The Salted Pig

I apologize in advance for the dark pictures. There wasn't a whole lot of lighting in the restaurant and I don't like to use the flash.

My fiance, Adrian, read about The Salted Pig almost two years ago and we've been wanting to try it out ever since. We actually almost ate there once when we happened to be near Riverside for some other reason. Unfortunately when we realized that we were close enough to eat there it was between their lunch and dinner hours and it was closed. Alas, it would take another 11 months before we would get the chance again. It was well worth the wait.

When we arrived on a Saturday night we were told there would be an hour wait, but we didn't end waiting her long. Maybe 25 minutes. We were fortunate enough to be seated on the kitchen side of the dining room at a table across from the kitchen. Adrian and I don't drink very often when we go out to eat. But this was a (somewhat) special occasion and Adrian's dad was driving, so what the hell! Adrian and I had their pilsner and his dad had the blonde ale.

I had a very hard time choosing which meal to get as I had their pork belly sandwich in mind on the way to the restaurant (I didn't realize it was only served at lunch). We started with the 'octopus baby' which is whole baby octopus served with paprika aioli, chopped up pepperoni, and topped with home made potato chips. Adrian and his dad loved it. I'm not really a big fan of calamari so, while I thought it was good for what it was, I was sort of indifferent to the whole thing. Adrian's dad and I both agreed that we would have liked it better if it was more crispy.

As for the entrees I had the Herbed Gnocchi, Adrian had The Pig 2.2, and his dad had the Wild Boar Tamale. This was my first time trying gnocchi and now I know what all the fuss is about. It was topped with fresh ricotta, browned butter, and oyster mushrooms. It had crispy edges and a soft center with just the right amount of herbs. 

I didn't try it, but Adrian was in love with his burger. I did try the fries and the tamale. The fries were incredible and the tamale was really good too. I loved the mole sauce. Overall we had a really great time and enjoyed our food immensely. It's kinda pricey, so while I don't think we'll eat there very often, it's definitely somewhere we'll go for special occasions. I still really want to try the pork belly sandwich, so maybe we'll stop in for lunch one day soon.