Pig ‘n Whistle – Times Square
165 W. 47th StreetTime for our last meal in New York City. We had just gotten out of a play at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and were actually pretty tired. There was still a place we wanted to go for dinner but it would require taking at least one train if not two and a ten minute walk. As much as it pains me not to get a chance to eat at this place, I was really missing my bed and just wanted to spend our last few hours in the Big Apple relaxing.
We still had to eat though and there is no way in hell I’m going to New York and eating at TGIFriday’s or McDonalds. I wanted to stay away from Times Square eateries as much as I could, but I knew I could find some local place right around Broadway that we could still enjoy.
Even though Times Square is littered with chains, there are a few local places. We walked right by a Famous Dave’s on 47th Street to get to a little Irish Bar east of 7th Avenue.
The Pig ‘n Whistle is somewhat of a local chain. The company that runs the place has five other similar places under different names and one other using the name Pig ‘n Whistle on 36th Street.
We walked in to the place a little after 10:00 and came into the downstairs bar area where they had a musician playing mostly country music on an acoustic guitar. It was a little loud so we were kind of second guessing ourselves, but the hostess asked if we would mind sitting upstairs.
She took us up a flight of stairs to another dining room that had the feel of an Irish Pub with the old wood floors and high pub tables. We were seated at a table right next to a privacy wall. There weren’t a whole lot of people in the place so we were able to have a nice quiet meal with just a little bit of country music playing in the background that we sang along to every now and then.
The menu had a good variety of sandwiches and Irish classics, but we both went with the sandwiches. I got the Sirloin Burger which for $11.95 doesn’t come with cheese. I added on a slice of cheddar for $1.50. The sandwich actually turned out to be really good. Usually not a fan of sirloin because there’s just not enough fat to make it juicy enough, but I got this one cooked medium and it was still plenty juicy. It was served on a fresh crusty roll with the cheddar cheese oozing out the sides.
J got the cajun chicken sandwich which was called a panini. The chicken is cooked with a cajun seasoning then topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The roll it was served on was nice and crusty just like mine was. She didn’t have a whole lot say about the sandwich, but she loved the fries.
Both of our sandwiches came with steak fries, but they weren’t steak fries in the sense that I would usually call steak fries. These potatoes were sliced longwise and cooked to a really crispy finish. They were delicious and by far the star of our meal.
A couple times during the meal, a waitress came over and asked if I wanted more Coke. What no one told me was that refills were not free. That pissed me off a little when I got the bill. I had been charged for three drinks. Whatever, it cut into the waitresses tip. Fountain pop does not cost $3. Not even in New York.
Our bill was right around $30 even with all the extra pop tagged on. The meal back here in Kalamazoo would have cost less than $20. It was a delicious meal, but you really do pay for the location. Our waitress was a little flaky and that made the meal go a little longer than we would have liked. Wouldn’t have been a problem if we were busy, but we could see her at the bar talking with other waitresses. That was kind of annoying.
Even with all that, the Pig ‘n Whistle is a great alternative to the crap that’s in Times Square. Seriously, if you go to New York and eat at Olive Garden, you deserve a kick in the nuts. Seriously.
Sirloin Burger w/Steak Fries
Cajun Chicken Sandwich
SW Michigan Dining 