Review: The Spotted Pig

For some unknown reason my wife is an Atlanta Braves fan. I grew up a Braves fan, but kind of got tired of pulling for them because "they're the closest team we have." I grew up liking the Chicago Cubs (Ryne Samburg was the reason I played 2nd base my whole life, well him and the fact that I was slow and had a rag arm) and Oakland A's (because picking the furthest possible team is so much better). Then when Tony La Russa and Mark McGwire moved to St Louis, my fandom was part of the trade as well, and they joined my list of MLB teams I pull for.

We will normally be found at Turner Field 5-10+ times a season, but this year, with the wedding and everything going on it's been closer to the low end of that. 

As we pulled out of the drive Saturday morning, I ask her if she'd look on her phone to see if she could find us a new BBQ joint to try on the way. We've stopped at Shane's Rib Shack on numerous trips, but was feeling something new. She finds The Spotted Pig in Fair Play, SC just before we cross into GA. Little did she know how perfect her find was, because we actually pulled in almost right at 12:15 ... can't get much closer to lunch time than that. 

I didn't try to mustard base, but the mix of sweet and spicy was delicious. Some of the best sauce I've ever had.

Dawn got the pulled pork sandwich with baked beans and sweet potato crunch. She really liked the sweet potato crunch, but kept raving about the beans and how they had different types of beans and some pork too. 

Of course, I had to get the combo plate, so I could sample it all. The fries were good. They were regular fries with salt, so nothing special. The pulled pork was just that, pulled pork. If there's one thing that drives me crazy it's a menu that says pulled pork and you get chopped. It's not that big of a deal, but it's not the same thing. Just say chopped if it's chopped. Well, here, it's pulled, and it's great. They're not a big heavy rub applier with their butts, but you get a good hickory smoke flavor in there with it and it's good. Add a dab or two of the spicy and a little of the sweet ... mmm. 

And now, the ribs. Actually, I'm just going to go ahead and cut to the next picture ... scroll down. 

This is one of the best bites of a rib I've ever had in a restaurant. I've sure you've seen my "fall off the bone" rant plenty of times to know that is NOT how they really should be. I actually got to enjoy eating these ribs the way you're supposed to and not have to pick up the meat with a fork or my hands. 

It's funny, because after I took this picture Dawn mentioned that she was worried, because she read some reviews and everyone said how good the food was "but the ribs are a little tough." The ribs aren't tough, you just have to know how to eat them. 

One of the coolest things I've ever seen in a BBQ joint (or any restaurant for that matter) is this sink they had right in the middle of the sitting area. I'm not a clean rib eater, so I put this thing to good use. Yes, this is more than just for looks, it actually really works. 

As we were pulling out of the drive I told Dawn, "well we've found our new "on the way to Atlanta" stop." If you're ever on 85 going to Atl, or coming to Greenville, do yourself a favor and get off on Exit 1 to HWY 11 and go north. It's just 4 miles off the interstate, so it's not going to kill you.