I would have, in a second, returned to The Black Pig for another meal on this Sunday afternoon. But they're not open during the day on Sundays. The Flying Fig was on my radar, and seemed like a good plan B. A Chef-owned restaurant with an interesting cocktail list and an appreciation for local farmers always always seems like a good combination to me.

So after a stroll through the Ohio Erie Canal Reservation to take a look at the underbelly of Cleveland's infrastructure, off I went for lunch.

My blogging platform, Typepad, which is generally wonderful, was under a DDoS attack for the past few days. This means that some douche(s) clogged the pipes to the extent that it brought Typepad and all of its customers to a halt. They, these douches, generally then ask for a ransom to stop their immoral and illegal(?) activities. If not illegal, then certainly dick-ish.

This is a thing that horrible people do, and by definition I don't like it. Frankly I'd like to meet these douches in person and ask them what their major malfunction is, before I elbow them in the throat. But that's likely not possible.

Typepad has been working hard to restore services and stabilize the whole mess.

I'll take this moment to note that if I were sincere insincere I'd say that I'm glad you're back to visit.

Either way, rest assured, I'll be talking about myself more in the upcoming days, perhaps even making up for lost time. Or not.

In general, be kind. I think that's a good idea overall. 

While you're processing all of that, process this, by the great Blitzen Trapper.

Update (2014/10/21): The Black Pig will be moving to a new location at 2801 Bridge Ave), where they plan on reopening mid-November, 2014.

As we finished up lunch, I mentioned to the bartender that if people eat and drink this well in Cleveland, then I want to move there.

The Black Pig was our first stop during a recent trip to Cleveland, and, as it turned out, the best. The Black Pig was such a standout that we couldn't help but want to return to again. It's just as well that we couldn't make a return visit happen, because I wouldn't want to tarnish the memory of a near-perfect meal during that one lunch.

A more welcoming and comfortable restaurant you'd be hard-pressed to design. Great stools, lots of leg room at the bar, hooks under the bar for your bags, soaring ceilings, original artwork on the exposed brick walls, two great big mirrors framing the booze, an open kitchen overlooking the dining room, and outdoor deck seating as well. 

I got the vibe of good management and training, which is so refreshing. A chef-driven restaurant with a good, strong, supporting cast is a combination that can lead to magical results. The Black Pig illustrates this.

Curiosity got the best of me. I sorta knew that Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza wasn't producing the type of pizza that I'm interested in, but something about a sunny 68 degree day and hearing about a bar that opens to the outside motivated me to give it a shot.

You will likely be greeted by a full restaurant. Filled with families, anti-social loners like me, and groups of young professionals from the surrounding offices. To say it was doing a brisk business at 12:15 on a Thursday would be an understatement. The place was really jumpin'.

For good reason. I got the sense the place is run well and managed well. A very welcoming restaurant.

I was greeted at the door, both on the way in and out. There are several TVs all around the dining room, which has a view into the pizza-making kitchen. The restaurant is cheerful and comfortable. Music was on the sound system, at just the right volume. The classic rock selections seemingly from a page out of a WNEW playlist from the early 80s. A large communal table in the bar area separates the dining room from the rowdies, and some outside tables--along with half the bar seating actually being outside--make for some interesting seating options. Certainly this is a family-friendly restaurant, but with just enough sophistication and stimulation to maintain a crowd of couples and groups of friends.

Q&A:

Q: Is Thai basil better than regular basil in this cocktail?
A: As sure as shit.

Q: Why?
A: Because.

Q: You are such a purist regarding cocktails and cooking. Aren't frozen margaritas for sinners and blasphemers?
A: You bet your ass they are.

UPDATE (5/29/14): S. Egidio is opening tonight, Thursday, per the Booziest of all the Burbs.

The folks working on the new pizza place on N. Broad Street in Ridgewood have been somewhat secretive. What with their window coverings and all.

Yesterday I noticed that one of the coverings was off, but just as quickly saw someone putting it back up. Later in the day I saw that the door was exposing the interior, so I walked over to take a look at the progress.

Seems that they are coming along.

The space is a lot larger than I thought, but with a huge oven taking up so much room, it's certainly not going to be a big restaurant.

Curiously, the name on the oven is Sant'Egidio, which is a reference to Rome. Curious, because I'm assuming they're going to be make Neapolitan-style pizza, not Roman-style. I'd take either quite frankly.

I would have liked to have seen how they got that oven in there.

#italymeetsridgewood is their hashtag on Instagram. Not sure I know how to use that info, though.

17 North Broad Street : Ridgewood, NJ

Up until an hour ago, I knew nothing about Korean fried chicken. So if I say things that seem to describe something exceptional, yet apply to any old Korean fried chicken place, or things that everyone already knows, or things that are flat out wrong, just keep it to yourself, because I don't care.

In fact I still don't know much about Korean fried chicken. What I did know about Korean fried chicken is that it is crispy, an it's supposed to be some pretty good stuff. This was confirmed today with some take-out from Teaneck's Peck Peck Korean Style Chicken. Wow, wow, wow.