The Proper Pig
Common St. Waterville, Maine
The Proper Pig is a new eatery in the downtown Waterville area.
Just look at that sign, it's so damn adorable!
They even have a back patio that isn't directly on Main St. so you don't feel like you're on display.
If you are a fan of pig you'll absolutely enjoy eating here.
They do, however, have vegetarian options that are clearly labeled on the menu.
I have visited this establishment twice now.
Each time I have been satisfied with a lingering feeling...
The atmosphere is awesome, the drinks are wonderful, and the appetizers... WOW! Yum.
Then I get my food.. and It doesn't quite hold up.
Lets get into some food pictures and a nice chat about them so I can better explain..
DRINKS
Prickly Pear Margarita
Look at this beauty.
They add prickly pear pure to this drink and its so refreshing!
I do have to say.. it was a bit sweet for me, but it was delicious.
Italian Margarita and Bloody Marry
First things first.. I can never refuse a great marg with salt.
This was super yummy and had the amaretto which added a little sweetness but was balanced with the salted rim. I highly recommend this drink!
My love got the bloody. It was outstanding!
It was just spicy enough and garnished with BACON!
This drink is a meal in itself.
Appetizers
Buffalo Panko Shrimp
These little babies were scrumptious.
The buffalo sauce was just enough so it didn't over power the taste of the shrimp.
The dressing was FULL of blue cheese and the vegetables were fresh.
(spoiler alert: this "panko" shrimp was almost identical to the "beer battered" shrimp in the sandwich to come.. makes me wonder if they even change it up? Maybe it was a mess up?)
Belly Shots
This was awesome..
I shared this with a friend of mine and I was super impressed.
He on the other hand didn't care for how much fat was involved.
So, needless to say, if you're not into big delicious chunks of flavorful pork belly...
don't order it!
So, these came out in cute little shot glasses,
smothered in a caramelized apple maple rum glaze.
Doesn't that sound OUTSTANDING?!
IT WAS.
Fried Cheese Curds
Now.. this one right here is my favorite so far.
It is battered cheese curds with a bacon jam and pickled onion on top.
Holy shit..
When I say good, I mean fucking good.
The pickled onions provided an awesome flavor against the fat from
everything else that I can not get enough of.
The bacon jam has the sweet and salty thing going on..
And the cheese was creamy, fresh, and gave you that pull that you want from cheese.
This appetizer hit all the taste buds, super well done!
Dinner
The Big Wig Pig
First things first, all burgers at The Proper Pig are served standard with two, yes two, burger patties.
You can opt out, just make sure to let them know!
This burger had two patties with truffle pecorino cheese, Vermont cheddar cheese, pan fried mushrooms, and crispy pork belly. This is all topped with a fried egg, dijon roasted garlic mayo on a grilled croissant!
Not kidding, ha.
Talk about a heart attack.
I only had one bite of this and it was tasty.
My love enjoyed it!
Piggly Wiggly
This is hickory smoked pulled pork, slaw, fried onion rings, with a honey brown sugar bbq sauce.
Mine also came with fries.
I got a side of BBQ sauce to dip... hmm.
It tasted more like a teriyaki sauce to me.. which was a bummer.
This sandwich was good.. a pretty average pulled pork.
Po-Boy
Beer battered fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, onion, with remoulade sauce.
I asked the waitress what the remoulade sauce was and she told me it was "like a sauce with olives in it"... haha. I guess she thought tapenade? I don't know. Either way it was funny and kinda bad. The employees should know.. or at least admit they don't and ask the cook.
This sandwich was ok. Again, it came with fries.
The bread was so hard that the roof of my mouth was all torn up..
When I picked the sandwich up it busted out of the bottom because it was so crusty/dry.
Other than that, it was ok.
I wouldn't order it again. It was lacking some flavor.
I did get me a side of the bacon jam and smothered everything I had with it!
(seeeeeeeee! don't these shrimps look identical?)
Overall, The Proper Pig is delicious.
They need a little bit of time to work the kinks out.
I think this is just what Waterville needed to excite the food scene.
There are so many other things on the menu I want to try.
I think you should give it a try too!
My recommendations for this place:
-Get a few other side selections.. its summer! Why not a fresh veg? or side salad.
Fries are not always what people want.
-
-Offer a larger sauce selection..
I'm a dipper.. so I always like to try out sauces.
They are very limited or at least my server told me they were..?
-Use the baguettes they use at The Last Unicorn (affiliated) for the po-boy.
That bread is outstanding! Nice and soft.
Happy Eating!
