• The Spotted Pig

  314 W. 11th St.; 212-620-0393

  Burgers? Yes. Haddock chowder? Sure. But a gastropub might not be your first choice when the craving for salad strikes. April Bloomfield’s, though, are no ordinary salads. They’re less about the greens than about the juxtaposition of unexpected, and unexpectedly complementary, flavors. Pumpkin roasted to a soft sweetness, say, with sharp Pecorino and toasted pine nuts. Sliced apple and pear with walnuts and Mrs. Quickes’s excellent English Cheddar. And the tangy, refreshing crunch of fennel and celery with shaved bottarga and a spritz of lemon (a current fave). Considering the chef’s reliance on cheese and nuts and her seeming obsession with crème fraîche (with which she lavishes roasted beets and smoked trout in one dish, spiced lentils and parsnip chips in another), these inspired compositions aren’t exactly diet fare, but then again, what were you expecting at a gastropub?

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine