Pork Slope's pretty much killing it. It's week two of their service, and they're filled to the brim with patrons from all over the place who are coming to partake of Dave Taldi's particular brand of excellence. I reached out to the new neighborhood hotspot, and this is what they had to say.

FoodNRecipe's Anthony Smith: Why'd you pick Park Slope for your neighborhood?

David Massoni of Pork Slope: I've been in NYC since 1996. I'd say of all those years I only owned lived outside of Brooklyn for a total of one year. Six months, I lived building a loft with some friends in SoHo, the other six months when I met my wife and she had the cheaper apartment in Queens.

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I fought her tooth-and-nail to get back to Park Slope. Afterwards, my wife and I made a life for ourselves in Park Slope. We knew we wanted children-- they warn you in park slope, don't drink the water or you get pregnant-- and, well, we did.

Wanted to open our own business, a bar and restaurant. I talked to my friend, John, who wanted to open a Spotted Pig-style gastropub with real atmosphere.

But I knew the only way to have a real life-- if we were going to have children with all the late nights and crazy hours-- is if we did it in Park Slope. We'd be walking to work. It'd be that kind of European neighborhoody lifestyle where school, work, and home was in the same neighborhood.

It took a lot of convincing for John that Park Slope was the right place to be, but I pushed and pushed that this was the right place for us.

So it all started with my desire to have family and work and all of that in the same neighborhood. We could have a great business and great lifestyle.

AS: What was John's objection?

DM: He was an East Village guy, has always been an East Village guy, LES were his playground.

AS: What's your mission with Pork Slope?

DM: 100% what we were going out to accomplish was a place we wanted to hang out in after work. Couldn't be closer to the truth. We built it for ourselves to be the kind of place we wanted to hang out in. Building of it, dreaming of it, constructing it, we knew we wanted it to be the place that's going to be the place we come to after work.

We built it for ourselves but we're super psyched everyone loves it.

AS: What's the one food item everyone should try?

DM: The Porky Melt. Dale did a great job on the entire menu. It's the best chicken wings, the best burger, and the best po' boy you'll ever have. But the Porky Melt is his own creation. It's the brain child of a couple of different things he brought together.

Check it out today!

Pork Slope

247 5th Ave

(between President St & Carroll St)

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Neighborhood: Park Slope