Blind Pig

R.I.P. little piggie-​Good riddance.

Hip, nouveau BBQ joint. Reminds me of a scaled-​down Jim N Nicks with its studied casualness. The food was good but it was hard to feel relaxed here.
The service was so-​so, which is disappointing. They forgot my silverware and took awhile to bring refills of beer.
I recently read an email from Groupon that this place is closing and re-​opening as Fish and Co on 2÷3÷2011. I also read an article in the Tennesseean a month or so ago about Fish and Co and I may have to come back in to see whats changed.

I used to LOVE coming here. There were such good menu options and there was a lot of different stuff to choose from that I was willing to overlook the priciness. We went there today for lunch and they’ve cut the menu in half and have taken away a lot of good stuff! Boo.
No more shrimp corndogs, no more russian potato cake, no more open-​face pork sandwich. I’m assuming they’ve changed chefs or something since so much was missing OR they’ve cut back because of economy-​issues (in which case, bring back the good food, lower the price by about $ 2 and then more people will come!).
Service has always been slow there, but again I was willing to overlook it. Today our service was even slower and our waitress seemed more into socializing with our group than doing her job. I’m all for socializing w/​the waiters, but not if it’s causing the service to be bad (especially when there’s no one in there!). Every one of us that went today were disappointed by the change in menu and the food we did order. That’ll probably be my last time going there, which sucks.

The St. louis BBQ ribs were great.
Flat iron steak great
Squash casarole — Sundays only (hmmm)
Corn pudding
BBQ cabbage– liked it
Mash potatoes — great

Since it came a wee bit of a snowstorm on my birthday, I had to cancel my birthday dinner at Blind Pig. But this Sunday the skies were clear, I was buzzed, and my dad and I finally got to celebrate our birthdays by eating delicious pig!
I had no idea what to expect but I have been excited about this place after seeing the smoker out back every time I come to get my hair done at Trim next door. When you go in, the atmosphere is more BBQ joint than fancy restaurant, but perhaps a touch more classy. There’s a full bar back there behind the bar which is an anomaly at a BBQ place. I did like the Christmas pig decorations — light up pig in Santa suit and pig Christmas stockings. Hello, that’s just cute.
So we had a seat in a booth and the waitress came over to take our orders. I got the pulled pork plate with the sweet corn and mac and cheese. Sadly the sweet potatoes were sold out so I will have to come back and try that. The pork was smoky and had a good flavor. I liked the traditional sauce on it. I didn’t like the watery Carolina sauce or the mustard based sauce. The Memphis sweet sauce was ok but I really wish there had been a more fiery option! The corn was delicious and the mac and cheese was good. The parents didn’t like the green bean casserole so much but then, they are used to green beans being cooked with ham hocks until pretty much mushy. I tried my brother’s rib and although it didn’t fall off the bone, it was SO SMOKY and flavorful! I am not usually a rib girl but I could definitely devour a rack of those ribs. The little dinner rolls they served were soft and a perfect complement to the pork. Sadly we were all too stuffed from dinner to even think about dessert but I saw some Red Velvet Cake and some bread pudding options that sounded pretty fab! Service was quick and friendly despite the fact that the waitress was the only one there.
I liked this BBQ but I am not sure it is to-​die-​for-​best-​BBQ-​ever. But a solid 4 stars and a place in my mental Rolodex as a BBQ place that is open on Sunday!

Two words, «pig burger.»
I have a problem with finding things I like and sticking with them. Some places I regret it because I feel like the other menu items are going to be just as awesome, here I don’t. There is no reason to deviate from the pig burger. It’s two different pig cuts and beef. How could something possibly be better? I also liked the mac and cheese and the guacamole.
The décor isn’t anything to write home. Most BBQ places are kind of dirty, smokey, looks like a place that has been cooked in, messy, sauced hands up in. Blind Pig isn’t that place. It’s a place you come to sit down, order from a waiter and wait for your food. They have plenty of TV’s for sports watching and a bar you can post up at. They also have a patio for the summer months. Solid three stars, pig burger solid 4 stars.

Good but not the best BBQ in town however they are conveniently located in 12 South and in a very nice building with outside seating. We have been twice for lunch and Blind Pig is never crowded which has to be bad for their long term viability. The main issue in my opinion is pricing. Most of the local places charge a premium but Blind Pig is unique in that the food and experience does not support the price. I think that a 25% price drop would have a big impact on business.
Not sure if they are dog friendly.

My wife and I are big barbecue fans from SC and wanted to give the Blind Pig a try. We had seen the review in The Scene and read that it had SC style barbecue. I ordered pulled pork plate and she ordered chicken sandwich. Neither of us were impressed with the food. It just wasn’t fresh tasting, or well presented. We probably won’t be back — there are much better barbecue places around. I rate this place as bar food.

We live just a couple blocks away from the Blind Pig. During the development we were very excited to follow the progress and we excited to hear that it was going to be a BBQ spot (my husband loves BBQ). I love reading The Scene Bites blog and follow local restaurant bloggers. I was disappointed to hear the negative reviews but the last Scene review seemed a bit hopeful for change. We decided to give it a chance this past Friday when my in-​laws were in town. My brother in law (who also loves BBQ) chose it when given the choice of the neighborhood places.
We walked over and wanted to sit on the patio but it was full. No big deal, the inside of the restaurant was pretty empty. Not sure if this was due to the reviews or the time, approximately 6:30. We had a party of six plus our 17 month old daughter. The hostess asked if we needed a high chair and I told her yes. She came back to let me know that they were out and would bring it to us as soon as it was available, estimating 20 minutes. We never received the high chair. It ended up being fine, we just let her sit in a regular chair and made sure she didn’t fall. Annoying but not what caused the negative review.
We ordered onion rings as an appetizer and asked for an order of mac and cheese to come out early for our daughter. Both were delivered pretty promptly. The mac and cheese was fine, the sauce or roux may have been a little heavy on the flavor of flour but it was still fine and my daughter ate it. The onion rings were odd. They looked great but they just didn’t have any flavor. They were a little undercooked and you just got the taste of semi-​raw onion without much from the breading. The consistency of the breading was great but no flavor. The homeade steak sauce was good though.
Our service was a bit lacking in that people sat with empty water and beers for much of the time we were there. When the food came out, one of our party did not receive hers. After a few minutes the server came to tell us the kitchen had lost her ticket and it would just be a few more minutes. So we ate while she had no food for about 5 – 8 min. Our table ordered mainly the combo platters and got to sample the pulled pork, brisket and half smoked chicken. Both the pulled pork and brisket were flavorless. They did not have a hint of smoke to them or any seasoning for that matter. I make pulled pork in the crockpot all the time (obviously not authentic BBQ) and it is a million times better than that. Like my husband said, «they could have at least added liquid smoke to try and fool someone who doesn’t know any better». You can see the smoker outside but I’m not sure if it is for looks or not because the meats were not good. (We did not try the ribs so can’t speak for those). Now on to the half smoked chicken I ordered. When I read half smoked chicken, I think on the bone, with the skin, half of a chicken that has been smoked. Perhaps I should have asked more questions but what I got was pulled chicken that was doused in some kind of sauce. Ironically my brother in law thought it was the better of the meats (perhaps the sauce gave it some flavor) but I thought it was just bad and a misrepresentation. 90% of the time I eat BBQ I don’t even use sauce as I like the flavor of the meat, the smoke, etc. In my opinion the meats we ordered were inedible without some sauce. The only positive were the sides. I got mashed potatoes and gravy. They were good, a little salty but that was the highlight of my meal. I also ordered the green bean casserole and it was just kinda odd. It was fine, just not something I would order again. My husband and brother in law loved the spicy cole slaw, the collard greens and the mashed sweet potatoes. Overall the sides were the highlight of the meal.
I purposely did not tell any of the party anything about the reviews before we ate there as I wanted an unbiased opinion and wanted to see for myself what the food was really like. When I told them after that the overall consensus was that the service was lacking, the sides were good and the meat was not, they all agreed that it was dead on. The whole concept of the place is just odd to me. There are so many BBQ places in Nashville, if you are going to do it, you damn sure better do it well. We won’t be back to this place and its a shame because we love to walk to neighborhood places for dinners out. I really don’t anticipate this place making it without some major changes. I would go to B&C Market on 8^th hands down before I would go here. As a matter of fact, if B&C Market could trade places with this spot it would be perfect!

As my wife and I stood out front trying to make a decision on where to go; Burger Up, TapRoom, Mafiaoza’s or The Blind Pig the decision was pretty easy. The Blind Pig was a shoe in because we have BBQ pumping through our veins and we were feeling our levels running short, needless to say we were extremely looking forward to this meal.
We walked in and was greeted right away by the nice hostess. We wanted to sit outside but had to wait about 20 – 30 mins to do so. No big deal. We went and had a few drinks at the bar, I ordered some good Abita Amber and my wife had this homemade white sangria which was equally good. Keep in mind we are just talking about taste, the price is what left a bitter taste. $ 14 for two drinks!!! Oh well, I’m sure the BBQ is good… We finally got seated outside and was greeted right away by a very nice waitress. She had good knowledge, was very friendly and had some good insight to what we thought was a very appetizing menu.
We decided to start off with their onion rings. I must admit they were very tasty and cooked to perfection. I love it when I can sink my teeth into an onion ring and my teeth just tear right through them without sabotaging the batter and ripping out the entire onion on my first bite. The house made steak sauce was good, nothing to brag about but was a good compliment to the rings. But this is where the bad began. As we sat out there watching the other tables get their rings, the plates were OVERFLOWING with rings. I turned back and looked at our plate; 5 measly little rings being engulfed by a sea of white from our plate. Something was going wrong here. We continued to move forward with our meal as pleasant little patrons and chose not to say a word. Next our salads came out, just house salads nothing special, and nothing special it was. An entire bowl full of arugula and one cherry tomato cut in half!!! You must be kidding me, I am at a BBQ joint right?! Where is the smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, buttery croutons… Pressing on without saying a word and confused on why at this moment we have been seated for nearly 40 mins and are just now getting going on our salad portion of our meal. Growing ever more frustrated our server began to realize what was unfolding. She came to our table telling us on 3 different occasions that our food would be right up with no results. 15 minutes later our meal finally arrived. We were sharing the combo plate with brisket and pork and our sides of bbq cabbage and Sara’s potato cake. I could taste evidence of the cabbage being really good if it wasn’t cold, the potato cake was ok but really lacked seasoning, and the brisket had a great smoke ring on the outside but it tasted as if it was pulled out of the smoker yesterday morning and left to sit, it was leathery and just not very appealing. I thought if there could be a saving grace at this moment let it be the sauce. The sauces were mediocre, I like vinegar based sauce but this tasted like straight apple cider vinegar.
Needless to say we finished our meal with extreme disappointment, I could not believe what I just experienced. I just had to let the manager know, this is why they scored a 3 stars on this review. «Wilson The Damage Control» as he coined himself came to the rescue. Funny guy, he understood the issues that were at hand. He put it back on the fact that they were short staffed and had a busy night, coming from the food industry I can partly relate. After all of this we ended up finishing the night on the patio with a few more $ 3 PBR’s (ouch!) and laughed about it on the way home. I think we will give this place another shot sometime, when we do I will be sure to update!

I’ve been here twice and the food is good! The smoked ribs remind me of the cookouts from back home! You must try the memphis style baby back ribs and the sweet corn and poblano pudding which are equally delicious! The sauces are very spicy but all are quite tasty.
Sorry to say, I’m not a fan of the green bean casserole or the BBQ cabbage.

This place is absoultely the best BBQ in town! If your down in west Nashville you have to stop in and try it ! Great service and the corn muffins are like having dessert before eating your meal! Just the way your supposed too! Take the family to this place and enjoy the atmosphere and down home style cooking and friendly people!

I love the 12 South neighborhood, and claim it as my own even though I probably live *just* outside the boundaries, but who’s really going to check?! Anyway, I love to support any and all of the local establishments in this ‘hood. So I was super pumped when Blind Pig finally opened after about 6 months of anticipation. I think the anticipation killed my experience too.
It wasn’t a bad one… just ok. Went with a friend on a Thursday night around 6:30. So, pretty early by my dinner and drinking standards (I’m usually an 8pm girl myself) but right at dinner time for families and such. The place wasn’t crowded. Uh-​oh. Right across and just down the street, the other restaurants were bustling. Maybe just too new of a place? Anyway… on to dinner.
Service was great – the waitress was attentive and eager to have us try the food, and knowledgeable about the whole menu. She suggested several things for us to try. We settled on the pimento cheese for an app which was fabulous. Both of us got the pulled pork plate – they have 3 sauces on the table to try, and I didn’t have a favorite – all were decent. I had the green bean casserole and potato salad – both were on the bland side. My friend had the cabbage and mac and cheese. Cabbage – skip it. Mac and cheese – tasty, but not the best I’ve had.
I think I was a little disappointed mainly because of the hype of the opening – but I’ll definitely go back and give them another shot. Oh one other thing – they originally labeled themselves an «upscale sports bar” – there is nothing sporty about this place, besides a few TVs here and there. NOT a place I would go to watch any game. If anything, it’s upscale, laid back, casual if that makes sense at all. Walk there in workout clothes or visit after work in business attire; you’ll fit in regardless.

Thursday I met up with my old friend and former coworker who loves good food. We decided to try The Blind Pig that opened last month in the old Mirror restaurant space on 12^th South. It was a good choice. Everything on the menu looked good but I wasn’t particulary in the mood for bbq and was trying to decide whether to have the chicken fried steak or the pig burger that sounds incredible. But when I got to looking at the sides, I realized I wanted a vegetable plate which wasn’t on the menu but they were glad to make one up for me. I had the sweet corn and poblano pudding which while not exactly the texture and consistency of what I think of for a corn pudding, was still a very nice dish. The bbq cabbage also sounded great. They chef rubs their bbq rub on a wedge of cabbage and wraps it in foil along with some bacon and then puts it on the smoker. Again, a very nice dish that the only complaint I had was it needed salt. I also had Sarah’s potato cake with Russian dressing and it was good but nothing I woud order again probably. And finally the beer and sorghum beans with bbq debris which were very good and not overly sweet or tomatoey. I piece of some sort of cornbread would have been nice.
My friend had the pulled pork which was good along with the mashed potatoes and collard greens which were both good also. We tried two desserts, a buttermilk pie with berries that was very good and very sweet. The other was a fried peach pie with sorghum glaze that was incredible. The crust was tender and flaky even though it was fried. The peaches were fresh and tossed with just a little sugar and some spices so they still had some tanginess to them. And the sorghum glaze was the surprise. I was scared it would be too heavy and overpower all the other flavors but it didn’t.
Chef Osteen was walking around from time to time checking to make sure everyone was happy with their food. And the front of the house couldn’t have been nicer. This is a winner. I am dying to go back on a Sunday and try their fried chicken. I already have high expectations of it.

This very clean bbq restaurant was nice. We just stopped by for after dinner drinks but it smelled great ! It has a very similar feel as «Jim and NIcks» BBQ with pork, rib dishes, with sweet southern sides.
We got red velvet cake for dessert which was fine, but wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. Probably best for a big lunch or dinner. Not as much as a just show up for drinks place like my friends and I did.
Prices for plates were from $ 8-​$ 15
Beers were $ 3
Service was average but that’s typical when you sit a booth just to drink! ha.
I will go back to eat, but cool and clean. Outside seating is nice.

I love good BBQ and here in middle TN you can find a lot of it. You can even go to a chain like Whitt’s for pulled pork sandwich on cornbread (OMG!) or Famous Dave’s and get ribs that are sweet, salty, and smokey.
I was very excited to go to The Blind Pig but was let down instantly. We got the Guacamole for the appetizer and the avocados were brown! Really? For my meal I got the Pulled Pork Sliders and a side of green bean casserole. The casserole was very bland, the only plus side was that the beans were still crunchy. The Sliders were on cheap white rolls from where… Piggly Wiggly? House made would be much better. Why not step it up? The meat was not juicy and the sauce was too sweet. My friend got the Succotash salad which was literally a bed of arugula sprinkled with corn, Lima beans and cherry tomatoes. She bit into a rock while eating it. I’m not sure what they think Succotash is but mine is divine and bursting with flavor. So much so that one of my clients requests it every week!
I know this review seems bitchy but I don’t foresee this place making it.
Why give false hype to mediocre food?

I actually went here with very low expectations after reading some of the mixed reviews on Unilocal and hearing mixed opinions on this place from my friends. I also had low expectations as I am not into barbecue stuff. However, I was pleasantly surprised by food I had at Blind Pig. I went for lunch on a friday and almost all of the tables were full: quite a success for a place that opened only recently.
I had the blind pig burger which was pretty innovative which was very good but was very heavy. What I liked about my burger was that there was a fried green tomato in my burger and the bun was really good, their fries were also very good. On the downside, I asked for a well done burger but mine was probably closer to medium but that was probably our waiter’s mistake. My friend had the pulled pork platter and he was pretty satisfied too.
The desert was probably the best part though. we shared a peanut butter chocolate cake which was amazing. one of the very good deserts i had here in nashville.
Very good experience overall. I would recommend this place if you like barbeque.

I hope with time this place will be better. However, I was not pleased. When I go to a bbq joint, which I adore, I am always looking for that wow factor… That feeling one gets when they take their first bite and they are immediately transported to another place, that care-​free happy place that rids one of their worries. So here we go…
To sum up: This place is like a bbq meat and three on steroids. But, in this case the steroids are placebos and the only thing pumped up are the prices.
Pork shoulder (Plate: $ 11.00) was overcooked, if that is even possible. It was mushy to the point where I think it was reheated in boiling water on the stove or had been sitting on the steam table in water since Saturday night (went on a Monday). Nothing test a chef more, on so many levels, than taking a tough as hell piece of shoe leather and slowly nurturing and transforming it into a tender piece of heavenly goodness. This placed failed. Sorry.
Fried flat bread, served with the pork, is more like fried mealy pie dough, not even flaky. Kind of like eating cold grease laden fried won tons the day after they were fried. You know the one’s leftover from Chinese take-​out. Cole slaw tasted as if it were purchased pre-​made at Kroger.
Had the pork empinadas (3 for $ 5.00, got 2?), which couples the two before mentioned items. The result of which is, in a word: Gross.
The greasy dough coupled with the mushy overcooked pork was like eating a fried fat sandwich — and it was cold! ARRRGGGG!
The pimento cheese was generic, and though I did question the server about it, I did not order it. It came to the table anyway, and was served with yet again that cold fried dough.
I seem to be stuck on this «bread» but it so dominated the meal in such a bad way– I can’t help describing it again and again. It was like pie dough that had been slow poached in burnt frying oil, because it was not crisp, nor hot. It was a cold fully saturated grease sponge that left a film on the roof of my mouth for hours.
My dining partner had the St. Louis Ribs ($ ¹⁰⁄₁₉.) They were OK. St. Louis Ribs are trimmed spare ribs, which are good because they are cheaper than loin (baby-​back) ribs and make for more uniform portioning. Being from the sparerib they should have a slightly higher fat content than loin ribs as well, thus they should hold better for service — by not drying out as fast. These ribs were dry. They had a deep smoke ring which was good, they had good flavor — again good, they had a nice crusty black «bark» which is always nice, but they were dry and a bit chewy (Weekend leftovers?). The side was mac and cheese, just OK — nothing special
I really liked the smoked cabbage, It was creative and worked. I will try this at home — a great idea that was simple and well executed
So on the «WOW» scale of 0 to 3 this place gets a 1 for the cabbage, the effort, and it’s new. Maybe in a while it will be better and there are more things on the menu I want to try. However, I won’t rush back unless I hear that they are serving a different bread or if I hear that are going out out of business, which given my experience is a distinct possibility.
As The Blind Pig 55 is owned by the Watermark/​Miro group they may need the write off for a while. It saddens me because these guys have the right formula and they had a chance to so something really special here and missed the boat. That’s horrible.
Until than I am going to keep patronizing Mary’s on Jefferson St for the real deal.

I must say I was a little worried when I entered a BBQ joint with a full bar.
I was raised on BBQ in places that had little lighting, where side dishes were a luxury, and Wonderbread and sauce are the only distractions one needed from the main event. I myself also love making BBQ, which I adhere to as a religion, rubbing meats and brining birds days in advance, and slow smoking tough animal protiens until they become cookie dough over the span of half a day or more.
The shrimp corn dogs with avocado sauce were good, as was the Pig Burger. A nice, fatty, flavorful burger with Benton’s and a fried green tomato on a potato roll. I got it with ‘Pâté of the South’ and they didn’t flinch at making it medium-​rare, as per my request. I had some greens on the side, which were good, but not exceptional.
The brisket on Texas brioche was quite good too.
I am headed back there to take my CEO and our executive team there tomorrow night — I plan on diving in more to their BBQ specifically and I will update as soon as I do. Assuming I still have a job.
UPDATE:
I went back there with the CEO and the rest of the bosses and it was a great meal. Shame on me for not getting BBQ my first time there. I got the STL Spare Ribs (I’m a bad, bad Jew) and sampled the brisket. Everyone there loved it and we had a pretty good mix as the home office is in TX, and we had people who hailed from STL as well in our party. I am still employed, so it was a success. Also had the onion rings, greens, sorghum beans, guacamole — all of which hit the spot.
Finished off with the John Daniels (we go way back) banana pudding — perfect comfort food, and sampled the peanut butter cup which was also fabulous while it lasted.
The service was also excellent. I still feel guilty eating in a BBQ joint that is so clean and has so many sides, but smoked meats dissolving in your mouth is worth it. The only thing pretentious are the prices. Upgrade to 4 stars!
One more note, watch out for the cocktail prices — TEN DOLLARS PER! I think someone has themselves confused with The Patterson House.

My wife and I live in the neighborhood, and I was happy to see a BBQ joint enter the fray of 12S. I had the pulled plate and she had a fish entrée. Neither of our dishes were bad, but we agreed that neither was as inspired as the establishment would like you to buy into. The cole slaw, her corn side, and the shrimp corn dogs (w/​avocado dip) we shared were the best parts of our meal, but a decision to walk across the street will be the better one next time around. Pulled pork, fish entrée, appetizer, 3 local beers = $ 60 (not including a tip). Gourmet BBQ??? Lipstick on a pig.