The Spotted Pig
NYC's most beloved gastropub and its dynamic chef
There’s an unpretentious little gastropub in the West Village that this writer had been hearing about for years now, so it was with great delight that a recent supper at The Spotted Pig was had (at 11pm no less!). Unlike Toronto (aka Hogtown)- the city that certainly DOES sleep, NYC is a pig of another breed. At 11pm the husband/eating companion and yours truly were shown to a tidy table tucked away on the second floor by the establishment’s overflow bar. Lit up in shades of red with more pig paraphernalia than you can shake a trough at, the place is quirky, fun and VERY popular. A capacity full-house meant that Chef April Bloomfield wasn’t able to come out and say hello as was previously planned. She got slammed at midnight by late city noshers- including none other than Mr. Jeffrey Steingarten (he of the famed food writing tome, “The Man Who Ate Everything”) himself. Plan B took effect- more on that later.
Gastropub Fare
To eat at The Spotted Pig is to enjoy really fresh, seasonal, uncomplicated food that’s well made, well spiced and lovingly plated. April Bloomfield worked with über-cook Jamie Oliver at the eponymous River Café in the UK amongst other places. A recent gander at Jamie’s new book sees April’s shoestring fries that she embellishes with a little rosemary in the recipe file. With an appetite as big as the big apple itself (not having eaten since much earlier that day), the menu options scream “TRY ME!” This was worse than going grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
Decisions are made alas- and the Apple, Walnut and Cheddar Salad ($16US) arrives at the same time as the prosciutto with savoy cabbage and parmesan shavings ($17US). Two thumbs up and a few scant minutes later, our plates are cleaned. Luckily, that’s when the Chicken Liver toast arrives ($5.50US) done up country style with garlic, Madeira wine, and sea salt over toasted slabs of wonderful farmer’s bread. The non chicken-liver eating husband even tucks in with glee it’s that good!
Notes are taken leading the two beautiful people sitting next to us to ask, “What are you doing?” “I’m researching April Blooomfield for a Food Network Canada show and enjoying her food. Speaking of which- what do you think of it?” The young man in the couple responds, “I love the food. I’ll be back. A couple of hipsters told us about this place. Glad we came,” to which the girlfriend nodded enthusiastically.
The Eye of the Storm
They pay up and left just as the grilled skirt steak with horseradish sauce and roasted beets arrive ($27US). Yep, roasted beets- the perfect foil to the spice horseradish and the savoury, perfectly cooked steak. Before dessert, this intrepid writer follows a waiter to the epicenter- the kitchen. Shocked by the closet sized quarters, this thought is muttered aloud, “You make all of that great food in HERE?” April smiles knowingly and replies, “Yep- it’s tiny but we make it work.” She taps rhythmically to a beat that only she hears- which could explain why she also likes to DJ in her apartment, often by herself. The lady’s got skills (musically too no doubt) – she runs a tight ship and the proof as they say, is most definitely in the pudding.
To celebrate the first New York meal (or is it minute?), a round of desserts make their way to the table upon returning from the kitchen expedition. The spiced ginger cake with spiced cream is lovely but even better is the prune and armagnac tart. Balanced, flavourful and no too sweet- just delicious. The Banoffee pie beckoned, but alas, this delicate combination of bananas and toffee ran out before this writer’s fork could catch a crumb of the mouth-watering combination. Ditto for the gnudi- a ricotta infused pasta that wasn’t on the menu during the initial visit thanks in part to a truckers’ strike that left the pub sans ricotta.
But hey, that just gives the eating companion and yours truly another great excuse for heading back to NYC and The Spotted Pig- despite the hellacious line ups and mind numbing crowds at 12:30pm when we left.
314 W. 11th Street
@ Greenwich St.
New York, NY 10014
Tel: (212) 620-0393
Second floor bar
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April Bloomfield
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