The Spotted Pig

It was 7:15 p.m. when I arrived at the Spotted Pig, and the crowd of people milling about the entrance was forbiddingly large. I'd heard about the legendary wait to get in, so I hoped I was early enough to put my name down for an 8 p.m. dinner. Fortunately, the wait ended up being exactly 45 minutes; when my friends arrived at 8, the best table opened up. The best table (in my opinion), is the cozy banquette next to the herb windowbox. The room is rather cramped and noisy, and many of the other seats are barstools or chairs squeezed into the space around a brick pillar.

Once we were settled into our table, we munched on olives and almonds, and took stock of the impressive beer menu. Our choices were a creamy Old Speckled Hen, a Pilsner and a raspberry lambic.

The casual atmosphere belied the exquisite food that was to come. Our waitress informed us that organic and seasonal ingredients were used whenever possible, and the appetizer list was full of garden goodies like a red and golden beet salad dressed with horseradish and olive oil, and bruschetta topped with young chanterelles. We ordered the gnudi : five plump ricotta pillows accented with fried sage leaves in the richest butter sauce. We then devoured the duck-egg appetizer, a halved egg soft-boiled until the yellow was slightly creamy, which was nested on a bed of peppery arugula with black olives and heirloom and grape tomatoes.

Entrees were another exercise in bliss: the grilled bass had nicely blackened skin, and was accompanied by a tumble of delicately grilled vegetables: candy-sweet cherry tomatoes and caramelized eggplant. A juicy char-grilled skirt steak came with a chili-spiked two-pepper ratatouille. A wild heap of crisp, well-salted shoestring fries interspersed with rosemary leaves was an addictive side order.

For dessert, the waitress recommended the vanilla ice cream with a choice of blueberries or strawberries. We chose the latter; the fruit was made slightly tangy with a splash of balsamic vinegar. We also indulged in a healthy slice of chocolate bourbon nousse cake with crème fraiche. The French press Danesi coffee was fabulous.

When we finally filed out of the restaurant, there were still people waiting to get in!

The Spotted Pig: 314 West 11th St., (212) 620-0393.