Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Seared diver scallops with butternut squash and pumpkin relish at The Chocolate Pig in the Central West End
Like a box of Bissinger’s fine chocolates, The Chocolate Pig is a showstopper. The highly anticipated 150-seat restaurant opened November 8 at 4220 Duncan, in the Cortex Innovation Hall in the Central West End, at 4 p.m. After that, it assumed regular lunch and dinner hours: Monday–Thursday from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. and Friday–Saturday from 11 a.m. – midnight.
Despite the catchy name, The Chocolate Pig is a serious undertaking, the name a nod to its farm-to-table/nose-to-tail mentality and the ownership (sister spaces include Handcrafted by Bissinger’s in the CWE and The Caramel Room at Bissinger’s, located inside the eponymous chocolate factory downtown).
Similar to the other Bissinger’s installations, the design (from CWE resident Brett Clark of Savvy Interior Design) alludes to the different nuances of chocolate.
The bar boasts wavy glassy tiles evocative of chocolate nibs, or maybe shards broken from a bittersweet bar. The floor is a pastiche of cocoa-brown wood and honeycomb-like tile. Lights in the pastry show kitchen are made from scissor pendants sourced from a Dutch warehouse. The massive kitchen door is laser-cut to look like flowing chocolate. The net effect is a combination of adaptive reuse and ultra-sleek modern that melt together blissfully, like a chocolate bar on a hot day.
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Photo credit SwitzerFilm
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Photo credit SwitzerFilm
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Pastry chef Tyler Davis previously worked at the recently shuttered Element, though you might also recognize him from his appearance on Season 3 of Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship (and the MVP at SLM's recent Pumpkin Wars: Chefs v. Surgeons event). He kicks out takes on such blast-from-the-past items as Milk & Cereal (malted milk ice cream, caramelized pork rinds, dulce de leche, and caramelized bananas), as well as such alchemical wizardry as the Peanut Butter Bomb—a dark chocolate dome (available in two sizes) that explodes under poured hot berry sauce, exposing peanut butter mousse, cookie crumbles, and nitrogen-frozen berries.
Davis uses a small steel anti-griddle to flash-freeze puréed frozen garnishes and ice cream that he can scrape and roll, Thai-style. An elaborate system of insulated tubes terminates at two mixing bowls, where nitro ice cream is made on the spot, accompanied by smoke and fog produced from liquid nitrogen. Davis’ arsenal also includes a chocolate-tempering and coating machine for chocolate-dipping such goodies as house-cured, cherrywood smoked, 70 percent Bissinger’s dark chocolate–coated bacon, which can be added to a half-pound burger.
On the savory side of the menu, chef Patrick Russell keeps pace with his pastry chef counterpart, describing the gastropub-like menu as “technique-driven, locally sourced food presented with international flavors.” Whole-animal butchery produces items include the Bacon Flight (beef belly, lamb belly, and pork) served with herbed white chocolate. Hearty items like cassoulet and lamb shanks appear on the winter’s-doorstep inaugural menu.
But the early stars of the show come from the sharable plates on the menu. Besides the aforementioned bacon flight, the garlic and lime marinated beets (a vegan and gluten-free item) is a must. The same goes for the piquillo peppers stuffed with smoked carrots and cauliflower.
Then there’s chef Russell’s Chicken Fried Brussels Sprouts, an item that general manager and industry vet Steve Bleisch has seen “on pretty much every table” during soft openings. Russell first marinates the sprouts in buttermilk for 24 hours, then breads and fries them in a batter that he’s honed over many years. Splinters of candied lemon and a buttermilk dressing accompany what will surely become a signature dish.
The host stand acts as a beacon, visible from all four entrances. Zero in on the three hand-blown orbs that only become translucent when the Edison bulbs are illuminated, lighthouse style. The best seats in the house are the three semi-circular booths (one almost hidden behind the bar) with a hammered mixed metal, kettle drum–shaped chandelier above each. The entire exposed ceiling has been coated with a flat-black sound-absorptive material.
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Neutral minimalist tones were chosen so as not to compete with what’s on the plate. “Color is presented in the dishes, not so much in the design itself,” says Clark.
The same can be said for the signature cocktails, each named after key personnel. For example, the genesis of Clark's namesake cocktail (a concoction made with tequila, golden falernum liqueur, lime, grapefruit, hibiscus syrup, and sparkling wine) was a drink—a very pink drink— that he accidentally ordered in Boston. "I never lived it down...apparently," he jokes.
With 150 seats inside and two patios (including lounge seating and a fire pit), the restaurant is a key component of Cortex Innovation Hall, a public workspace, programming hub, and multi-room event venue that accommodates four to 200 people.
The sweet marriage of soups, salads, sharables, and desserts offers an elevated, eclectic, “upscale-but-not-too-upscale" experience, says Russell. The menu is apropos for the wide demographic present in the Cortex, where diners will discover a neighborhood restaurant that’s well-suited to the neighborhood.
