The Fat Pig — Restaurant in Sandpoint

Oh my goodness! This place makes me want to move to Sandpoint! My daughter in law made reservations for an 8:30 dinner after the high school graduation having never been here before. We dined in the main dining area although they also have great outside dining. Our son ordered 2 servings of Pork Bellies as an appetizer for all of us. They were served with cucumbers. This is a dish I’ve never tried before and it was delicious. The 5 of us left crumbs. Our server was upbeat, engaging and efficient. Each of us ordered a different dish and we were all very impressed with the flavor and quality. Upon the first bite, we were impressed enough to encourage taste testing around the table. Our daughter in law ordered an appetizer of shrimp in peppercorn sauce with leeks, mushrooms, and crostini. I will definitely return for that and may lick my plate to get every succulent morsel. Her mother ordered expertly seared salmon on a bed of the most flavorful roasted cauliflower hummus I’ve ever tasted. My choice was the spicy shrimp with a perfect amount of heat. I devoured the shrimp and half the ramen, bringing the remaining ramen home for reheat with scrambled eggs and sausage links. The restaurant was slated to close at 10, but due to the activity of the community it was still going strong when we left with no evidence of an intended closure on the customers who were being cheerfully seated and handed menus. This establishment is obviously well run from top to bottom, with the entire premises clean and well maintained. Had it not been a 55 mile drive from our son’s house, I would have been there for dinner the following night. Every dish I tried was perfectly seasoned and delicious, in addition to an appealing presentation. You can’t go wrong on your order. *I didn’t try the carne asada, but our son was surprised it was not sliced. No picture of that dish...

I'm very surprised by how casual the staff dress for such a restaurant environment as their decor was made for-one server looked like she was dressed for tennis in very short shorts, and all the girls seemed to have less than a normal professional length of shorts on. One male server, he was young, was even wearing basketball shorts while serving! The food is decent! $27 for a steak and the belly bits are delicious. The risotto was a bit lack luster and the steak needed some extra flavor added. We asked for the hot sauce collection, which honestly perfected the food, adding that extra "umph!" I would say I'd like to visit again, but the servers attitudes felt as though they were more central to them being focused on what is happening after work rather than being present. We even had to deal with a less than pleasant guest who made a racial slur towards me. Overall, the staff seemed less interested in new customers and I would recommend it only if they are looking for one of the few dog friendly restaurants in the area. The patio is fine, but they could pay more TLC to the many bulbs that were out on the string lights-seemed like they let it go for some time. I would suggest playing music in the background to enhance the outdoor dining experience. One of the other servers was fantastic to her customers and expressed how the restaurant was once a part of a winery distribution facility. That was neat to overhear! Other than that, I think I'd like to check out other spots in the area and see what else the restaurants there...

Well, this is a home run of a restaurant! First of all Ken, our server, did an excellent job explaining the menu to us and listening to our concerns about certain aspects of the menu...such as what might be too spicy for our tastes. He was very patient with us and made suggestions and we appreciated it. We started with the Sweet spicy belly bits. This is a dish many other reviewers mentioned and it was different, delicious and we were glad we tried it. I love chicken so I chose the new summer menu offering of pan sauteed chicken on pesto with roasted cauliflour, topped with a tomato/balsamic relish. Outstanding. My husband had the summer menu item of cumin rubbed roasted pork chop with refried pinto beans, avocado and he chose to replace the cole slaw with roasted Brussels sprouts. I can't tell you how much we both enjoyed both the food and the experience! We dined on the patio and we highly recommend that if it is available. We chose wine instead of beer. We probably won't be visiting Sandpoint again as we are on a quest to visit all 50 states (Idaho is #41 so we're almost done!) Sandpoint is a lovely commuity with such friendly people. There are a lot of choices in Sandpoint of very nice restaurants. We're only getting to try 3 dining restaurants. If you look at the menu and think...hmmm, maybe...then I'd encourage you to go for it! You won't be sorry. The menu changes frequently and that is a tribute to the wonderful staff in the kitchen! And if you are lucky, Ken will be your server on the...