The Iberian Pig
I have a restaurant to recommend...The Iberian Pig in Decatur. To quote the website "...a modern Spanish restaurant utilizing the ingredients of Spain as inspiration to create new and unique dishes." Folks, this is SERIOUS food. We started with drinks...wine for WereMonkey, Nelson and Bridget, a frosty Hennepin for me. We went the tapas route and ordered the following amazing dishes to share among us...
Esparragos con Moscatel - Asparagus served with Serrano ham, shaved Manchego cheese, Chilean extra virgin olive oil, moscatel wine reduction - cooked to perfection with a hint of smoke and char from grilling, a little piquant and set off nicely by the cheese and ham.
Cocas Flatbread Mushroom - Black truffle crème fraiche, cremini, oyster, shiitake mushrooms, shaved Mahón cheese - I LOVE mushrooms and this huge flatbread was very rich and fragrant with the oyster `shrooms (my new favorite) every bit as satisfying as any meat.
Albondigas - Wild boar sausage meatballs stuffed with piquillo peppers, Macedonian dates, and roasted tomatoes. Finished with a pimenton crème and oyster mushrooms - The only thing that I could say was "ooh-ooh-ooh" when I was eating this. Incredible with just enough gamey taste and strong but balanced spices with a delicious sage overtone.
BBQ Octopus - Slow simmered all day then char grilled, house made BBQ sauce, fennel, shallots, pork belly, and crunchy potatoes - Octopus is not my bag, but I did try a bite of the pork belly and found the BBQ sauce to be a bit heavy and on the sweet side. The potatoes were great...nice execution with a tender, almost fluffy interior and crunchy exterior. No images on this one as it came late and we were toooo busy with the other wonders.
For "dessert" we had? You guessed it...Jamon Iberico - 1 oz. from the famous black footed Iberian pigs of Spain. This is one of the most prized cured meats in the world - There are not words to describe how incredibly good this is. It literally brought tears to my eyes! The thinly shaved slices practically melted on the tongue. A little sweet/salty/buttery and one of the better pork experiences that I have enjoyed.
A wonderful evening and kind of a pre-Valentine's Day dinner, shared with friends. Best of all, we got out of there @ $60.00 for the two of us, including drinks and tip. Check it out.
http://www.iberianpigatl.com/
Esparragos con Moscatel - Asparagus served with Serrano ham, shaved Manchego cheese, Chilean extra virgin olive oil, moscatel wine reduction - cooked to perfection with a hint of smoke and char from grilling, a little piquant and set off nicely by the cheese and ham.
Cocas Flatbread Mushroom - Black truffle crème fraiche, cremini, oyster, shiitake mushrooms, shaved Mahón cheese - I LOVE mushrooms and this huge flatbread was very rich and fragrant with the oyster `shrooms (my new favorite) every bit as satisfying as any meat.
Albondigas - Wild boar sausage meatballs stuffed with piquillo peppers, Macedonian dates, and roasted tomatoes. Finished with a pimenton crème and oyster mushrooms - The only thing that I could say was "ooh-ooh-ooh" when I was eating this. Incredible with just enough gamey taste and strong but balanced spices with a delicious sage overtone.
BBQ Octopus - Slow simmered all day then char grilled, house made BBQ sauce, fennel, shallots, pork belly, and crunchy potatoes - Octopus is not my bag, but I did try a bite of the pork belly and found the BBQ sauce to be a bit heavy and on the sweet side. The potatoes were great...nice execution with a tender, almost fluffy interior and crunchy exterior. No images on this one as it came late and we were toooo busy with the other wonders.
For "dessert" we had? You guessed it...Jamon Iberico - 1 oz. from the famous black footed Iberian pigs of Spain. This is one of the most prized cured meats in the world - There are not words to describe how incredibly good this is. It literally brought tears to my eyes! The thinly shaved slices practically melted on the tongue. A little sweet/salty/buttery and one of the better pork experiences that I have enjoyed.
A wonderful evening and kind of a pre-Valentine's Day dinner, shared with friends. Best of all, we got out of there @ $60.00 for the two of us, including drinks and tip. Check it out.
http://www.iberianpigatl.com/