Blind Pig Tavern & Grill: Michigan City
3103 E, US-12, Michigan City, IN 46360
Blind Pig Tavern & Grill is a great place to relax, especially outside, and have a nice family meal. This restaurant changed hands not too long ago and this is the first time we’ve been back since the renaming, renovations, and new menu.
One of the best features of the restaurant is one we didn’t take advantage of this time around… the outside seating area. There is a fenced-in beach outside with patio seating surrounding it. This is a key part of what makes this place so great to come to with kids. There is plenty of room for kids to run around and blow off some steam while you watch them, happily sipping a cocktail, from the table. There is also an outside seating area for the over-21 crowd if you prefer a relaxed, childless game of cornhole while you wait for your dinner. They have an area for live music out back and have regular offerings, but again, we didn’t get an opportunity to take advantage of that during our visit. It was a bit chilly during the dinner hour, so we sat inside this evening.
My grandson buried a part of his grilled cheese sandwich in the sand a couple years back, so let me know if you happen upon it; I don’t think he’s finished with it yet.
The renovations inside are quite nice. The stools in the bar area weren’t the most comfortable, but my fiancé wanted to watch the Cubs game, so we sat there to accommodate him. The atmosphere is hip casual and they have plenty of craft beers and local wines available for that crowd.
I ordered the Ft. Collins Cheese Steak Sandwich, which came with kettle chips. The first thing I noticed was that everything on my plate was a little 
over-salted. It wasn’t so bad that I felt compelled to send anything back, but it was very noticeable and I’m sure I’ll be retaining a few pounds of water tomorrow. If you have problems with sodium consumption, be careful! That said, I did enjoy the sandwich. The bun, to meat, to cheese, to onion, to mushroom ratio was almost perfect, although it could have used some more mushrooms. The mayonnaise was an odd addition and I will ask for it without if I have it again. The kettle chips were pretty standard and likely not made on site.
My fiancé didn’t find much on the menu that fit his necessity for gluten-free and diary-free dining. He ended up ordering the ribeye steak, which came with asparagus. He also ordered a side of coleslaw. He was unimpressed with his meal. He said the steak was average (although cooked exactly as he requested) and there were only 3 pieces of asparagus included on the plate. He also mentioned that his food was over-salted. It didn’t really look appetizing from where I was sitting either, but he was hungry and dove in too fast for me to take a picture.
There were no garnishes or additions to either plate to make them aesthetically pleasing, except a couple lonely pickle slices casually tossed on my plate.
Overall the food was ok, but too salty. The prices were high for what you actually ended up getting. Even though the atmosphere is great, we probably won’t be going back often.
Tonight I ordered my favorite, Carne Asada, cooked as rare as possible. One of the problems I often have with this dish is that it often tastes as if it’s been seasoned with beef bullion. This NOT the case at El Cantarito. Their Carne Asada has the most amazing, fresh flavor I’ve ever had and I have trouble remembering that I should take half of it home for the next day. There is a lot of food included with the meal and it makes great leftovers. Tonight the flavor was just slightly lacking its usual intensity and I found it a bit easier to save half for later.
My fiancé also enjoys the Carne Asada (although he didn’t have it tonight) because there is no dairy included on the plate, so he doesn’t have to mention his allergy when ordering. The other thing I appreciate about the Carne Asada here is that when I order it rare, it actually arrives rare, which is not easy to do with such a thin cut of meat. I also appreciate the accompaniment of real beans instead of the typical refried beans. The texture of whole beans pairs a little better with the other ingredients when building the tortilla.
Tonight my fiancé ordered a favorite, the Chicken Fajitas. While the fajitas here don’t normally come with cheese or sour cream, he does still have to mention “no dairy” because they do come with refried beans, which are typically topped with a sprinkling of queso blanco, white cheese. He must have been very hungry tonight because he usually has some leftovers to bring home too, but tonight he finished the whole dish. He said the flavor was really good and everything tasted fresh. He didn’t want to ruin it with reheating.
My fiancé ordered teriyaki wings and one last Samuel Adams beer before the end of our trip. The wings were generously sized and had just the right amount of sauce. They can be ordered with the usual accompaniments, but he only opted to add the celery. While he loves traditional wings, they have butter and his dairy allergy doesn’t allow him to indulge in them. He was quite happy with this alternative and said they were delicious.
delicious. I wasn’t in the mood for anything fried, so I paired it with cinnamon applesauce. The fillet mignon was tender with a wonderful aged flavor and the ratio of filling to bread was good. This used to be a regular meal of mine at a local establishment when I lived in Illinois and it brought back wonderful memories.
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