Dinner at: Pig Bleecker

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that when I put my mind to something, eventually, I’m going to eat it.

Pig Bleecker has been on my “to eat” list for a longggg time, and I finally got to it last night. OH HAPPY DAY.

First off, this is the sister restaurant to the original Pig Beach in Brooklyn. And I mean like, Gowanus, Brooklyn. Don’t get me wrong, the food is worth the trip, but I wouldn’t even know about that because I’ve never actually been there. I’ve had Pig Beach burgers and ribs at events and such, but I’m an incredibly lazy person. And in the summer I become a giant sweatbox so I try to keep my travel outside to a minimum. It’s not cute and it’s really for everyone’s benefit.

But I digress. I love the space at Pig Bleecker. Bright yet cozy, great cocktails, and a menu full of meat. Mmmm. These are a few of my favorite things.

Here’s what I would recommend: go with friends or coworkers when you want to have some serious deliciousness with a touch of fancy. Personally, I think it’s a little heavy for date food, but you could probably make it work. We also happened to be sitting near an incredibly loud table full of dudes who had their phones stacked in the middle of the table. So…I guess this is what happens when you take away people’s phones? They actually talk to each other? Weird.

Deviled Eggs: If there are deviled eggs on a menu, I’m ordering them. No question. I’m obsessed with hard boiled eggs and once I got to try them after they’d been demonized, I was hooked. These are topped with chives and smoked trout roe, and they were wonderful.
Pigs in Doughnuts: Think pigs in a blanket, but made with doughnut dough. The dough wasn’t sweet though, so if you’re thinking it was like wrapped in a chocolate glazed situation, you’d be wrong. Served with honey mustard for dipping. Perfect.
Lollipop Wings: They had me at “Alabama White Sauce”. I first tried that at Blue Smoke, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It’s creamy, garlicky, and they mix theirs with hatch vinegar so it’s got that nice tangy bite that gets you right in the neck. Delicious.
Cod Cheeks with Bacon and Vinegar Peppers: So…I thought Matt (the chef) had said “pork cheeks” but either way, I was into them. Now that I think about it, I believe one of my friends said that they tasted like fish. And then we made fun of him. Oops. Guess I was too distracted by the crispy bits of bacon on top.
Grilled Oysters: The biggest surprise of the night, hands down. These were INCREDIBLE and I don’t even like oysters. At all. I call them “ocean boogers”. Well let’s just say that these boogers were dressed in spicy garlic butter and breadcrumbs. I wanted to rub it on my face and exfoliate with it.
Brisket Ravioli: These were insane. I rarely order ravioli because I find it to be kind of bullshit when a gigantic plate comes at me and then it has only 4 or 5 tiny ravioli on it. Just feels like a big let down, you know? But these…very different story. They were so rich and decadent, stuffed with brisket, sitting in a black truffle butter and Barolo sauce. If you ate all of them you’d probably be full for two days.
Cavatelli: this might have been my favorite of the night. It was almost like a carbonara, but a smoky version. It had peas, bacon, garlic, chives, and smoked ricotta salata. If you’ve never had ricotta salata, think of it almost like a feta, but less salty and less hard of a texture. The pasta was perfectly al dente too. This is a must, in my opinion.
Bleecker Burger: If you’re an Instagram fan, you’ve probably seen this guy everywhere. It’s a monstrosity. They actually cut ours into 4 pieces which was a little upsetting for photo purposes, but I was NOT upset at the flavor. It’s a double patty with cheese, special sauce, and pickles on a potato roll, served with fries. The fries were addictive too, by the way. Definitely make sure you try this. Even if you’re on a date. They will respect you more, I promise.
Smoked and Grilled Pork Chop: Believe it or not, this was a post-ordering order. Meaning we had ordered “enough food” and then decided “no we didn’t”. So we added this on. What a great call – the pork chop is glazed lightly in a peach habanero jam (heaven), and topped with grilled asparagus and fried onions. I think if I had to pick a dream flavor and texture scenario, this would be one of them.
Mason Jar Oreo Cheesecake: Oreos are probably my favorite cookie, so I had to try this. And ohhhhh man. So good. Layers of Oreo crumbs and cheesecake topped with whipped cream and Oreo pieces. After the sugar shock wears off, you’ll be ready for bed.