The Russians have a saying that loosely translates to “like sunflower seeds” which basically means “I cant stop eating this”. In a culture obsessed with sunflowers seeds, its not unusual to see it served as an after meal snack, and if you don’t hold a bag full of seeds on the Brighton Beach Boardwalk, you risk being frowned upon. And its not that they think sunflower seeds are really that special. They just enjoy eating sunflower seeds, and since its not that filling they have trouble stopping sometimes.
Such is the case with the fries at the Spotted Pig. They don’t seem that amazing as you first eat them, but you soon discover that you cant stop eating them. The fries are shoestring cut (very thin as you can see) which I don’t normally love as I prefer them “meaty” like Belgian style. But all the seasoning, rosemary and garlic chips make SP’s fries truly addictive. Like eating Sunflower seeds!
The burger itself was very good. Especially if you like burgers with Blue Cheese. The Roquefort here is slightly overwhelming for my taste as any blue cheese would, but I still enjoyed it. The meat was cooked well (medium rare, leaning toward rare) but I had to send the first one back after getting it practically well done. While not quite in Minetta’s Black Label territory, a solid burger overall and I can see why its consistently ranked as one of the city’s best.
I don’t know why it took me so long to get to the Spotted Pig, the mother of all the city’s gastro-pubs. The place was busy on Friday lunch time. Two teachers to my right were talking about the teachers favorite subject these days, lice. A Dutch couple to my left was very eager and excited about the meal. And judging by some of the items they ordered they did their homework well (deviled eggs one of the specialties here). My waitress was running around holding my bill for a few painful minutes (for me), forgetting that final crucial step of actually handing it to me. We had a good laugh. She was I must say, very friendly and knowledgeable.
Eating With Ziggy 