The Spotted Pig is another one of those trendy type spots that gets a Michelin star partly for the vibe and celebrity draw it has. It is not a spot where you go and expect to be waited on hand and foot or receive any type of frills like an amuse bouche or a pastry on your way out. This is a pub…albeit one with a fabulous menu. One Michelin star equates to very good food in its category, and I would agree that the Spotted Pig lives up to this accolade. But, I do think there are a few dishes on the menu that are a slight disappointment.
The food is one hundred percent comfort food and presented as simple food a bit elevated. Chef April Bloomfield is from England and spent several years working in restaurants there before moving to the US working at Chez Panisse and then sometime thereafter coming to NYC and opening the Spotted Pig.
I’ll start with the disappointing menu items and move to the ones that really earned the star. The burger with Roquefort and shoestring fries is okay but not an amazing burger that I would go out of my way to order again. Despite it being cooked medium it somehow just didn’t feel juicy enough. And I hate shoestring fries. They just make me angry, because I want real fries.
Okay so onto the menu items that I enjoy. I dined at the bar recently and I have to say I love the bar snacks. Deviled Eggs, Devils on Horseback! You can’t really go wrong with either. But then there’s the sheeps milk ricotta gnudi with brown butter and sage. For me, this is the perfect sort of dish to split because it’s far too rich and sinful to have all to oneself. But it’s a must order, because it’s downright delightful. I think gnudi is a bit of a misnomer here, because I find it texturally more like ricotta ravioli than gnudi. But I’m not going to complain. The silky ricotta pasta just melts in your mouth with a heavenly buttery sage flavor.
Now I do a lot of crazy things and ordering the $24 plate of five vegetables ranks up there. It’s just that sometimes these things are worth it. And this plate of vegetables is so worth it! The serving size leaves a lot to be desired, but the flavor of these veggies is just outrageous. I couldn’t get enough of them and was basically fighting my friend for the last few bites.
The food is one hundred percent comfort food and presented as simple food a bit elevated. Chef April Bloomfield is from England and spent several years working in restaurants there before moving to the US working at Chez Panisse and then sometime thereafter coming to NYC and opening the Spotted Pig.
I’ll start with the disappointing menu items and move to the ones that really earned the star. The burger with Roquefort and shoestring fries is okay but not an amazing burger that I would go out of my way to order again. Despite it being cooked medium it somehow just didn’t feel juicy enough. And I hate shoestring fries. They just make me angry, because I want real fries.
Okay so onto the menu items that I enjoy. I dined at the bar recently and I have to say I love the bar snacks. Deviled Eggs, Devils on Horseback! You can’t really go wrong with either. But then there’s the sheeps milk ricotta gnudi with brown butter and sage. For me, this is the perfect sort of dish to split because it’s far too rich and sinful to have all to oneself. But it’s a must order, because it’s downright delightful. I think gnudi is a bit of a misnomer here, because I find it texturally more like ricotta ravioli than gnudi. But I’m not going to complain. The silky ricotta pasta just melts in your mouth with a heavenly buttery sage flavor.
Now I do a lot of crazy things and ordering the $24 plate of five vegetables ranks up there. It’s just that sometimes these things are worth it. And this plate of vegetables is so worth it! The serving size leaves a lot to be desired, but the flavor of these veggies is just outrageous. I couldn’t get enough of them and was basically fighting my friend for the last few bites.
I’ve never had dessert at the Spotted Pig, but I would like to try the banofee pie. I guess I just have to go back and while I’m there I might as well have some gnudi and veggies!
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