Bourgeois Pig

Setting aside the pastels, the Bourgeois Pig is tres Marie Antoinette with gilded mirrors, luscious antique chairs and bordello decor. We stepped in to negotiate seats- a process which took twenty minutes, a one stool and one standing stint and a few tucks behind curtains. We secured a table in the window, graciously offered by the very thin hostess in thick wire glasses, thick mustache and three-piece suit.

The cocktail list is dominated by bubbly and designed by Death & Co mixologist Philip Ward. For our first round, I sipped the Marie Antoinette (it only seemed appropriate) with champagne, blood orange and orange bitters. My company, the Bordello with housemade pineapple reduction and Pol Roger champagne. Both delicious, the frothy Marie simply wonderful.

We couldn't leave after one, ergo, we committed to a champagne punch bowl with coriander syrup, Lillet and cucumber. The delicious cocktail is served with one massive cylinder of ice and in an old school punch bowl with ladle and mugs (I'm in the market to add one to my own kitchen now). We nibbled the lump Maine lobster dip from the the small plates menu. Mixed with artichokes, cheese and lemon, the dish came topped with bread crumbs and accompanied by sliced baguette. "Lump," is not exactly an accurate description of the lobster element, but it's pretty hard to go wrong to melty cheese dip with your bubbly!