Former Palate chef Gary Menes partnered with Andre Guerrero on marché L.A., which debuted tonight in the former Sherman Oaks home to Max Restaurant. They specialize in market-driven small plates. Last night, the partners previewed Chef Menes’ food from the opening menu. No dish was more impressive than the pork belly ($15) with wheat berries, peaches and dandelion greens. This was a variation on a popular dish Menes prepared at Palate.

The roasted pork belly wasn’t exactly lean, but it was meatier than your typical thick-cut bacon. The luscious, fork-tender pork with a rich golden color paired well with the slightly bitter greens, sweet peaches and fibrous barley-like wheat berries. If Palate was any indication, Menes will likely switch the belly’s accompaniments on a regular basis to capitalize on seasonality. As long as he keeps cooking the cut so expertly, pork belly is bound to be grades of great.

UPDATE: marché L.A. went out of business, and chef Gary Menes has moved on to Palihouse.

Dose of Vitamin P is a new feature that spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.