Located off the popular 14th Street NW, this pork-topia provides tasty food (focused on pork for the most part), a young very hip atmosphere and clientele, solid beer list, and is just close enough to Thomas and Logan circles to be very accessible. At first, I was skeptical, “another ‘pork-centered’ gastropub want to be” I briefly thought as I just assumed, being a lover of all things pork, that my dreams would be shattered among mediocrity. I was wrong.
Having to wait a beers worth of time at the bar, as they were packed for brunch, we were soon seated beside young parents and too many hipsters to count. After ordering another round of beers, we stared at the brunch menu with much confusion; it all looked so good. The waiter came and I asked several questions. Being from North Carolina, pork is like the holy grail to my people. We cook several whole pigs every year, often hunt wild pig/boar, make our own sausage, jerky, and our own BBQ sauce – so needless to say, I was curious. The waiter said they order, butcher, and serve one 300-pound whole pig every week that they get fresh, and some of their other cuts, such as the pork cheek, they order separately in larger quantity given that a pig only has, well, two cheeks. Makes sense to me.
The Pig is also part of the Eatwell Farm community who sources local and natural products. This means you can feel even better about eating little Timmy’s favorite pet pig he called “Lucky.” Indeed Timmy, lucky indeed. But I digress…
As far as food goes, the braised pork cheek was a perfect brunch item. Hell, it’s a perfect anytime item. An extremely tender braised pork cheek was served over stone grits, with a Spanish sofrito and braised greens. The cheek was extremely tender, knife not required, and the grits were perfect. Grits are like currency in the South, and if they’re not good, you may lose a patron forever. Thank goodness these were perfect. Not too thick, not too runny, and the drippings from the pork cheek made them even better.
If you’re in the mood for a sandwich, they have several to chose from. The pork cutlet was extremely appealing as advertised with gruyère, shaved onion, pickles, cherry mustard, and herb potato chips. I like all those things, so let’s put them together on yummy bread. They did, and it worked. It was served on a soft, burger style bun which lent to being cut in half and devoured promptly. The chips were tasty too.
Oh, and don’t miss the mac n’ cheese. It was amazing. Very cheesy, stringy, rich, hot, and comforting. And at $6.50, sure, but a truffle crust ontop while you’re at it.
The Pig is highly recommended for it’s casual, diverse atmosphere, non-pretentious fresh and local food, and obviously amazing porky goodness. If pork isn’t your thing, they do have salads, maybe they can hold the pork that comes on those too and bring you a extra side of Communism while they’re at it.
Where: The Pig. 1320 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. Website.
great post, I plan to try.