Just to the South of 500 North Michigan Avenue, there is a a grand entrance, wrought of iron, proclaiming the way to the The Purple Pig, through which one passes to the restaurant's spacious outdoor patio before arriving at the door of the restaurant. However, if you approach from the North, you stumble upon a more traditional office building, and hidden away behind the elevator bank, a rustic wood and glass door declares "Cheese, Wine & Swine". It was in this way I entered the restaurant for the first time, having retreated from an art opening and seeking an early Friday evening dinner.
Inside, the place is all hustle and bustle with loud-ish music pumping, which was frankly a bit in contrast with the country-kitchen decor (floral tiles and light wood walls).
There was a large selection of accessible wines (many priced at less than $40), as well as some very nice higher-end vinos (but all very young vintages). They pour by the carafe, half bottle and glass for any of the less than $40 selections, which is very nice for tasting and for larger parties. We selected a bottle of the popular Whispering Angel Rose '08 for this hot early summer evening.
The fresh-baked foccacia (sans herbs) which came out with the menus was not very good, but the service was prompt if a bit hurried.
The menu is all served tapas style, and comes out quickly when ordered. With antipasti such as salt-roasted beets with whipped goat cheese (a great flavored beet, and I really could have eaten several orders, unusual for my carnivore self) and rock shrimp with spring peas (very good and 'fresh' tasting with a touch of lemon), it is hard to narrow down choices. Next up was a decent selection of cured meats (we started with a pile of thinly sliced Jamon Serrano, which was ok, but not to the quality of, say The Publican) and "smears" to spread on crostini (we sampled the bone marrow with herbs, two huge chunks of bone with parsley, capers and fennel, and a salt dish, which was very good but the crostini were over-oiled for such a rich flavor). The cheese is a highlight of the menu, with sampler plates of 3 or 5 types from the broader list of 16 available. We tried a camembert (very nice), a 6-month aged gouda (could have been a 5-year, excellent), and a manchego (not that good). The crisp yet chewy bread served with the cheeses were excellent (perhaps better-suited for the marrow dish as well).
We then got more serious, we decided to skip the list of tasty sounding "fried items" (you know, health reasons) and went with the octopus from the "A La Plancha" menu. Thick pieces of octopus (1 inch radius) were very well grilled with a hash of swiss chard and a small tapioca-esque grain. This was a highlight.
The menu has a salads and a few panini as well, which we did not try.
The atmosphere and decor could use some work. The restaurant has badly-spaced tables and a strange combination of white marble tables, country kitchen walls, dark reclaimed wood floors and red diner banquettes. It needs to make up its mind and space itself out. There is a nice outdoor space, though.
In all honesty, I had forgotten for many months about this restaurant. I recall the opening and a bunch of good PR, but then it dropped off my radar (largely due to location). However, while I would go again if I were in the area, this is not a spot I would make a special trip for - too many pieces missing to make the whole a complete and exciting experience.
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