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| - I've been to Pig in a Fur Coat twice in the past year, and it deserves all the praise it gets for having creative, tasty dishes that involve my favorite food: pork. I stopped in a year ago, and more recently, last night. The atmosphere is cozy, with a modern rustic decor that is well lit, but warm and intimate.
Favorite first: The first visit was also my first time trying pork belly, and it was a sublime experience - melt-in-your-mouth, but perfectly crisped along the edges. Paired with sweet potatoes, this is easily the best pork belly I've had even since then.
As far as appetizers go, people seem to really dig the duck fat fries. I'm not really sure why - not to say they're bad, but I wasn't blown away. The aioli was light and creamy with a nice smack of garlic, but the fries themselves were something I felt I could get anywhere in Madison. After a few fries, I let my companion finish them off.
And why get the duck fries when you can get the dates (ok, you don't have to choose, you could get them both). I'm a big fan of the dates stuffed with chorizo - sweet and savory, with brightness from the peppers in the dish.
In addition to the fantastic pork belly small plate, I've had the pappardelle, and the octopus. The pappardelle is perfect for the fall and winter, or any time you need a pasta comfort food dish. The bolognese was perfectly seasoned, and complemented the pasta by covering it, but not coagulating onto it (pet peeve).
Don't let the octopus scare you off - I lived in Italy for a while and one of my favorite meals was octopus over potatoes. Since I've come back to the states, I've searched for a restaurant that can match that experience, with consistent disappointment. I'm happy to say Pig in a Fur Coat breaks that sad streak - the octopus was perfect, prepared over garbanzo beans (which I actually enjoyed more than the potatoes). The peppers used are the same as those in the dates - mild but bright, and the slivered olives on the top provide a nice punch of salt. Well done, Pig in a Fur Coat, well done.
As far as large plates, I've tried the veal breast which people also seem to love. It was good, but not something so outstanding I'd order it over trying something new. The meat was cooked to be a little tougher than I was expecting, and after a few bites, I let my friend take over in favor of more pork belly.
Vino: they have a nice wine list, and the staff is more than happy to help you pick out a glass to go with whatever dishes you are choosing that evening. Last night, the waiter was kind enough to chat with us for about 5 minutes about the different wines, and the vineyards they came from. As a result, I tried a corvina which I might have passed over, but I'm glad I didn't.
More on the staff: very helpful, but not overwhelming. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the different dishes, and was happy to share it with us. He didn't direct us to the most expensive items on the plate either, which always ratchets up the credibility points with me.
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