Last Chicago Weekend: Purple Pig Round 3

Greek yogurt smear...absolutely to die for!

The Purple Pig on Michigan Ave is my happy place. Good food is always accompanied great company and conversation. So for my last weekend in the city for the summer (Hello, South Carolina!), amidst finals and moving woes, I made one last trip to The Pig with my friend McKenna. It was a beautiful night, and dining out on the patio, it was the perfect sendoff to a great year.

Fried Manchengo Cheese (aka Mozzarella Sticks for Grown-Ups!)

The food, as always was divine. We started off with a smear: Salt-cured Greek Yogurt with Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves and Pistachio. McKenna wanted to try this dish, and I have to say, I am so glad we ordered it. Served with buttered toasted Italian bread (which was thinner with this dish...and I appreciated that because it complemented the lightness of the dish), the Greek yogurt was cured in a salt, olive oil, chili flake and herb mixture in a jar overnight, rolled into little balls that resembled fresh mozzarella. The texture, though, was soft and spreadable, like goat cheese. The flavor of the yogurt was mild, but the subtle chili flavor and slight saltiness was perfectly balanced. On top of the crostini and yogurt, I would spread a thin layer of the preserves, which was delicious, and topped with pistachios (my favorite thing ever), which added a great texture differential. With a pinch of the flake salt served on the side, these little crostini bites were packed with texture and flavor, but it was, in Purple Pig fashion, extraordinarily complementary.

Our second dish of the evening was an Asparagus, Avocado, Hazelnut, and Mint Salad. While it was difficult to transition
from the crostini to the salad, once my palate warmed up to the flavors, this was a wonderfully light summer dish. The asparagus was cut in thin slivers, and tasted as if it was pickled, having a bitty crunch and salty flavor. The avocado was, as always, delicious, and the hazelnuts added a nice, toasty crunch to the dish. The dressing was light, allowing the mint and vegetable flavors to really shine. I said to McKenna when the dish came, "This tastes like a garden." While I know it is a salad, so it clearly tastes like a garden, we concurred that "garden" is the perfect way to describe the flavors. Earthy, light, fresh. While this salad is (overall) one of the more lackluster things I've had at The Pig, just because it isn't as  innovative as some of their other dishes, it was perfect for a beautiful summer evening out on the patio.

Asparagus and Avocado Salad with Hazelnuts
and Mint

The third course was the Fried Manchengo with Membrillo, or as McKenna and I deemed it, "Grown-Up Mozzarella Sticks." There's nothing not to love about this dish. The Manchengo, a sheep's milk cheese, was melty and buttery, coated in a delicious, light breading. Served over a few dollops of Membrillo, which is a quince paste, the fruity sweetness perfectly complemented the mild cheese. I could eat these little guys every night of the week.

The final dish was the big kahuna, and something that I've been longing to try since, my first visit. When I came with my mom and sat at the bar, we watched as the chefs kept pulling out these beautiful, enormous turkey legs, and the smell from the roasted meat just wafted my way. And tonight was the night for the Turkey Leg Confit with Crispy Lentils, Treviso, Endive, and Agrodolce.

I know I say every time I go to The Pig, "this was the best thing I've ever had in my life." But seriously. This turkey was the best turkey (may I even say the best poultry dish) I've ever had out in my life. And that's saying something.

The turkey leg confit is absolutely killing it...one of my new favorite dishes
at The Pig (as if I didn't like them all....)

First of all, this turkey leg was huge. Enough for both McKenna and I to take a little home for lunch the next day. Being a confit (aka cooked in rendered fat), the meat was incredibly tender, and literally fell off the bone. The skin dissolved in your mouth like butter, and the turkey was juicy and flavorful. Topped with crispy lentils, the little guys added a nice texture differential. Served over a "salad" of braised treviso (a milder radicchio) and endive in an agrodolce (a sauce both sweet and sour, made from sugar and vinegar), the little "salad" was the absolute perfect complement to the delicious, meaty beast that dominated the plate. As McKenna said, "I could slather this all over my body." Yes. I will be ordering the turkey leg again.

Although we didn't order dessert (and left extremely full), we stopped at Eataly for some chocolate afterwards. It was the perfect end to a perfect evening, and the perfect end to a perfect year. The Purple Pig never ceases to impress, and I will always be coming back, hungry for more.