Roast Pork Po’ Boy Is a Rich Feast for Sandwich Lovers

It was during my first visit to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1995 that I came to know and love that sandwich known as a Po’ Boy. But until today, the only kind of po’ boy I’d eaten was stuffed with fried shrimp. Today, I have a new love. The Roast Pork Po’ Boy from Indianapolis restaurant Papa Roux. The sandwich has made the cut to reach the Top 16 in the Super 46 Sandwiches Playoff.

I had planned to try the roast pork po’ boy at Papa Roux’s original location at East 10th Street and Post Road. I’m glad I checked in advance — that location is closed on Monday. So I visited the Papa at the City Market downtown.

I ordered the sandwich and chose the tomato creole garlick stew as my side. The guy taking my order asked if I wanted the half-pound small sandwich or the large one-pounder. I opted for the small.

My order also came with a complimentary bottled root beer.
For $6, I got this:

Honestly, I was a little disappointed. The sandwich and the Creole stew seemed kind of small. But I dug in.

First, I tried the stew. It was spicy, but also sweet.  I don’t like to cook, but immediately began thinking that this was something I’d like to make at home. After a few spoonfuls of the stew, I bit into the sandwich. I pretty much forgot about the stew. The pork on the sandwich was tender and juicy. The bread soaked up just enough of the Voudoux sauce to keep it from being messy. The spiciness of the meat and the sauce was cut by a topping of creamy cole slaw.

As for my disappointment in the portion size? The sandwich was so well stacked that its size was an optical illusion. I managed to leave a bit of both the sandwich and stew behind because I just couldn’t eat another bite.

Papa Roux has been open in Indianapolis since 2007. I’m not sure how it took me so long to discover it, but you can bet I’ll be back soon.

Find out more information about Super 46 Sandwiches, including pictures of each sandwich and details about each of the restaurants at Super46.com. Super 46 Sandwiches is brought to you by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and the Publishers of Indianapolis Monthly Magazine.