Swine Southern Table & Bar

Hi Uncle Steve,

I took Lauren out to a nice dinner last night on the American Express Gift Card you gave me for Christmas and I wanted to let you know how it was. We went to a restaurant that opened last year called Swine Southern Table & Bar (with the amusing domain name runpigrun.com), an upscale Southern restaurant. Lauren and I love the place and last night was our third trip there. 

Swine's bar is excellent, and we ordered cocktails to start. I had a Swine Old Fashioned, which consists of a bacon washed Old Overholt Rye whiskey, maple syrup, house made bitters, and an orange peel. This was the second time I had it, and they made it a little bit too sweet this time. Still a very good cocktail, but too sweet for an old-fashioned. On the other side of the table, Lauren had a hand-shaken Piña Colada with 86 Co. Caña Brava Rum, Appleton Reserve Rum, coconut milk, fresh pineapple, Bitterman's Tiki Bitters, and fresh nutmeg. Unlike most piña coladas which are usually served frozen, like a slushie, this was a true cocktail served on the rocks in a collins glass. 

We had two dishes to start. First, we had a side of their homemade cornbread, which has bacon, cheddar, and jalapeno in it, and which is served with homemade maple butter and homemade blackberry jam. This is a favorite of ours and we order it every time. Second, we ordered the Crispy Pork Caesar, which had a pile of romaine, topped with slow-smoked crispy pork shoulder, Virginia aged cheddar, anchovy, and a bacon dressing. We thought the pork was excellent, but did not enjoy the dressing unfortunately; the smoke flavor masked any other flavor in the dressing. 

For the main meal, I ordered their Smoked Brisket, which is rubbed with chicory and other spices, then smoked for 14 hours. The meat was very tender and the flavor very good, but no better than many of the barbecue establishments in north-central Florida around Gainesville. The meat came with a house-made barbecue sauce (which was ok) and some of their pickled vegetables (which were excellent). Across the table, Lauren ordered the Shrimp & Grits, which came with very fresh Florida pink shrimp (they had a wonderful, briny flavor), crisp Virginia ham, Adluh South Carolina stone ground grits, and an excellent gravy on top. Lauren and I both thought her dish was excellent, though Lauren didn't care for the gravy (though I thought it really pulled the dish together). We also had a side of their crispy Brussels sprouts, which were mixed with some fresh cut green apple, then tossed with a bacon vinaigrette. These were excellent. 

In all, we had a very good meal, though I think next time I'll ask the server for their thoughts on a dish before I order it. When you visit, I highly recommend the place, and I'm sure my mother will enjoy it (not so sure about my father, since he doesn't particularly enjoy gourmet food and would probably think the barbecue is overpriced, but who knows). 

Again, thank you for the Christmas present. Happy New Years!

--Stephen (& Lauren)

{P.S. Swine closed in 2018.}