Pig in a Pickle

A Story in Every Bite…

Being in the bay for Thanksgiving, our route took us by a former coworkers and friends’ restaurant: Pig in a Pickle. Traveling over the San Rafael bridge on this bluebird afternoon with the sun glittering on the bay, gorgeous, serene, and traffic almost bearable. (Almost.)

Pig in a Pickle, Corte Madera

Arriving at the Village of Corte Madera, nestled up against the foothills, in a suburban area, my first reaction was “bougie”… {In the best way… (I mean, I am a mountain chic.}

Super cute, well thought out storefronts, the lost art of brick and mortar shopping, manicured gardens, clean bathrooms with doors that go to the floor, and those awesome Dyson sink apparatus, where you can get soap, water AND dry your hands. Teslas abound, we walked through the shopping center, which was modern, and well taken care of. 

Pig in a Pickle sits facing the parking lot, and on warm days, the patio looked like the place to be. California white oak perfectly stacked outside, used as much for decor as what they use to smoke all their high quality locally sourced meats.

We arrived at the Pig in a Pickle, and I have always thought this to be a cute & clever name. And a Pig in a pickle indeed… and cow and chicken, and… well, everything seems to be made and used so whatever product enters… All things potential BBQ—-> 

Ye beware. 

Friendships from San Francisco

I have known the owners Mari and Damon, for 20 years plus, since my time in San Francisco. Mari had been the general manager of a long time fabulous haunt of San Francisco, Liverpool Lil’s, I met her when she began working in the group sales department of fine dining restaurant, Hawthorne Lane , (known as the restaurant of the decade by SF Gate in the 90’s.)

She was highly successful in the group sales department, slaying sales records, and having a good time doing it. Between Mari and Damon, they have worked fine dining, breakfast joints, nightclubs, pubs and have been in the food and beverage industry the entirety of their lives even before they could be considered an “adult.”

20 years ago I had the honor of serving a small dinner party in Atherton that Damon was the private chef for. It was so high class, no shoes were allowed on the plush white carpet, while serving (barefoot it was!) and had to be educated on what exactly he was serving before even taking the plates out. (I may have mixed up a few guests sparkling or still water I was so nervous (sorry Damon.))

Comfortability

Pig in a Pickle was nothing like the home in Atherton, or Hawthorne Lane, as far as how it felt. Having spoken to Mari, this is where they both feel the most comfortable: Able to sit down and chat with their guests.

I immediately felt comfortable with all the distressed wood, and exposed Edison lightbulbs in spotless glass fixtures. A friendly man greeted us and told us to take a menu and have a seat, and that our QR code will be at the table to order. (Technology!) 

Pig in a Pickle 

Genius ordering

Having experienced other BBQ places, this system is genius… BBQ places typically have a large chalkboard (which they do) of all the day’s offerings and people stand in line forever and crane their necks up and dawdle around trying to figure out what to order, asking the cashier (who may or may not be as educated as they would like to be) a zillion questions holding up the line, (irony abound because it was exactly what they were bitching about while in the line themselves…)

THEN, you seat yourself with your drinks and typically a number is called, and then you go and get your food, and your napkins and sauces… 

At Pig in a Pickle, you sit at your table, order what you would like, the bartender brings you your drinks, and the nice guy at the front? He will bring your food out when it’s ready. All their impeccable sauces on the table showcasing all the flavors that encompass BBQ, including their very own hot sauce. 

AND, if you forgot something? Just jump back on the QR code. Rinse, repeat.

No getting back in line, no hassle. 

If you don’t want to bother with the QR codes and want full service, well, an 8-seat bar, provides just that. 

Scrumdilli-BBQ-alicious

We ordered the brisket, you can choose lean or marbled and we went with lean. Pulled pork, sides of potato salad and coleslaw and because we are big fans of brisket done right (and we just had a feeling) a brisket sando with their in-house made potato chips. 

Featured in photo: Ribs, Brisket, Pulled Pork, Chili, Baked Beans, Mac n’ Cheese.

Everything is made in house. Everything.

Making note of the in-house potato chips is redundant.

EVERYTHING - is - made - in - house. 

EVERYTHING.

Even the thinly sliced pickles on the cute metal serving tray, with parchment with the Pig in the Pickle logo stamped on it (helllloooo detail!) were made in-house. 

Come to find out, the only thing not made in house is the pasta for the mac n’ cheese. Apparently they even had a pasta guy who retired and to get the correct noodle to hold the cheese just right, they had to outsource. 

But, THAT-IS-IT. Can you imagine? 

A story in every bite

AND… if you sit down and talk to either owner, they will tell you about each ingredient that has been thoughtfully researched and sourced. The word obsessive comes to mind, but the vibe is just so casual that isn’t entirely accurate… 

On their website, it states, “We pride ourselves in sourcing the best local, organic products for our menus. We have long-standing relationships with these vendors and with that comes a trust and confidence that we are getting the highest quality products available.”

At Pig in a Pickle, two truths can exist together:

Exceptionally high standards, while maintaining a budget conscious casual atmosphere. 

The brisket sliced perfectly, with the fat cap crust rubbed with an obvious in-house secret blend, we tried the mustard and mild bbq sauces, and it was likened to the foodie version of soulmates, that were always supposed to be together. 

The fluffy, (right amount of density/ratios are huge in my book!) roll the brisket sando came on (duh—> made in-house) and come to find out they even are selective (in the best way) about where their flour comes from! 

Each individual bite has a story, and a background to how and why they source whatever product the way that they do. 

The potato chips, sliced and fried in brisket fat (What. Where is that salivating emoji?)

Light, airy, salty, flavorful. 

Pulled pork, not usually my favorite, was succulent and melt in your mouth. The potato salad and the coleslaw were the correct accouterments to the pork and brisket, and you just knew (without actually knowing, but now you do) these were also made with the same amount of love and care as that cute stamp on the parchment. 

Nothing is too big or too small to take equal amounts of time and care of each individual item. 

They are the best

As if my drooling and overboard praise isn’t enough (haha) their Michelin Bib Gourmand award speaks for itself. Also, voted BEST BBQ and BEST RESTAURANT every year since they have been opened.

You can not only have the very pleasant experience like we did at the restaurant, but, you can order to-go, and they really know how to put on a party, and cater every kind of event from weddings to office parties to private celebrations.

The Pig may be in a Pickle, but we were in culinary heaven. Back up in the mountains, I am just wishing we lived closer. 

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Fact check: I strive for accuracy and fairness… if something is off, please send a shout! Kp@kpcopy.com