2922 North Hayden Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85251(480) 990-1407
Parking: in strip mall parking lot
Hours: Daily Happy Hour 4-6pm, Dinner 4-10pm, Late night 10pm-1am, Brunch Sundays 10am-2pm
http://pigandpickle.com/
Last Visited: May 12, 2014
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
I first read about this restaurant on the web and since my first choice restaurant turned out to be closed, this one seemed like a good option. Who doesn't like bacon and pork? When we entered the restaurant, it felt a bit on the dim side. Once inside for a while, the red and yellow accent walls and somewhat bizarre art can be noticed. The bar had high top tables near it and regular height tables on the other side of the dining room next to the kitchen. We were lucky that we arrived early for dinner and with happy hour specials being only $5 each, we ordered a bunch of them to try as much as we could.
Service was just ok - when they were with us, it was good, but I found that there was definitely room for improvement. Water glasses were frequently empty, and when I ordered, the server initially seemed ready to take my order without any notes, but quickly pulled out paper when I got beyond the third item. When it was time to pay the check, nobody was around and I had to flag someone down to get a box and my bill. Our server was Christina. She was pleasant when she was with us, but it felt like service was somewhat absent.
All of the dishes below came from the happy hour menu and were $5 each.
- Bahn mi - Liver smear, ham, and hoisin glazed pork on fresh baguette. The baguette was really good, nicely toasted. Some of the same veggies used in the salad show up on the bahn mi, but pickled - cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, jalapenos, and pea sprouts. The smear was good. The glazed pork and ham were ok, but not like real bahn mi. One problem with this dish was that the pickled vegetables were not evenly pickled. Some completely lacked any pickling while others were super sour. All were probably supposed to come from the same batch. The pickling was not sweet and sour like bahn mi veggies should be, so it missed the sweetness which contrasts the rest of the flavors. Just ok. I would prefer to get the smear alone with bread. 
- Chef's charcuterie - Offal, sausage, pretzel bread, bread and butter pickles, pickled beets, pickled grapes, stuffed chicken sausage, caramelized onions, apricot jam, whole grain mustard, and butter are served with pretzel bread and foccacia bread. This was extremely reasonable for the variety that you get - in California, it would be double the price even for happy hour. The meats were nothing to call home about, but the combination of pickled items with meats was good.
- Beer Cheese - Pretzel bread, grape tomatoes, a single fried tortilla shell, and a mixture of pickled carrots and red onion are served with a dish of hot beer cheese. I thought the initial taste was good, but as I ate this more, I found it very rich with it getting sweet and bitter with each bite - just a strange combination. I didn't enjoy this dish at all, but I was hoping for something more reminiscent of fondue. It's rare that I stop eating a dish and this was one of those occasions. I would not order this again.
- Tacos with pork belly, siracha, scallion - Diced pork belly is covered in what seems like a thickened siracha sauce is topped with scallions, grated cheese, and a small piece of avocado. The siracha was too overwhelming and I could no longer taste the crispiness of the pork belly. The avocado quantity was also too small to really enjoy the combination of textures. This dish was just so-so for me.
- Pork Tostadas with ginger aioli, kimchi, scallions - Two tostadas are served over salad greens. The tostada shells were crispy, but pretty greasy. The pulled pork was tender and mild, and although the kimchi was not close enough to the real thing for my taste, the combination of topping ingredients tasted good. Two to three stars because of the greasy shell. Pig & Pickle offers a variety of dishes from seafood to sandwiches. There is a lot of fried options on the menu. I take responsibility for not selecting a more balanced selection of dishes, but I also think many of the items were on the greasy side. After dinner, I felt pretty uncomfortable. Pig & Pickle offers great happy hour values, but if you've had authentic banh mi or other ethnic dishes, they aren't quite up to par with those.
Service could be better, but presentation is nice. A few tweaks with components of the menu and service could really improve the overall experience.
