Blue Ribbon for The Spotted Pig

I've been hearing about The Spotted Pig for years and I was starting to feel like we had no right to talk about NYC burgers without visiting this establishment. However, like most popular New York restaurants, the wait time kept us at bay. Finally, one evening The Mr was in a burger mood and we weren't starving, so off to the West Village we went to put our name on the list.

Since we had plenty of time to kill, we went around the corner to The Otheroom for a drink. We really loved this bar for its simplicity. They just have beer & wine and comfortable seating with low volume music. It's like a friend's living room where you can enjoy your company and have a nice conversation.

To the magical upstairs land. This is where we spent the
majority of our wait time.

After our beers, we went back to The Spotted Pig to see how the wait was coming along. Oh boy, not good. By the time we were seated, about an hour and a half after putting our name down, we were definitely hungry, and a little cranky. We were shoved into a tiny table in a corner and were thinking "no way is this going to be worth it". Dubiously, we ordered the Deviled Eggs & Chicken Liver Toast to start as they had the most impressive user reviews.

Deviled Eggs

Chicken Liver Toast

The Deviled Eggs were quite good, making them worth the $3 price tag if you've got it in the budget to spare. As for the Chicken Liver Toast, well, we don't eat a lot of liver, chicken or otherwise, but we were glad we gave it a try. It was very rich and we enjoyed it, even as liver noobs.

Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings 

Aaaaaaand the verdict on the Burger & Shoestring fries?? Worth it. Yum, Yum, Yum!

Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnudi with Basil Pesto

But what really stole the show was the Ricotta Gnudi. The gnudi were the softest, cheesiest, fluffiest dumplings offset by the very rich sauce. Even though this was on the small plates menu, I ordered it as my main and was more than full. It was so good we butted in and suggested it to the couple who was seated next to us and were discussing what they should get.

What really impressed us to was the wait staff. They were very hipster-ish (and I mean that in all the best ways), but instead of a "we're so great, you're lucky to be here attitude" they were extremely nice, attentive, and helpful. They really tipped this place over into the realm of great dining experiences.