The Purple Pig
My friend Pati came to visit yesterday, and we went to The Purple Pig – a collaboration between Scott Harris of Mia Francesca fame and Jimmy Bannos of Heaven on Seven – for wine and swine. Don’t let the crappy website scare you away, this was a good destination for eating, drinking and chatting it up.
Most of the plates are small, so like tapas just dive in and prepare to share. Pati and I started with roasted beets with whipped goat cheese and a pistachio vinaigrette, which was to-die for. 
An asparagus and hazelnut salad was tossed in a lovely mint dressing, which was light and refreshing. And don’t forget the deep-fried manchego. The Purple Pig has a lovely selection of cheeses, but hey, it’s deep-fried. We also ordered a blade steak, which we simply call a pork steak in St. Louis. 
They can come from the butt or, in this case the shoulder, and it’s one cheap cut of meat that will rock your world. This one was grilled and served with a spicy Italian salami called Nduja (make sure you get both in the same bite.) A side of arugula gave a nice nutty flavor to the bite.
I convinced Pati to try the braised kale and pigs ear, which was topped with a basted egg. Two thumbs-up. We didn’t get a picture, because we snarfed it, but a great couple sitting next to us was also snapping away, and after chatting and having much fun we took pictures of their pig tails and serrano ham. It turns out that they were two chefs in town to eat and explore, so we talked about what they had found and where they might go later in the day. It really sounded like my kind of weekend.
Oh, the wine list is nice. There are a reasonable number of bottles served by the glass (a 5 oz. pour.) We tried a Cotes du Rhone (all Syrah) and a Couteaux du Languedoc (a blend of Carignan and Grenache.) While both were enjoyable the Couteaux had a fuller body and a bit more spice, which held up better against some of the pork.
Last but not least came the sweet, with a couple of double shots. My favorite was the Sicilian Iris, a beignet-type of pastry filled with chocolate and ricotta cheese. The Nutella panini was also good, although marshmallow creme is not real high on my list. The food was great, the lunch was long, and the company was entertaining. The Purple Pig was a great experience that I look forward to repeating. Next time you’re over on Michigan Avenue, think about giving it a try.
