First Look: The Cultured Swine, Opening Friday, March 6

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Perhaps you're looking for a touch of class with that pulled pork sandwich. Maybe you've been crossing your fingers for a tamale outpost in Jackson Ward. Oh, you're having trouble finding halal beef? If any — or all — of these yearnings apply to you, The Cultured Swine's new brick and mortar has you covered starting next Friday, March 6.

Helmed by childhood friends Corey Johnson, co-owner and chef, and Eric Freund II, co-owner and general manager, the new restaurant at 317-A N. 2nd St. will expand upon The Cultured Swine's popular food cart and should offer more international flair than your traditional barbecue joint, with the passport stamps to prove it.

Johnson's travels inform a small, but sturdy menu ranging from the familiar to the bizarre. (Dessert tamales, anyone?)

"It's more the idea of being on tour and gathering all this information and bringing that skill set back home and making something of it," Freund says, with Johnson quickly adding, "We don't like to make something traditional; it's all our own take."

Will they have pulled pork? Certainly, though it'll cold-smoke for six hours and braise to finish, for a total cook-time of over 12 hours, before it's coated in vinegar-based "swine sauce" and nested inside a locally baked egg-washed bun. Will they have mac 'n' cheese? You'd better believe it, though it'll be based off Johnson's studies in Barbados, meaning it's a bubbling baked macaroni pie topped with tomatoes and breadcrumbs. In lieu of a barbecued chicken sandwich, you'll find whole-roasted halal Jamaican jerk chicken in the form of a sandwich, taco or lettuce wrap, and the halal beef knuckle that's marinated and shredded to form the "Go Go Gogi" bulgogi follows suit. There's the new bánh mì with house-cured pork belly, pâté and slaw, that's then brushed with cilantro butter and served on baguette, and don't forget the tamales in hand-pressed masa stuffed with pork and cheese or potatoes with pepper sauce.

"Anytime I go somewhere and try a food, I sit around and wonder what's in it and how I can make it," Johnson says. "I spent a lot of time in Mexico walkin' around with my wife, asking people how they made their tamales, or more like how their grandmothers made their tamales."

But Johnson's roots are more domestic, growing up along the Carolina state line and cooking barbecue with his grandfather. Here in Richmond, he managed the kitchen at Alamo BBQ for roughly two years.

"That's kind of my claim to barbecue fame and I know I can do it," he says. "When I was running Alamo's kitchen, that was when we won all of our awards like [number] eight out of 10 best in the country on Fox News and [number] 12 out of 15 on Good Morning America."

Those looking for something a bit sweeter can anticipate dessert options like mini pies and that aforementioned dessert tamale, which Johnson's still toying with. And those looking for a tall drink of beer on draft can count down the next three months until The Cultured Swine will (hopefully!) obtain its ABC license, kicking off not only beer but brunch.

"You can't do brunch in this city without mimosas. It's cruel," Johnson explains. "There's a certain standard; people are expecting things from brunch and that [includes] mimosas, screwdrivers and Bloody Marys."

The people of Richmond should also expect pitchers from the pair, filled with mixed brunch concoctions, in addition to expecting a slew of brunch items. BBQ brunch won't be the only thing on the menu; breakfast tamales, breakfast tacos, stuffed biscuits and a tamale Benedict are all on the way in just a few months' time.

"The goal here is to create something that we both love and combine everything that we can, and try to make the best outcome," says Freund. "We want to find things that we can't find to eat right here."

The Cultured Swine is located at 317-A N. 2nd St. and opens at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 6. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.