It’s so hard to talk about a place that is brand new. It’s not just that it’s my first impression of the place. It’s everyone’s first impression because it didn’t exist until a week or two ago. It will probably be a totally different bar by the end of the year.
We showed up at The Whistling Pig on Mother’s Day shortly after noon. Understandably, the place was not packed. The first pleasant surprise was that, despite the glass exterior walls, it was not brightly lit. You’re not supposed to feel like you’re in shopping center even if you are in a shopping center. The brunch menu was not available yet but they were offering $2 Mimosas and $5 Bloody Marys. That was the second nice surprise.
Asher Stevens from Cock & Bull is the chef at this new pub. So, we decided to have lunch. We started with Pulled Pork Fried Jalapenos ($9). Packed full of flavor. Meaty to the max and hotter than hell. If I ate all five of those myself I would have had to skip the sandwich. They are a substantial snack.
The house-made pulled pork, which showed up again on the Cuban sandwich ($14), was moist and tender. Very good. Along with ham, baby Swiss and thinly sliced dill pickles, the sandwich was pressed, toasted and “melty”, just as described. We opted for “Texas Toothpicks” instead of fries. Strips of onion and jalapeno were battered and deep fried. Excellent and only mildly spicy.
It makes it worth the 15+ years we lived here with no decent pubs and only chain restaurants to see this kind of new life in East Dallas. We will be visiting again soon, I’m sure. Great to meet you, Pig!
Eating In Dallas 