Masterful cooking and terrific cocktails give our critic a rooting interest in this plucky Old Town gastropub.
by Nikki Buchanan | Photography by Tim Chow
Liquor Pig, a cozy gastropub that opened in Old Town Scottsdale last spring, has already survived two calamities: 1) an Arizona summer and 2) the departure of founding chef Steven “Chops” Smith, who left over a menu dispute in July. But behind GM/wine guru Scott Casey and replacement chef C.J. Kahley, the tavern-like restaurant remains an eating-and-drinking hideaway worth squealing about, offering stylishly subdued brick décor, friendly barkeeps and servers, good cocktails, an impressive wine list and the casual but elevated food of a true gastropub.
The SPAM Folder, a tiki-inspired cocktail served in a SPAM can with a SPAM slice for garnish, has been an Instagram darling from the second Liquor Pig opened. It’s fun, but so are less outrageous choices such as Look to the Light (a citrusy take on the whiskey sour) and the lush, mezcal-based Natural Born Artist.
When Smith left, so went RoRo’s Bread, dense yet ethereal loaves baked by Smith’s spiritual sister Rochelle Daniel, chef-owner of Atria in Flagstaff. I’m sorry to see them go, but Noble Bread sourdough boule, served with dreamy house-cultured butter and seasonal jam, makes a praiseworthy replacement.
Kahley brings a sense of fun, turning out an outlandish platter of bone marrow poutine: crispy french fries lavished with foie gras gravy, Oaxacan crema, pickled onions and a Flintstone-size marrow bone. I like my foie gras in solid (not liquid) form, but this dish is shareable and decadent.
Sadly, the chef’s exemplary crab arancini – so light, so crunchy – will probably be off the menu by the time you read this, a casualty of seasonal scarcity. (Take heart: The dish will be replaced by cacio e pepe arancini, which I can’t wait to try.) At least you can count on Korean pork belly tacos, smeared with ssamjang (spicy dipping sauce) and tucked into tortillas with apple and fried quail egg. These babies prove that tacos, like pizza, can be vehicles for a chef’s imagination.
Little Gem lettuce salad, dolled up with pancetta, dates, pepitas, almonds and amaranth seeds, tossed in a citrus vinaigrette, tastes like autumn, as does a pomegranate-glazed pork porterhouse, essentially a porcine T-bone featuring both a chop and tenderloin, sharpened with maple mustard and pickled apples, set over heirloom grits. The combo is fantastic, but give me more earthy grits and don’t sweeten them with pomegranate glaze.
Impressively, Liquor Pig has regained most if not all the momentum it lost when its founding chef departed. Can’t keep a good swine down.
Liquor Pig
Cuisine: Modern American
Contact: 7217 E. Fourth Ave., Scottsdale, 480-687-3995, liquorpigscottsdale.com
Hours: Su, Tu-Th, 4-9 p.m.; F-Sa, 4 p.m.-1 a.m.
Highlights: Boule sourdough ($12); Little Gem lettuce salad ($19); Korean pork belly tacos ($26); bone marrow poutine ($37); pork porterhouse ($36)
