with apples, and then puddles the plate with green split peas and braised red cabbage, the result of which is a beautifully executed dish that proves why pork continues to reign supreme.

Hungry for more? All the dishes in our countdown are linked below:

No. 100: Italian wedding soup from the Squeaky Bean
No. 99: American Classic Burger (and fries) from Tarbell's
No. 98: E's clam linguini from Mangiamo Pronto
No. 97: Queso a la plancha taco from the Pinche Tacos wagon
No. 96: Prosciutto-wrapped jalapeño poppers from Tony's Market
No. 95: Fried chicken from the Pinyon
No. 94: Seafood soup from Farro
No. 93: Posole from The Porker
No. 92: Breakfast Burrito from the Taco Wagon in Lafayette
No. 91: Hummus from Shish Kabob Grill
No. 90: Albondigas meatballs from Solera
No. 89: Lemon-ricotta doughnuts from Olivéa
No. 88: Döner kabob from Shondiz
No. 87: Roasted cauliflower salad from Euclid Hall
No. 86: Beef cheek enchiladas from El Diablo
No. 85: Fried Brussels sprouts from Panzano
No. 84: Pork osso buco from Osteria Marco
No. 83: Cazuela Colombiana from Cafe Brazil
No. 82: Chicken potpie from Devil's Food
No. 81: Sichuan braised beef noodle soup from Zoe Ma Ma
No. 80: Larb nua from Taste of Thailand
No. 79: Pork shank from Argyll
No. 78: Truffo panino from Shangri-La Cafe
No. 77: Pig-snout tacos from Guadalajara Authentic Mexican Buffet
No. 76: Speck and maple ice cream from Pizzeria Basta
No. 75: Tom yum goong from Thai Flavor
No. 74: South African black ruff from TAG
No. 73: Gumbo from Bistro One
No. 72: New England clam chowder from Bittersweet
No. 71: Celery and lime popsicle from Spuntino
No. 70: Curried split pea soup from Modmarket
No. 69: Mais pizza from Pizzeria Locale
No. 68: Risotto frutti di mare from Firenze a Tavola
No. 67: Frico caldo from Frasca Food & Wine
No. 66: Sea scallop and rock shrimp noodle bowl from Bones
No. 65: Luther Burger from Crave
No. 64: Chongqing Chicken from East Asia Garden
No. 63: Bouillabaisse from Deluxe
No. 62: Crue fries from D Bar Desserts
No. 61: Chili gobi from Jai Ho
No. 60: New Mexican eggs Benedict from DJ's Berkley Cafe
No. 59: Lamb vindaloo from Cuisine of the Himalayas
No. 58: Gazpacho verde from Zolo Grill
No. 57: Hama Hama oyster from Jax Fish House-Denver
No. 56: Mixiote de borrego from El Trompito Taqueria
No. 55: Samosas from the British Bulldog
No. 54: Mole verde with carnitas from Tarasco's
No. 53: Pork chop from Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar
No. 52: Santa Fe skillet from Hits the Spot Diner

In late 2009, we embarked on a culinary journey that took us through our favorite dishes in the Mile High City -- one hundred, to be exact. Now we're back with round two, counting down (in no particular order) a hundred more of our favorite Denver dishes in a list that, by our imperfect calculations, should be wrapped up...sometime this year. If there's a dish you think we need to try, tell us about it in the comments section below, or shoot us an e-mail at lori.midson@westword.com.