The Purple Pig
I was in Chicago on business earlier this week with several co-workers and we were pondering where to eat dinner on a Sunday night.
Being dressed in jeans, somewhat tired from the trip, and not wanting a formal dining experience, we contemplated our options. Aside from the typical steak houses which were easy to find and not very interesting to me personally, I consulted my trusty smartphone and looked to Yelp to provide a more diverse selection for us to consider.
As reliable as ever, Yelp spit back a myriad of choices and my eye caught The Purple Pig. While the name drew me initially, when I reviewed the menu I was sold. Next challenge, convince my work colleagues to agree to eat at this restaurant with me. Tolerant of my excitement and willing to take a risk trusting I wouldn't steer them wrong, we walked the 100 yards from our hotel to The Purple Pig.
Needless to say, by the end of the night, all three of my co-workers stated they were happy we went to The Purple Pig and that had I not suggested it, they would not likely have chosen it on their own. So, I took that as a compliment and was appreciative of their adventurous spirit to try something unique and unusual.
The menu is fantastic and we let our waiter create our dining experience by making our selections for us. He did not steer us wrong, gave us a number of the dishes we were interested in trying, and left me wanting for more as there were many things on the menu which I didn't have a chance to try.
The full menu the night we ate there is further down this blog post. I don't know how frequently the menu changes and wanted to remember the choices we had that evening. But, our dinner consisted of the following small plates:
- Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette
(I actually didn't taste this one. I don't eat beats. They are poisonous!)
- Lardo Crostini
- Fried Cardoons
- Winter Squash Arancini & Sage Pesto
- Testa, Prosciutto di Parma, and Lingua Agrodolce (Cured Meats)
- Pork Neck Bone Rillette & Mostarda
- Mortadella, Balsamico & Pistachio
- Charred Green Onions and Romesco Sauce
- Jimmy's House Made Greek Sausage with Rapini & Grapes
- Jamon Serrano, Oyster Mushrooms, Fried Egg with Grilled Bread
- Moncilla Blood Sausage
- Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes
- Lemon Panna Cotta with Pistachio Croccante
- Panino con Nutella
If you're in Chicago, I would highly recommend stopping at The Purple Pig. Bon Appetit magazine rated them one of the Top 10 New Restaurants of 2010 and I can certainly see why.
Here's their full menu:
Antipasti
Pork Fried Almonds with Rosemary & Garlic
Marinated Olives
Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette
(Like I said, beats are poisonous, stay away . . . . )
Shaved Brussel Sprouts, Pecorino Noce & Parmigiano-Reggiano
Cauliflower, Granny Smith Apples, Walnuts & Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, Brown Butter & Ricotta Salata
Lardo Crostini
Olive Oil-Poached Tuna with Greek Lima Beans
Braised Baby Artichokes, Fingerling Potatoes, Asiago & Salami Toscana
Laughing Bird Shrimp & Clams with Rosamarina
Marinated White Anchovies with Puntarelle, Oranges & Arugula
Salad
Insalata Bianca with Crispy Arborio Rice & Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
Mixed Greens with Feta, Watermelon Radishes & Red Wine Mint Vinaigrette
Castelfranco, arugula with Sunchokes, Hazelnuts & Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Fried Items
Chorizo Stuffed Olives
Prosciutto Bread Balls
Deviled Egg with Arugula & Caper Berries
Pig's Ear with Crispy Kale, Pickled Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg
Fried Brussel Sprouts with Thyme, Lemon & Chili Flakes
Winter Squash Arancini & Sage Pesto
White Bait "French Fries of the Sea" with Lemon Aioli
Sardines with Lemon Vinaigrette
Panini
Salami Toscana, Goat Cheese & Black Olive Tapenade
Coppa with Provolone Cheese, Pickled Cherry Peppers & Whole Grain Mustard
Porchetta with Salsa Verde
Cured Meats
Catalonian Fuet
Coppa
Sopressata
Testa
Lingua Agrodulce
Jamon Serrano
Prosciutto di Parma
Purple Pig Platter
Smears
Mortadella, Balsamico & Pistachio
Whipped Feta with Cucumbers
Pork Liver Paté
Pork Neck Bone Gravy with Calabro Ricotta
Pork Neck Bone Rillette & Mostarda
Wild Mushrooms with Vincotto
Prosciutto, Apples, Treviso & Apple Saba
Eggplant Caponata with Goat Cheese
Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs
Cheese
Bucheron
Manchego
Fontina
Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Capriole O’Banon
Morbier
Camembert Fermier
Valdeon
Gouda
Pecorino Noce
Podda
Parmigiano Reggiano
Prairie Breeze
Truffle Tremor
Quadrello di Bufala
Big Ed’s
Blu di Bufala
a la Plancha, etc.
Charred Green Onions with Romesco Sauce
Pig's Tails Braised in Balsamic
Jamon Serrano, Oyster Mushrooms, Fried Egg with Grilled Bread
Jimmy's House Made Greek Sausage with Rapini & Grapes
Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes
Octopus with Green Beans, Fingerling Potatoes & Salsa Verde
Sepia with Almonds & Fried rosemary
Pork Saltimbocca with Rainbow Swiss Chard
Chicken Thigh Kebabs, Fried Smashed Potatoes & Tzatziki
Pork Blade Steak with 'Nduja & Honey
Scallop Spiedini with Chickpea Aioli
Wagyu Sirloin Tip with Fingerling Potatoes Red Onions, Olive & Bone Marrow Vinaigrette
Whole Grilled Snapper For Two
Fried Deviled Egg, Cauliflower Antipasti & Pork Saltimbocca available for Dinner Only. Enjoy!
Dolci
Lemon Panna Cotta with Pistachio Croccante
Sicilian Iris
{Ricotta & Chocolate Chip filled Fried Brioche}
House-made Italian Wedding Cookies Festa di Santa Lucia Crema
{Farro & Ricotta with Chocolate Sauce}
Panino con Nutella
{A Sweet Sandwich filled with a Chocolate Hazelnut
Spread, Marshmallow Cream & Bananas}
Soft Serve Ice Cream
{Espresso or Pistachio}
Affogato
{Shot of Espresso over Espresso Soft Serve}
