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| - Facing Dean Martin Drive in the ground floor of Panorama Towers, The Blind Pig stands unique in its upscale yet unpretentious interior design, its split operation (restaurant/bar on one side, quick packaged deli on the other), and its level of service in its immediate neighborhood.
Friends and I often meet here due to its proximity to Liberace Garage, just down Dean Martin Drive. You would have to cross over the freeway to City Center and the Strip or travel a several miles west before coming across a competitor. It sits defiantly in the industrial sector, but overlooking the gleaming towers of City Center just across I-15. This makes its ambiance, design and level of service almost defiant when juxtaposed with the location, and very refreshing. High ceilings and retro-industrial feel cross with diamond-tuck booths. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the east wall make it bright by day, scenic by night, conditions magnified if you sit on the patio. The bartenders are serious mixologists with great inventory.
The Blind Pig just underwent a renovation of its patio and re-vamp of its menu, so I was eager to try it out. I was happy to see they didn't seem to change what was already working, with a minor exception or two below. The patio saw the addition of heavier barriers to the parking lot and heaters.
The menu has always been a bit of Italian fusion, with decent gluten free pizza options, great French Dip and pulled pork. It was quite unique in its variety. The new incarnation appears to be an attempt to be more Italian, with other options falling off. Paper-in-portfolio menus have unfortunately given way to laminated one pagers, with heavy lettering of the I-wish-this-looked-like-a-little-italy-joint. It's an odd Denny's sort of intro to a place that otherwise seems more sophisticated - not to mention that laminate collects finger germs and is seldom sterilized. Nobody wants to have to do a hand wash between ordering and eating.
The coffee is a problem. They don't brew, they use those ridiculous capsules, as if this were a free breakfast at a Holiday Inn. The cappuccino, while not horrible, is likewise from a machine (you won't need sugar), not a barista. That's forgivable to me, but not at the ~$6 they charge. If you are trying for an Italian authenticity, you can't do it without teaching staff to make espresso and cappuccino at a minimum, and don't insult me by pricing like its the real thing when it isn't. Even a regular black coffee refill will cost you full price ~$3. It will also refill the landfill, given the amount of garbage created from one cup of this pre-measured capsule stuff. I suggest dumping the Marriott Courtyard lobby machine and sticking to the real thing. I hope they change this, I'd love to update and say this is fixed.
The music is usually the perfect level or conversation and is themed to standards of the Sinatra era, at least as of this writing. It fits well. The service is consistently good without being in your face all the time. In short, great design, good menu with these minor quirks to work out. The blind pig is great asset to its neighborhood.
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