The Pig & The Lady Awards

The Pig & The Lady Restaurant Review:

Maintaining its farmers market pop-ups, the family that runs The Pig and The Lady also established a brick-and-mortar location in Chinatown. Chef Andrew Le’s menu finds inspiration in the casual street foods of Vietnam, putting twists on classics, like the pho French dip bahn mi stuffed with 12-hour-cooked brisket and Thai basil-cilantro chimichurri, dipped in Mama Le's rich beef pho stock. Noodle soups range from traditional pho to tsukemen-style where the noodles and toppings of brisket, green onion, peanut, basil and salt-cured egg yolk come on a plate and are eaten by dipping the noodles into a concentrated broth served alongside. Family-style Primal Offerings feature whole roasted pig's head or pork shank, accompanied by oysters on the half shell to balance the rich meats, and they make for an interactive and fun dinner for groups of four to six or more. Creative specials change often and include appetizers, hand-cut pastas and whole fish preparations. Desserts tend to present savory, fresh elements, perhaps shiso, carrot or avocado that will surprise you in a good way. Beer, wine, saké and non-alcoholic libations such as house-made ginger beer are available. But consider as well the cocktails crafted by Kyle Reutner: The Golden Pig, a mix of Champagne and lemon grass over crushed ice, or Cobra Commander made with avocado mezcal, grapefruit liqueur and a sriracha ice cube.