The Spotted Pig

Finally finally finally I got to try The Spotted Pig.  Like all little sisters, I live to impress my brother and the best way I see fit to do so is by choosing a stellar restaurant.  When he not-so-subtly hinted that he wanted to go to a gastropub, I thought this might be our chance to actually get into the Michelin starred, much lauded restaurant.  After all, the line couldn't be that long on a Friday afternoon when most of New York is at work, right?  I may have misjudged that part because we still had to wait about an hour, but an hour passes quickly when you're sipping one of their spicy bloody marys with pickled veggies.

While all the food is praised, chef April Bloomfield's signature dishes are the deviled eggs and the burger.  Naturally, we had to order both.  The deviled eggs were creamy with just enough chive and a hint of something tangy - vinegar, perhaps?  Though I pride myself on my own deviled eggs, Bloomfield may have me beat.  I tip my hat at you, Madame.  I have strong opinions on what the best burgers are in NYC and have made it my goal to try all the contenders.  Since I've heard more about The Spotted Pig's burger than just about any other, I had to have a taste in the name of research.  The burger itself was nice and charred on the outside but still pink on the inside.  The generous portion of roquefort cheese made it stand out.  Not sure if it's my absolute favorite in the city (Brindle Room is hard to top), but it most definitely cracked the top three.

We didn't stop at those specialties.  We also ordered the chicken liver toast which is basically chopped liver from a Jewish deli, only better.  Way better.  I tasted a bite of my Mom's grilled cheese and had to ask the waiter what cheese mix was in it so I could make it myself.  He told me it was a combo of taleggio, fontina, and goat cheese, but the real secret is the parmesan that's on the bread itself.  Mental note: taken.  Finally, I ordered the bath chap sandwich, which is basically a mix of different pig parts that have been brined for two days, breaded together and fried like a pork chop.  It's then placed on a toasted brioche bun with a lemon garlic aioli and an endive salad.  Oo baby I could tell this was going to be flavorful when I cut it in half and saw the fat just glistening back at me.  It takes a real Brit to make a sandwich like this.  I love her for it but also hate her for making it that much harder for me to squeeze into my bridesmaid dress.