Dinner at Black Pig Bistro

A couple of months ago I celebrated my Birthday with J and K at the newish Black Pig Bistro.  I’ve been intrigued by some of their items on the menu but was also a bit worried due to some of the negative reviews mostly stemming around portion sizes vs. cost and service issues.  Nevertheless I still wanted to give them a try especially they are one of the few restaurants that serve Iberico ham!

Here’s what we tried tonight:

Iberico Ham – $26
Tomato rubbed baguette

As I love cured meats, I decided it was time to splurge on the famous Iberico ham. However, I don’t know if my expectations were wrong but this was not as good as I had imagined. I was thinking of something soft, oily, buttery and melted in your mouth. It was not. I’ve had prosciutto that was more velvety and soft… The tomato rubbed baguette on the other hand was really good – it had a pleasant fresh tomato taste to it.

Steak Tartare – $16
Black pepper sabayon, parsley shallot salad, potato chips

Bits of rare beef served at a nice, cool temperature… and properly seasoned! Mix the sabayon into it and you get a nicely flavored creamy mixture.  This was definitely yum.

Chicken Liver Parfait – $8

I love the creaminess of the parfait while the liver taste was just enough without being overpowering. Eat it with the sweet relish and you get sweet and savory bites! Hmmmmmm!

Pork Dogs – $15
Salsa verde, roasted garlic aioli, house made buns

A normal order comes with two; we added an extra one.  Probably the most expensive hot dog I’ve ever paid for, but it was really tasty! The meat was flavorful, the housemade buns were pillowy soft and the condiments complemented the entire hot dog perfectly.

Dry Aged Sous Vide New York Striploin – $36
Baked potato gnocchi | green peppercorn mushroom sauce

I had a taste of J’s main and the meat was cooked to a beautiful medium rare.  I thought the mushroom sauce paired the meat quite nicely and I enjoyed the taste of sour cream and cheese in the gnocchis.

Beef Cheeks Ravioli – $25

Six beef cheeks ravioli served with parsnip puree and I believe a cilantro sauce (feel free to correct me if I got this wrong).  The beef cheeks was nicely tender and the entire plate was absolutely flavorful.  I think portions were definitely on the small side – if I hadn’t fill up on appetizers there is no way I would be full just from this one main alone.

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta – $10
Coconut brioche, pistachio crumb, toasted coconut

J and K both got this as their dessert and of course I had a taste – nicely creamy and tart!

Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding – $10
Salted caramel, creme fraiche

I was planning to get the panna cotta as well, but at the last minute I decided I wanted something warm and this looked really good from the table beside ours.  I definitely didn’t regret my choice.  I liked that the toffee pudding itself was blended very well and it wasn’t too sweet.  The salted caramel sauce was rich and complemented the whole plate quite well.

Overall I enjoyed my meal here.  Prices are not bad – the only item I felt was overpriced was the beef cheeks ravioli and the rest seems to be on par with restaurants of similar caliber.  Service was pretty good and our server was helpful.  I’m already missing some of the appetizers and would not hesitate to come back!