The Iberian Pig Brings a Taste of Spain to Decatur

Ah, Decatur. Once another troubled suburb of Atlanta, this city is in its cultural renaissance; locals now frequent the many unique restaurants and shops lining Ponce de Leon that really highlight how far this city has come in recent years. The Iberian Pig, a local restaurant serving modern Spanish cuisine and tapas, has had its delicious meaty arrow lodged in my heart for years. My birthday was this past Saturday, so I decided it was time to return to my happy place with my girlfriend and two close friends along for the ride.

On a typical Saturday evening, the restaurant is bustling with activity; diners converse happily over tapas plates, cocktails, and glasses of wonderful Spanish wines while servers move around tables like some kind of synchronized dancing act. On the right side of the restaurant, the bar staff are busy making incredible cocktails while a leg of beautifully marbled Jamón Ibérico, a cured meat made from the famous black footed Iberian pigs of Spain, is expertly sliced into thin slivers. That night, we had the benefit of eating on the second floor balcony overlooking the restaurant floor, giving us an intoxicating view of the restaurant in action. Unhealthy things were about to happen that night, but man, did they taste so good.

On one’s birthday, a cocktail is always in order. I had to go with the Iberian Old Fashioned, a signature cocktail made with bacon infused rye whiskey, organic maple syrup, Angostura bitters, orange and lemon twists. This is one drink I could never get tired of; the  smokiness of the bacon infused rye with the syrupy sweetness of the maple syrup is one of the most amazing collaborations in the history of the cocktail. Everyone should try this at least once in their life. The white sangria is a must try as well if wine is more your style. Using a crisp Spanish white wine, this delicious wine cocktail is blended with brandy and muddled with apple and lemon, making it a perfect refresher for the evening.

The Iberian Old Fashioned

As The Iberian Pig is all about tapas, attention to detail is one thing this restaurant does not skimp out on. From imported meats and cheeses to a wide variety of brilliantly prepared small plates, every dish that is put in front of you looks and smells as if it came directly from Spain. The prices of each dish ranges from around 5 dollars to upwards of 20 dollars, depending on what you order and what ingredients are used to make it. As we pondered over the menu, deciding on what to order, we knew we had quite a few rounds to get through before we even began to contemplate ending our meal.

Jamón Serrano and Monte Enebro

For our first round, we decided to start off with the jamón serrano, a 24 month aged cured ham, and monte enebro, a semi-soft pasteurized goat’s milk cheese from Rafael Baez of Castilla y Leon, Spain. The serrano, delicately thin and perfectly cured, was served with an espresso aioli that paired wonderfully with the meat. The monte enebro, mildly creamy with a gorgeous, musky rind, was served with a tart cherry compote that highlighted just how delicious cheese can be when paired with fruit. Served with grilled house-made bread, this was a great way to transition into the ridiculousness that was the tapas menu.

Manchego Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Pork Cheek Tacos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Venturing on to the tapas, or small plates, menu, we decided to try our luck with the Manchego mac ‘n’ cheese and the pork cheek tacos. The mac ‘n’ cheese, made with garganelli pasta, Manchego-pork belly cream, butter toasted panko bread crumbs, and thyme, was indulgence at its best. The pork belly cream was sinfully good, while the bread crumb finish gave the dish a delicate crunch that was superb. The pork cheek tacos, with a  slow roasted pork cheek filling and a topping of fire roasted corn salsa, avocado crema, and arugula, were two bite wonders. With a crisp shell that encased the ridiculously tender pork cheek, the tacos were gone as soon as they hit the table.

Patatas Bravas

Pulpo a la Parilla

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third round brought about some of the best dishes of the night in the form of the patatas bravas and the pulpo a la parilla. The patatas bravas, twice fried potatoes covered in a smoked pimenton bravas sauce and a garlic aoili, seemed to be the offspring of french fries and a fantasy come true. The potatoes were so crisp it was almost as if we were eating airy potato crisps while the sauce had just the right amount of spice and garlic to make it addictive. I could eat patatas bravas every day if I had to. The pulpo a la parilla, grilled spanish octopus with a jalapeño-Benton’s bacon pesto, potato confit, grilled lemon, and pickled sweet peppers, was a fantastic offering. The octopus, grilled to perfection, was incredibly tender and paired perfectly with the pesto, giving the dish a fantastic balance of smokiness and heat. The potato confit and pickled sweet peppers weren’t the best, as the confit was mildly bland and the pickled pepper was perhaps too tough for the octopus, but all in all, this was a fantastic plate.

Braised Veal Shank Ravioli

Eggplant Fries

 

 

 

 

Reflecting the texture of the previous two tapas plates, the eggplant fries and braised veal shank ravioli were just as admirable in their approach. With a delicious red pepper aioli, the eggplant fries were piping hot and succulent in the combination of a mushy eggplant interior and crisp breaded exterior. The ravioli, handmade with a slow braised veal shank, were exploding with flavor from a Rioja-cream sauce, black truffle crème fraiche, white truffle oil, and roasted shitake mushrooms. The cream sauce was admirably rich, using the highlights of the black truffle crème fraiche and white truffle oil to make these some of the best ravioli to ever be influenced by the cuisine of Spain.

Huevo con Trufa

The coup de grace of the meal had to be the Huevo con Trufa. This dish has to be my favorite of everything that I have ever had at The Iberian Pig, and everyone that night agreed that it was the perfect way to end the meal. Slow roasted pork cheek, braised with onions and tomatoes, covered with a poached egg and slathered with black truffle, was absolutely divine. Once we broke in the egg into the meat, all hope was lost as this dish was devoured with the toasted bread used to scoop up any remaining leftovers in the skillet.

I love a restaurant that manages to leave me with a smile on my face time and time again, especially when it comes to tapas. The Iberian Pig continues to impress me with their acknowledgement that small plates and fantastic cocktails are the key to a person’s heart. I will continue to frequent The Iberian Pig, even when my birthday has come and gone, because this is one restaurant that knows how to please.

Birthday Churros

 

The Iberian Pig 

121 Sycamore St. Decatur, GA 30030 T:404-371-8800

Price: $$-$$$

Food: Modern Spanish cuisine and Tapas (small plates)

Drinks: Cocktails and various Spanish wines by the glass and bottle

Service: Very professional. Servers are very efficient and friendly. Food service is very fast.

Best dishes: Pulpo a la Parilla, Huevo con Trufa, Patatas Bravas

Hours: Mon. – Thurs. 5:00pm-10:00pm Fri.-Sat. 5:00pm-11:00pm Sun. 5:00pm-9:00pm

Reservations: Strongly preferred. Restaurant gets quite busy on the weekends.

$ = less than 15.00 $$ = 25.00 and less $$$ = 50.00 and less $$$$ = 80.00 and less $$$$$ = more than 80.00