Eating Out: Pig and Fiddle

I'm back and I've got a lot of food to write about! Here's the first installment...

I was so excited to try the Pig & Fiddle, especially since it's within walking distance from my house. I was looking forward to grabbing a beer, eating some good pub food and watching football games at their bar.

First the good... The beer list lives up to expectations. They have 36 brews on tap and I'm pumped to try every last one of them. I couldn't tell you what we had, but I don't think you can go wrong. For those of you who want a good ole Budweiser, they have that too.

The service was wonderful. Our waitress had clearly been in the industry for some time and was both knowledgeable and passionate about the food and drink. She was there when you needed her and not a hovering when you didn't. Perfection.

The interior has mostly charming attributes. Our table, and those of diners around us, was wobbly. Our server spent quite a bit of time trying to remedy the problem with coasters. When we arrived the dimmed lights were way too low. It was almost a little hard to see in there. I'm all for mood lighting, but this was a little much. On the flip side the column enclosed dining area, complete with fireplace was really relaxing and beautiful looking.

And now the opportunities... I eat out A LOT. I have no problem paying for something special. This food, for one reason or another, was not special. I love the trend of honest European countryside dishes prepared with a bit of additive flair. I think the concepts at P & F are good but I do have a fear they may have come to the 50th and France intersection with an inaccurate perception of the type of people who would make up their client base. A lot of folks in the area may have extra disposable income to burn, but most of them have it because they're smart about getting a value. In that vain, I really do hope they choose to rightsize their portions relative to their prices.

I didn't order any dinner since I'd overdone it at lunch but Mr. S has the Pig & Fiddle Burger ($10). To be clear, there is no 'pig' on the thing. Don't be fooled. Still, I have to hand it to them. The flavor on the burger was great, the fries were delicious and the price was right. I would order this again.

My dad was along for the ride. We were headed to the Edina Film Festival afterward. He decided to order some Polish-Style Perogies ($14), real comfort food. Perogies are one of those foods that are so incredibly cheap and easy to prepare (a ravioli like pocket filled with mashed potatoes and cheese) that single men everywhere stock them in their freezers for quick heating with some butter in a fry pan. Sadly, P & F decided to skimp on what could be such a classically simple dish that satisfies. They delivered a beleaguered plate with five small perogies in the center with a little sour cream. This plate was not worth $14. You actually feel like you've been taken advantage of when you get something like this. You start to sweat and contemplate whether or not you want to be the customer that sends something back. That's not a good feeling to have at a restaurant. 

We also tried a dessert ($5, I can't remember the name) touted by our waitress. She made it sound like a twist on an apple pie and my mouth was watering. When the dessert arrived I almost started to chuckle. The scoop of ice cream on top of a vanilla cake--baked with some streusel topping, candied green apples and pineapple--was about the size of a golf ball. It was a little absurd. It was also a bit dry. It could use some version of caramel sauce or just a more generous serving of ice cream to smooth out the texture. Not surprisingly, we ran out of ice cream before the cake was gone. It was as sad a moment as it sounds.

I'm going to give the place a bit to get their food identity solidified and give them another shot. In the meantime I'll keep going for the beers!

Rating: C, but could be an easy B with a few adjustments!

Pig and Fiddle
3808 W 50th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55410
(952) 955-8385