The Spotted Pig

West Village
314 W. 11th St. @ Greenwich St. (NOT Greenwich Ave.)
(212) 620-0393
http://www.thespottedpig.com/

Don't bother trying to make a reservation, because The Spotted Pig is too cool to take them (and has eternal demand). I've tried getting into the Spotted Pig a million times before. Without fail, no matter the night or time, the wait is outrageous. Pathetically, I was never willing to give up and write it off completely. Frankly, this place intrigued me. How could it be so packed all the time?

Laura had a brilliant idea! For night 1 of her 3 days for 30 celebration, she suggested we suck it up and stick out whatever wait time they gave us. Given that were meeting up with a friend who we hadn't seen in a while, I was looking forward to spending time catching up over a couple cocktails (and I was being agreeable with the birthday diva's wishes).

Sabeen arrived first and put her name on the list---2 hours. After an hour and a half, I started to get antsy. Not only were we waiting, we were standing in a packed bar holding all our belongings. I must give kudos to the truly professional host staff. When Sabeen and I made our way back downstairs to the even more ridiculously packed entrance, the host immediately recognized Sabeen and recited our remaining wait time with precise accuracy.

Part of the appeal of The Spotted Pig is the likelihood of celeb sightings. Lizzie, Sabeen's work friend who joined us for drinks and an adorable Aussie who hangs out at The Spotted Pig quite a bit, had apparently seen the Olsen twins there earlier in the week. We thought our chances would be pretty high given it was a Thursday night but to no avail. No celebs although everyone in the place certainly acted like they were important enough.



You probably think this chicken liver is the grossest thing you've ever seen (so do I). You'd love it, if you close your eyes. I forced Laura and Sabeen into trying it. They weren't obsessed, but they ate it. :-)






After sufficient time staring at other tables' food, the burger seemed like the item to get. I personally despise Roquefort so I asked if they had any cheese alternatives. Nope. I thought that was a little strange but was fine with going straight hamburger. Yet just because I had accepted no cheese didn't mean I was prepared for something so plain. Burger + bun. Impressively, even with its bareness, this is a top-tier burger. I would have loved it even more if my bun wasn't burned. My concern for The Spotted Pig is my bun (and Sabeen's) don't seem to be flukes. Even in their website picture, where I'd think they'd try to put their best burger forth, the bun is charred. Is this somehow desirable in their books? After rambling on about the burger, the rosemary fries were also definitely scrumptious and addictive in nature.




Our Hotty McHotterson waiter did not hurt the fabulosity of our night. We left the dessert decision in his hands. He chose the Banoffee pie. What is Banoffee you ask? Aside from the most incredible dessert I've had in a very long time (ever is probably too big of a claim although it's a possibility), Banoffee stands for a combination of banana and toffee. Mouthwatering!


Overall, an ultimate New York evening. Assuming a decent patience level, I would call it wait-worthy. Certainly if you have 4 hours to kill, I'd strongly recommend hitting up The Spotted Pig.

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