Pig and Tiger

Photos courtesy of Kevin Austin 

Hello my fellow foodies and welcome back. Tis the season for new restaurant openings in Denver. From many of my previous articles, you know that I have a love affair with Asian food. Pig and Tiger opened a few weeks ago in Denver, and this is an opening I have been waiting for. My husband and I jumped in the car, and off we popped for another Asian food adventure.

Pig and Tiger is the collaboration of Chefs Darren Chang and Travis Masar serving Taiwanese inspired cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from their Chinese zodiac signs. Chef Darren is a child of immigrant parents from Taiwan. After moving to Los Angeles, it was important for his mother May to keep their heritage alive with food from Taiwan. Darren has worked in many restaurants including The Regional, a James Beard Colorado five representative. Chef Travis, a Colorado native, is a lover Asian cuisine. Having traveled to Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, he learned about the different cultures of the cuisine, and fell in love. Travis has served as head chef at Uncle, and while working in Philadelphia for the restaurant Sampan, his love for dumplings and baos was solidified. I remembered him as one of top 6 contestants on Top Chef New Orleans, where he became known on the show as “Captain Vietnam”. Chef Darren and Chef Travis met in Los Angeles at the restaurant Ms. Chi, decided to move to Colorado, and the rest is Pig and Tiger history.

Pig and Tiger is a beautiful restaurant. It is airy, filled with light, and inviting. We started with some cocktails which were carefully thought out by the team, and they were delicious. You must try the Baobing Sour, and the Rose Gold. I am a huge Old-Fashioned fan, and the Rose Gold is made with black tea and rose honey, it was perfection. There are many mocktails on the menu as well to choose from. It is hard for me to choose favorites that we dined on at Pig and Tiger, because they were all incredible, but the Taiwanese Fried Chicken, The Salt and Pepper Shrimp and the Saucy Pork Noodle were the stand outs. The head on shrimp were huge and lightly fried with Thai basil and ginger cocktail sauce, a must order starter. The saucy pork noodle is what I would call “Asian Bolognese”. It is rich, saucy and totally addictive. I wanted to only taste it because I knew I had more food coming, but I couldn’t just take one bite, it was that good. Now onto the Fried Chicken. This was a drop the mic menu item. It was delicate, not greasy, and other worldly to say the least. Make sure to dip it in their Honey Chili Crisp and let the party begin! I’m dreaming of that fried chicken as I am writing this. Desserts are innovative at Pig and Tiger. The Shaved Ice is a nod to Chef Darrens childhood. If you are a lover of pineapple, this is a five-star dessert.

The menu changes seasonally at Pig and Tiger to bring you the freshest ingredients available. I will be back very soon, and probably many times after that not only as a food writer, but as a super fan of this remarkable new restaurant. One million stars to this shining gem in Denver. Until next time my fellow foodies, eat well, drink well, and be well.