. "2014-04-24T00:00:00"^^ . "3"^^ . "4"^^ . "We originally headed to Bridgeland for sushi but saw that Black Pig Bistro was open for business and that there were some empty tables. We snagged a table and were surprised to find a friend of ours as one of the servers. \nThe Bistro is at once very elegant and comfortable with soft lighting and large windows. We were seated right away and asked if we would like drinks right away...I ordered the Black Pig Spritz and Hubby ordered a Pinot Noir. They didn't have regular soda but my son was happy with the San Pellegrino as it is one of his favourites. \nThe menu was small and focused so we had quite a large discussion about which starters to order and who was to eat what. Eventually I just told them to order what they all wanted and not to worry. We all ended up well fed and were able to share around the table anyway as the portions are quite large.\nI had the Salted Cod Tortellini and I thought it was pretty good. The pasta was cooked nicely and was of a good quality. I wasn't as happy with the filling as it was a bit runny. The pur\u00E9e tasted a lot like the vegetable spread you get on Italian sandwiches (probably because it was a pepper pur\u00E9e....and I really thought the crispy kale chips were a great touch. Everything was well balanced and seasoned.\nHubby was really excited to find chicken liver parfait and had it all to himself (!). He could have maybe used a couple of more bread rounds to finish the whole jar off.\nThe winning dish of our round of starters were definitely the pork hot dogs. Mmmm...cute little buns and house made pork sausages with garlic aioli and manchengo. I'm really glad he was in a sharing mood and that we were all allowed a bite.\nFor our mains, Hubby and I both chose the Beef Cheek Risotto with saffron and tomato. The risotto was absolutely perfect. It was creamy with just the right amount of saffron. I loved the acidity from the tomatoes. Both hubby and I were a bit worried when the server set the plates down and we didn't see one bit of beef cheek as we expected it to be perched atop the golden risotto. We had definitely worried for nothing as there was more than enough beef cheek hidden underneath. \nOur son had the Pork and Beans. I was thinking of ordering it but thought it might be too heavy because I had a preconceived notion of what the dish was in my mind. It couldn't have been more opposite to what I had expected. What a fantastic dish! My son, who is 13, probably said about 3 or 4 times how delicious it was. He loved the simple flavours, the olive oil, and the roasted porchetta. His only complaint was there weren't enough of the broad beans. They are his favourite now. I can see that I'm going to have to have a go at this dish at home.\nMy daughter has a lighter appetite so she decided to go with two items off the starter list. She had the same tortellini as I did as well as the Green Salad. She is also very picky and was not a big fan of the herbs. I think she enjoyed the rest of the salad, especially the avocado dressing and green grapes. I had a bit of the salad and I will confirm it is a stunner!\nWe were very impressed with the service (it was first day after all!) and our food arrived in a timely manner.\nI do have to say the pricing may be a bit steep, however one must keep in mind that location, ambiance, and surroundings should be taken into account when dining out. We left the restaurant too full to try one of the amazing desserts on menu so I will testify that the portions are definitely more than adequate.\nI would visit again, maybe for lunch though it really is out of our way as we live in the deep south of the city. I have a feeling Black Pig Bistro is going to become a neighbourhood favourite."^^ . "7"^^ . . "4"^^ . .