Sunday Brunch at Blind Pig Tavern proves enjoyable

By: Athena McNair

You know that feeling you get when you sit down at a restaurant and order your food. Every smell that wraps around your nose is amplified. The more you sit there sniffing the air, the more impatient you get for your food to arrive. And when the food finally does arrive, you do something you don't normally do. You talk. You make conversations with friends or family members without staring at your phone every two seconds. You take time to enjoy what you’re eating instead of quickly scarfing it down before you head to work or class. Restaurants gives you an opportunity to press pause on your hectic life schedule and the Blind Pig Tavern is no different. A perfect little restaurant to enjoy with company for a cold beer, a nice afternoon lunch or a friendly dinner. For an affordable price, you get good quality food in an open and friendly environment.

If I’m being honest, I chose the Blind Pig because it was cheap and close to home. But that in no way took away from my overall experience at the restaurant. First impressions mean a lot. So, it felt nice to have a friendly face greet you as soon as you walk in. I can’t tell you how many times I walked out of a restaurant because the hostess was rude or impatient. I didn’t force you to be a hostess. You choose that job.

As my friends and I took a seat it gave me a time to look around the restaurant. I usually order online and pick up my food before heading home. This was my first time I had a chance to sit down inside in the restaurant. You can tell the Blind Pig is a place where groups of people come to gather and enjoy each other’s company or to take in a football game. Most of the action takes place in the bar area. There are TVs plastered all around the room and tables towards the back area where groups of three or more can enjoy their meal.

I’m not someone who often changes a routine when it comes to eating at certain restaurants. Yes, I am one of those people who orders the same damn thing every. Single. Time. But this time I decided to change it up. Instead of ordering my usual to-go order of Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken. I decided to try one of their burgers since my best friend said it’s the “bees knees”. I didn’t know people still said that.

Sometimes change is good because “The Kroz” burger was worth it. This bacon cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, onions and pickle chips was a mouthful. The ground beef was cooked to perfection which is important. Nothing ticks me off more than seeing pink beef when I bite into a burger. The melted cheddar cheese that covered the bacon was enough to make my mouth water. When I bit into it the burger it’s hard not to miss the juicy, flavorful ground beef that was mixed well with the bacon and cheese. Nice to know the cook wasn’t afraid of using real seasoning. It goes down smoothly with a late crunch as the large, raw red onions hit the back row of my teeth. The pickles chips left a great aftertaste as I went to take another bite.

However, the barely-there bun made it difficult to keep everything in place. The onions kept popping out of the sandwich and the pieces of lettuce were too large to fit in the burger. The fries were good but for god’s sake, lay off the salt. There’s a problem if I can taste more of the salt than the fries. I shouldn’t be able to hear the salt falling off the fry and hitting the plate in front of me as I pick one up to eat it.

What was a surprising delight being “The Double D”. A BLT and grilled cheese hybrid topped with a fried egg. I was intrigued when my friend order it but was immediately disgusted when I saw the fried egg yolk was a bit runny. I actually said “Eww!” like a 4-year-old when I saw it on her plate. I mean why don’t you just crack open an egg and pour it in your mouth instead. Since I was in a “researching mood” I decided to give it a try. And...it wasn’t bad. Although, I did try to ignore the runny egg but it worked well with the grilled cheese and BLT. The toasted bread added a nice crunch. The bacon wasn’t too crispy and I barely noticed the egg which was fine by me. Again, lay off the salt on the fries.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend to know a thing about proper wine or beer. But the Blind Pig seems to have a large selection of beer. Whether you like your beer on tap, domestic or imported. A great selection for customers who visit often on weekends to take in the game or two with their buddies.

Besides the food, the overall environment was very inviting. Not much lighting except for the natural light streaming through the open windows. The restaurant had a very southern-diner feel. It allowed for me and friends to openly laugh, talk and have a good time without worrying about disrupting the table behind or across from us. Those are the best type of restaurants because you can be yourself and relax without worrying about holding some high standards when you go to eat out.

When we left after paying the bill, we all looked at each other and smiled because we realized we had a really good time. We had a good meal, a friendly wait staff, TVs to check out the latest sports news and best of all we didn’t have to break bank. We left satisfied and full before pressing play on the rest of our day. The Blind Pig, doesn't have all the glitz and glamour or the menu of a top restaurant, but they offer a peaceful and calm environment with food that makes me think twice about sticking to my Caesar salad.