The Spotted Pig

There are few restaurants in the city that receive more attention from the press than the West Village "gastro-pub", The Spotted Pig. Maybe it's because it's owned in part by Mario Batali and Jay-Z. Maybe it's because Anthony Bourdain often rocks a Spotted Pig t-shirt on "No Reservations". Whatever it is, the two-hour wait for dinner they amass nightly was enough of a reason for us to see what all the hooplah was about. In this economy, if a restaurant that serves $30 entrees can fill its tables night after night, something must be good.

Because we were with a group in celebration of my birthday, here is a whole slew of dishes we got to try at The Spotted Pig. Since both of FoodGasm's co-editors were present, Jon's opinion is provided as well.

Deviled Eggs

Jared: Great. Spiced very well. And the vinegar was a nice touch.

Jon: I don't love vinegar on my deviled eggs. Still, they were pretty good. A nice little snack with a beer.

(Sorry for the lack of a picture, but these were gone within seconds of their arrival to the table)

Soleil Oysters with Mignonette

Jared: I'm such a sucker for oysters. While these weren't the biggest oysters I've ever had, they were fresh and the mignonette added a very nice subtle aroma. They immediately reminded me of summer.

Jon: Can't really go wrong here. Fresh raw oysters are truly one of my favorite delicacies. This may have been my favorite part of the meal, which may give you an idea of what I thought about the rest of the dishes.

Grilled Fennel and Radicchio Salad with Speck and Baked Parmesan

Jared: Really nice. Great flavors. Speck is awesome.

Jon: Many of you know, as I have often written, I love prosciutto. Speck is too not far off, except that it is boned before it is cured. Instant foodgasm. Grilled Radicchio and fennel were a perfect compliment to the salty ham.

Pork Rillette with Mustard and Pickles

Jared: Wow. Their homemade mustard was definitely one of the highlights of the meal. It's one of those things that stood out as so outstanding, I'll always associate with this restaurant. It didn't hurt that the pork was great. I made a little sandwich with the Texas-style toast they bring to the table, the pork, and the mustard.

Jon: Imagine pork paste. It sounds delicious, but let me tell you, it isn't. Served with a little grain mustard and a few cornishons, you are given a bowl full of pork vaseline with a healthy layer of pure pork fat on top. Sure, a rillette is technically a pork pate of sorts, so I should have full well known what I was getting into. This dish took 9 years off of my life.

Chicken Liver Parfait with Onion Marmalade

Jared: The easiest way to describe The Spotted Pig is "bold flavors". Again I made a sandwich with the toast, liver, and onions. The liver had such an intense flavor that I needed a minute or two to take the whole experience in. While I really enjoyed this, I don't know if I could have had more than a third of the serving. It was very intense.

Jon: Not the best liver pate I have ever had. Not the worst either. Way too rich. Certainly not a head turner. I'd much prefer some chopped liver from Sammy's Romanian.

And now on to the entrees...

Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestring Fries

Jared: While I love burgers, I'm always hesitant to order one at a pub. Fortunately, they make great burgers here. The bun was soft, the meat was cooked nicely, and the Roquefort added another great bold flavor. I would put this burger up against NYC's finest. Along with the burger was a mountain of fries. Literally. These were also great. They are so light that while I may not have been able to eat anything else, I couldn't stop shoveling these in my mouth.

Jon: Excuse me, Sir? Would you like some hamburger with your Roquefort cheese. Jesus, the blue cheese just annihilates any other flavor you may have tasted here. This was supposed to be the go-to dish at this place? Give me a break! Wendy's makes a better burger. No lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no nothing. I did like the bun, which is usually something that I have a gripe about when I order a burger at a restaurant. The shoestring fries were also surprisingly good. Usually, shoe string fries are a total waste. These actually had some substance to them, so it wasn't just eating fried nothing. Still, this burger was a total disappointment.

Squid Stew

Jared: Amazing. I don't know what was in this besides Squid, but I don't really care. I would order this any day. It's a shame that I didn't and had to settle for a few bites of someone else's.

Jon: Agreed. I only had a bite, but it was probably my favorite bite of any of the entrees.

Crispy Pork Belly with Peas

Jared: Soft, juicy, fatty pork cased within crispy pork skin. Could I have asked for more? Unlike Porchetta's pork skin (reviewed several weeks ago), this was much easier to chew and enjoy the succulent flavors that spilled out of it.

Jon: This was a special that night, and it especially sucked (get it, hehe). Thinking about this still makes me shudder. I was all about this dish when I saw it. I saw pork belly, and I said great, bring on the crispy skinned bacon steak. What I ended up with was more like two really great pieces of fried pork skin hiding some sort of awful grease trap. Seriously, where was the meat here? It was like a pork fat marshmallow that melted in your mouth and left you with the feeling you've been sucking fat out of Marlon Brando's ass with a straw.

Jared: I can't say this restaurant met my expectations because they completely sidestepped them and wowed me in ways I wasn't expecting. Each dish had its own incredibly bold flavor. Nothing was subtle or mild about this meal. The service was great. We only waiting about an hour and a half. It may sound like a while, but considering the wait usually usually way over 2 hours, it wasn't so bad. They don't take reservations, but you can stop in and give them your cell and they will call you when your table is ready. The whole restaurant felt very "at home". The upstairs dining areas are split into small rooms and the tables are covered with brown paper. Despite being one of the heaviest meals in recent memory, I would trade a light, healthy meal for night at The Spotted Pig any day. I never thought it was possible to be so creative with pub food.

Jon: Seriously, what is the big fuss with this place. People wait for hours for this? I think they put those brown bags over the tables so people don't start sliding all over the place from all the pork fat.

Report Card

Jared's

Food: A

Atmosphere: A (the outside is surrounded by flowers and the inside is covered with pictures of pigs)

Price: B (this is a very upscale restaurant. you pay for what you get.)

Overall: A

Jon's

Food: C+

Atmosphere: A- (very cool, I must admit)

Price: C+ (9 dollars for a Guinness folks)

Overall: B-

The Spotted Pig

314 W. 11th St.

at Greenwich St.

212-620-0393