Thanks to Haywood for the great write-up of his trip to the Blind Pig in Cedar Rapids! Enjoy!
As Marv the Wet Bandit once said….HARRY! I’VE REACHED THE TOP! Well folks, that’s how I am feeling today as it just doesn’t get any better for me than being a guest reviewer for the Baron’s Blog. The guy has done more for my social life through discovering and sharing local spots, specials, and brews to try than this jean jacket did. And that jean jacket was pretty fucking cool if you ask me and my grandma who painted this portrait of my high school senior photo. Love you Gram.
Anyhow, now that my literary lips are firmly pressed upon the Baron’s Buns (million dollar bakery idea, get bent Hostess) let’s get to the real deal.
I went to the Blind Pig for the first time last week after catching one of their posts on Facebook of their daily special, I think it was the Grilled Chicken Pesto Philly. They had been cranking out some great looking entrees as of late, pairing them with soups of the day that sounded too good to miss, and highlighting them on their Facebook page, so when I got to choose where we were going to go for my 30th birthday dinner it didn’t take long for me to go with the Pig. I had lived just three blocks away from the Blind Pig for a year when I first moved to Cedar Rapids in 2016, and hadn’t stopped in….this was a mistake.
The Blind Pig is the ultimate come as you are kind of establishment. You automatically feel comfortable to leave whatever you’ve been carrying with you at the door and get ready for a good time. It’s a spot where you’ll see a biker buying a shot for a business man, a group of Coe College students putting back a couple of tall boys, or a family out to celebrate a birthday as was the case with us. We started things off with an order of White Cheddar Nuggets. My wife Brooke got a strawberry daiquiri which was so damn good, I got one. This is 2018, dudes drink Daiquiri’s too. Plus, I think it is impressive for a bar to offer a full range of crafts, domestics, hard stuff, and then also do a dynamite Daiquiri. The Cheddar Nuggets were a great kickstart to the meal. It’s hard to mess up fried food, but it can happen, and the Blind Pig made sure the nuggets were hot and crispy with the white cheddar melty on the inside. I recommend giving their garlic dill ranch a go on the side, but I’m a sauce freak.
For the main I went with the Mushroom and Swiss Burger, and it was rock solid. The burger was made perfectly to order and paired well with the Pompeii I tag teamed it with. I have to give special mention to the Roasted Red Pepper Soup I had. It was 5 stars, I’m a sucker for a cream based soup, but they brought out the pepper flavor without killing you on the heat in a way that made me wish I had gone from cup to bowl. My mom got the A-1 Steakhouse Burger which might have been the entrée of the night. This thing was an incredible meatnado of angus beef, and A-1 smoked bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, onion tanglers, siracha aoli, all on a brioche bun. Mom said nix on the tanglers, but I got a feeling it’s an A+ burger no matter where you stand on the great tangler debate. My wife went with the nachos and they were piled high with all of the fixings. You could share that with a table no doubt, but it also makes a great main dish if you’re feeling like going south of the border. Not only were the food and drinks great, but the Red Sox downed the Yankees that night and my buddy Twinks who is a big Yankees fan, and his Tinder Date came in out of nowhere, so being able to tip a few, drive a burger into me, AND rub the fall of the pinstripes to the mighty Bo Sox made it a night I won’t soon forget. It solidifies the whole overall theme of the Blind Pig. You never know who you might see there, or what’s going to happen when you walk in those doors. They started tuning up the karaoke on our way out. I almost ruined the evening for my wife and mother by busting out my best Back at One by Brian McKnight, but decided better of it.
If this is the last time the Baron allows me to guest blog, which I figure it has to be, I’ll leave you with this DOOZY of a tag line I came up with while taking a walk at lunch today.
The Pig might be blind, but the good time is easy to see. Make sure to get over when you get a chance.
Thew Brewing will be releasing a collaboration beer with internet celebrity Planned Sick days called “Planned Sick Days Pale Ale” this coming Friday in conjunction with the University of Iowa homecoming weekend! Looking forward to try this one! Here’s a bit more info on this collab: And follow Planned Sick Days on twitter with their handle: @PlannedSickDays
Some big news coming from Lion Bridge this afternoon as they have announced some more cans coming our way next week. In a taproom only release they will be releasing their popular Majestic Beast IPA and The Spice Must Flow Black Ale. The release will be next Wednesday, October 25th. See you there!
Harpoon Brewing out of Boston, MA has just showed up on Eastern Iowa shelves with a few of their selections. I believe they are being distributed by Johnson Brothers but I’ll have to double check that.