The Purple Pig, Chicago

This was the best meal we had on our recent trip to Chicago--it was spectacular and I can't wait to go back, because there were double the number of things on the menu that we did not get a chance to try, including two things that they are well known for but only have on the dinner menu (deep fried deviled eggs and bone marrow) and two things they are known for that we elected to skip (Pig’s Ear with Crispy Kale, Pickled
Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg and Pig’s Tails Braised in Balsamic). It's location on Michigan Ave. makes it convenient if you are shopping or in Millennium Park, or at a nearby museum--we had just gotten off the architectural tour of the river, and it was a short two block walk.

We had to wait for a seat, but we did manage to score a table (there is pretty open seating at bigger tables, which is good, because it helps with the turnover, but when you are on a getaway vacation with a husband you don't see enough of, a table of one's own is highly valued). We opened with fried olives stuffed with Spanish chorizo and served with aioli. These are not on the healthy eating list, but there aren't too many of them, and they are bit-sized. A forgivable sin, surely. The dish is a nice balance of salty, crunchy, and spicy.

Next up was my favorite dish of the meal--a calamari salad, the squid tiny in diameter and sliced razor thin and cooked to perfection. The other salad ingredients were a pasta the size and shape of Israeli cous cous that was lightly toasted, and teeny tiny pieces of cucumber, radishes, corn, and toasted pistachios. It is the sort of salad you could put together at home, but it would take a lot of knife skills to get the vegetables just right. It s finished with a mayonnaise sauce )I would guess), some finely minced herbs, and a spritz of lemon juice.

I was thinking the razor clams would be my favorite, but they came in third--not because they weren't delicious, they were (I had high hopes when I saw a woman at a neighboring table literally licking the clam shells clean)--but everything else was great, and took more preparation, that these kind of paled. If you like shellfish, this is a wonderful dish. I wanted my food to be more something that I would have to really fuss over at home to replicate. This preparation is simple--butter, garlic, parsley, and I would guess broiled.

Our finale was a porchetta sandwich with a salsa verde sauce slathered right on top of the bread, and some slightly sweet pickled vegetables on the side. Our waitress had recommended 2-3 dishes per person--well, this one is enough for two people, with just a couple of other dishes (not that we had any trouble finishing it--we left nothing edible on any of our plates). It is substantial, and the pork is delicious.
My husband had a glass of rose to accompany the meal that was perfect, and the wine list is extensive, and had quite a few reasonably priced options, so you do not have to pay a fortune to drink wine with a meal here. We can't wait to come back.