The Spotted Pig

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Spotted Pig is not only a gastropub, but an art gallery for meat and pork centric art

I have never been to an April Bloomfield restaurant until this past weekend. I feel a bit ashamed given that the food at The Breslin, the John Dory and The Spotted Pig is everything that I like, which is fat and pork and in the case of the Dory, fat, pork and seafood. So for my birthday I decided to do brunch up at The Spotted Pig, where it all started. Located in the West Village the Spotted Pig is the original OG when it comes to the gastropub. They were doing the whole gastropub before it was like, cool. The Spotted Pig is still frequented by locals and tourists alike and on a Saturday at noon, there is still a sizable wait for a table. Onward Food!

When asked about one of the best burgers in New York, after the clichéd answer of the Corner Bistro and then Shake Shack, The Spotted Pig’s name is usually next. The burger is one of the most notable items on the menu and being a burger lover and carnivore, it was a no brainer of an order for me. The bar snacks also caught my eye and the chicken liver toast was also something that warranted an order and in my world, chicken livers are perfect for brunch.

The chicken livers are not chopped or made into a paste like you would expect from a Kosher Deli. The Livers are delicately sautéed, chopped and mixed with parsley. The result is a loosely packed toast that packs a wonderful light yet meaty, liver bite.

Here is the rundown on the burger, it s a whopping ½ pound burger, that is topped with Roquefort cheese and sandwiched in between a brioche bun, served with a mountain of shoestring fries. My love for cheese has no bounds and the Spotted Pig gets a gold star for showcasing such a great cheese and especially of the blue varietal. No more do I have to hide and make blue cheese burgers at home and can eat it out with others in pride…just eat a breath mint afterwards, your mouth will smell like wet leather socks. Though you can opted out for a burger without the cheese, after eating the burger, the blue cheese a great compliment to the burger and only intensifies the meatiness of the burger. 

The burger is picture perfect; the bun has a Connect Four grid on top and looks like a fast food burger ad but is actually looks as advertised. It was a pretty looking burger, and would be on a top ten list of pornographic food. I ordered the burger rare and the kitchen cooked it to order. The patty was packed just right and had a bit of give to it. The addition of the Roquefort emulated a dry aged beef quality and upped the flavors of the meat. The combination of the cheese, meat and slightly sweet brioche bun made this like eating a steak on a roll. The burger deserves as much hype as a must eat in New York. The only criticism I have for this burger is that the bun to meat ratio is just a tad off, as I had wads of leftover brioche. The shoestring fries were similar to potato sticks which were addictive, yet those of you that like a bit more “volume” and fries with a creamy potato center, these fries are not for you. The shoestring fries were tossed with rosemary and fried chips of garlic making it an insult to dunk these in ketchup. The combination of Roquefort and the garlic from the chips only ensured that your breath would smell like David Guetta after a weeklong Ibiza rave, minus the smell of some kind of douchebag cologne.

Overall, the burger was a great eat, however my experience at the Spotted Pig would make me almost not come back. The service unfortunately was lackadaisical. Our server swaggered up to our table and when we just said we wanted to start with water, he rolled his eyes and sauntered away. When my party needed more time to think of what they wanted, he sighed a bit and walked away. I do not care if you are adopting the casual server/rolled up from the 'Burg look, doesn’t mean you have to act like it. The servers at Ssam bar are dressed the same and give you impeccable service and attention and look like they want your business. Though the hostess and others were professional, our server rubbed us the wrong way which is a shame because the food at the Spotted Pig is great and I will most likely come back again, maybe I will try the bar this time, to see how the experience fares there.

Spotted Pig
314 West 11th Street
New York, NY
thespottedpig.com/