Smashing! The Smashed Pig, a Delicious Friend

I realize that it's been quite a while since I have written.  Here are my excuses:

1. I've been out of town some (went to San Fran a couple weeks ago).

2. Had Court hearings to prepare for.

3. I've been doing freelance blogging for cash money.

Please accept these excuses.  

Now, I recently had a burfday.  Because it was my birthday, I manipulated my colleagues to go to a favorite of mine, The Smashed Pig.  This Fremont eatery is one of my favorites (or favourites).  If you know me (or think you know me) you know that I am a huge fan of the salted meats, or salumi.  Further, I am generally a fan of pig, the cooked variety.  When I saw this restaurant moving in, I knew we would be friends.  

I've been there a few times, but today I will chronicle my anniversary visit.  

 

We start, of course, with the appetizers.  I had been meaning to eat a scotch egg since I had heard of their existence.  So, of course, the Smashed Pig has a special take on that classic.  Instead of a whole fried egg wrapped in crumbs, they have "scotched" deviled eggs.  The white is breaded and fried with the yolk prepared with large chunks of pickle.  I have stopped eating deviled eggs.  While it would be fun to say it was for religious reasons, I have recently just been weirded out by the consistency of the yolk preparation (same with avocados).  It drives my wife crazy that I'll eat pork cheeks and cow intestine but recently decided I was not doing devilled eggs and avocado, but, one must understand that when they make a television show out of my life, these quirks will be ratings gold.  So this egg was delicious.  My only complaint is that the egg white is a tad rubbery, but that's just what happens when you deep fry an egg white.  

 

Speaking of salumi, I like to order a charcuterie or cheese board for my meal sometimes.  I love it because I love cheese and salted meats, generally, but even more, the charcuterie board and/or cheese plate is like a a set of Lego blocks for a foodie.  All the pieces are there, and you can arrange them however you like.  You can mix the soft cheese with bread and have a mild bite.  You can take the pickled vegetables and pair them with a hard cheese and a salted meat for a complex bite.  You can have meat and fruit for a salty/sweet bite. The same can be said for the textures on this type of board as well.  If we are going to take unwarranted leaps of logic, we could argue that this is like a brain exercise as well.  You can enhance your memory and creativity while getting fat.  It's a win/win.  Unfortunately, earlier this year I had the best charcuterie board I'd every had.  As a result, the Smashed Pig provided only one of my favorite meat and cheese boards, not the absolute best I'd ever had.  

 

The special of the day, I didn't order it, was a braised pork sandwich.  Collegiality and the fact that it was my birthday, meant I was given a taste.  It was great.  It was what a braised meat shoudl be: moist and flavorful.  

 

Since I'm on a diet, I try not to order desserts.  But, since I was celebrating the fact that I'd managed to not be killed by mine or someone else's stupidity for another year, I ordered the sticky toffee pudding.  I don't know the rules for a sticky toffee pudding, so I can't compare this with the standard to see if it is an exceptional example or not.  I can, however, say that I loved this version, whether or not it was authentic.  The toffee was a slightly burned caramel.  It gave the dessert a mature flavor. The slight hint of bitterness made it seem like a grown up dessert (the kind that has a job in an office), while the whipped cream and bread-y portion showed it was young at heart (and likely still watched cartoons).  It was well balanced and delicious.

Indeed, the Smashed Pig is one of my good friends in downtown Las Vegas.  It has reliable go-tos and the innovative daily specials that are great.  It isn't insanely expensive, so the Smashed Pig is a friend I can visit frequently.