The Blind Pig is a surprise. It’s one of those spots that might take a while to be discovered, and once it is, it’ll be compared to another cool bar or restaurant in another cool city. You don’t expect to find hit-the-spot food, craft cocktailery and fresh grab-and-go breakfast and lunch in one tidy venue like this, certainly not along the industrial corridor that runs adjacent to I-15 and the Strip.
But it’s a logical creation coming from ambitious Las Vegas-based Block 16 Hospitality, which has made its name with satisfying food at flashy-casual restaurants and already opened three new concepts in 2014.
Partially inspired by Joan’s on Third in LA—a family-owned gourmet marketplace, café and caterer—the Blind Pig is many things. It’s a late-night lounge perfectly positioned for industry folk escaping over that sneaky Harmon overpass. It’s a small market and takeout counter for residents of the Panorama Towers. It’s a dark, cozy restaurant suitable for sharing a well-priced bottle of red and some shrimp and lobster-laced macaroni and cheese ($16.50). Extra bonus: The drinks are great. The namesake cocktail ($12) is fruity and sweet and comes with a faux raspberry created through culinary science; Mom’s Apple Pie ($10) is a smile-inducing combo of Angry Orchard cider, Barrett’s ginger beer and Fireball foam.
It's tough to beat a great French dip, and the Blind Pig does justice to the classic with its Prime Roast Beef sandwich.
If the sun is up and you’re getting food to go, there are pretty salads like the chicken Caesar, kale and greens (with broccoli, cucumber, green apple, avocado and soybeans), and the Blind Pig chopped, an Italian concoction in red wine vinaigrette (all $9). Sandwiches are the stronghold of Block 16, and the Prime Roast Beef ($10.50), a French-dippish thing with tons of provolone, crispy shallots and horseradish cream, is truly a treasure. There’s also the company’s signature Urth veggie burger ($10) and a porchetta sandwich ($13.50) with roasted pork loin and pork belly.
The Blind Pig served as the testing spot for the company’s Flour & Barley pizza spot—brand-new at the Linq—so splitting a larger-than-usual personal pie here is a great idea. The pick of the litter is the South of the Border ($16), mozzarella and manchego cheeses mingling with roasted chicken, black beans, oven-charred jalapeño slices, pico de gallo, avocado cream and more. It’s explosively delicious, inspiring great expectations for Flour & Barley.
If you prefer to settle in at the bar or a booth with a proper entrée, there’s a stellar version of steak frites ($18) anchored by a juicy flatiron. I’d order it again even though the “frites,” crispy potato strings, are difficult to eat by fork or fingers. For further French fry happiness, indulge in the poutine ($6), crinkle cuts slathered in super-savory gravy and melty cheese curds. Another great appetizer? Crispy pork nuggets ($10) are the second coming of the lost pork belly bites from the shuttered Hops & Harvest, slightly sweet, slightly Asian bacon chunks that are hard to pass up.
The Blind Pig Provisions & Lounge Panorama Towers, 4515 Dean Martin Drive, 430-4444. Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-midnight; Friday & Saturday, 7 a.m.-4 a.m.
