Few things attract me more than attention to detail. The tiniest details, the kinds you could very easily miss. Like a painting or photograph to which you find yourself returning, each time catching something new — a brushstroke, a shadow.
My first two introductions to the Dog and Pig Show weren’t intentional. The first was a catered event and the second was a large takeout order for a business gathering. I did little more than graze and nibble on both occasions and nothing necessarily jumped out at me. But the unusual mouthful of a name, the Dog and Pig Show, embedded itself in my head. I learned from a little online research that the name was inspired by the Chinese zodiac signs of the couple behind the curtain, New Orleans transplants Isabel and James Eckrosh: He was born in the year the dog and she in the year of the pig.
Upon crossing the threshold of their spot at 25th and Marshall streets, you can see immediately that this space, with its exposed brick, flagstone floor, living wall of plants, vintage cash register, and marble and reclaimed wood surfaces, is tailor-made to be fetishized by hipsters and Instagrammers alike. It’s stylistically and thematically right at home nestled among the ever-growing Church Hill family of restaurants.
And somewhere in the distance, an Edison light bulb flickers on.
The small, mostly fixed menu, neatly written on a chalkboard above the register, lists about a half-dozen options, many of which involve grits. All have Southern, Creole and Asian influence, a flavor trajectory that mirrors chef Eckcrosh’s culinary résumé. Here, the food is big in both taste and size. To be clear, it’s all very good. If you’re fortunate enough to get it while it’s on the menu, the tomato-habanero soup ($5) is beautifully executed, perfectly balanced in spicy and sweet and cut with a little dollop of creamy goat cheese. I find the restaurant’s latest soup to be an exciting surprise — a simultaneously elegant and soulful shrimp bisque ($6), which is intensely briny with each tender bite of shrimp cooked masterfully and tasting distinctly of the sea. Be sure to order the spicy, sour, sweet and bitter Laotian hot salad ($7.95) which will besiege your senses with a bouquet of lime, chili, fish sauce and garlic the moment you remove the lid.
This is the point where I should probably note that one thing: The Dog and Pig Show has no chairs. Or tables — city code forbids them, it’s explained. So hope for a square of space on the one small bench under the living wall, or you’ll find yourself balancing your lunch on a narrow shelf set into the opposite wall. If you’re the outdoorsy type, there’s a bench outside. Or you can simply take your food home.
The Eckroshes have taken great care in the Dog and Pig Show’s packaging. It’s beautiful, eco-friendly and carefully stamped with their well-designed logo. Unfortunately, traveling even a short distance with a hot, pressed, grilled-cheese sandwich ($7) causes the bread to lose its crisp and the cheese to congeal. But the abundant pulled pork po’ boy ($9) is undoubtedly better enjoyed directly from kitchen to table with soap and water close by to freshen up.
My kingdom for a table to truly savor the shrimp and grits ($12) composed of rich, lavishly bacon-buttered cheese grits with kimchi, fresh herbs and roe. Again, the shrimp are impeccable — and they travel surprisingly well. Because it’s de rigeur these days, there are steak, bacon, chicken and pimiento cheese options ($7-$8) within the other iterations of the grits dishes. And you always can add a six-minute egg to the mix. I tell you what, that egg is perfect every time. And like the shrimp, that egg maintains its composure for the long haul. It will even stay perfect for leftovers the next day. And with these portions, you’ll always have leftovers.
You’d be remiss to not order the desserts — this, in addition to all of the aesthetic attention to detail, is Isabel’s arena. The milk-and-cookie bar ($3.50), a moist, dense and buttery strata of yellow cake, cookie crumb sprinkles and a custardy cream crust ($3.50) perfectly pairs with that precious little bench under the living wall.
I do hope the savory menu changes with the seasons and lightens up a bit for the warmer weather. I would welcome a few more snackables — items that are a little more takeaway or sit-on-a-bench-in-the-warm-sunshine-friendly. While you’ll certainly find me among the Instagrammers snapping away at that living wall while I await my order, my car’s dashboard would benefit from a couple of distressed, rustic metal bistro tables and chairs out front for proper soup-and-grilled cheese enjoyment. This food deserves it. S
The Dog and Pig Show
314 N. 25th St.
303-5958
Tuesdays-Fridays 11 a.m.-7.p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
thedogandpigshow.com