THE SPOTTED PIG.

It took nearly four years, but I finally made my way over to The Spotted Pig, famed gastropub in the West Village partially owned by Jay-Z. No reservation policy and a menu heavily-studded with meat-based products prevented me actively seeking this place out but, boy am I glad I gave it a shot!!!

I don't know how this place stays so hot!! Tuesday evening at 7:15 pm, the dining room is absolutely packed. My friend had already been waiting for about an hour (work-life imbalance has made me a horrible friend) at the bar, and our table was still not ready by the time I arrived. We both had jammed schedules that evening and had to be elsewhere within the hour, so when we were finally seated at around 7:30pm, we told our waiter to make it SNAPPY (but in a nice way).


The Deviled Eggs were perfection - this place keep things traditional and knows not to over-jazz a good thing.


I ordered a Salty Dog to calm my nerves - being in a rush always gives me anxiety. House-infused grapefruit vodka, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, and a sea salt rim. Light, smooth, delicious.


The Sheep's Milk Ricotta Gnudi with Basil Pesto was pretty much just OUT.OF.CON.TROL. Mind-blowing. Not really sure how these little balls of bliss are created, but I am fairly certain they could save lives. Like people would literally WILL themselves from their deathbed, just to re-experience the best "pasta" dish of their lives. I put "pasta" in quotes because gnudi is not actually pasta. They are a close relative to gnocchi, but the potato is replaced with RICOTTA. Soft, heavenly bites of the most fluffy, airy form of cheese found on this Earth. Glazed in fresh basil flavors and lightly drizzled with tomato sauce, this gnudi was definitely something I will talk about for years to come. Read about the preparation of naked pasta here.


The bruschetta on Spotted Pig's menu changes often - I ordered the Razor Clam Bruschetta, which was a tad too oil-laden for my liking.


We were waiting on our last few dishes, and I asked our waiter the status of our Haddock Chowder. Our waiter stared blankly for a nanosecond and then immediately launched into an apology for not having placed the order with the kitchen. Because we were in such a rush, I quickly let this slide and told him it was OK. He reciprocated by buying my original Salty Dog, and then bringing us two additional Salty Dog freebies. ULTRA-POINTS.


With time not on our sides - we chugged our grapefruit vodkas and dug into Spotted Pig's famous Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings. Behind that massive amount of shoestring fries is an enormous burger...I couldn't tell you how the burger tasted (as I am pescetarian), but I will attest to the validity of these fries!!!!! Such aromatic, herbal flavors - you almost forget you are eating fried potatoes.

For having such fame and recognition, The Spotted Pig holds no air of arrogance. The atmosphere is unpretentious and the food is similarly virtuous - honest, good food that does not try to BE anything. I like this spot.