Steve and Carrie Shepard took over as owners of the Pig ‘n Whistle last Monday.
We lived in the neighborhood 10 years ago. The Pig was our weekend breakfast place and once in a while evening place. I saw an ad on Craigslist a couple months ago and asked which place it was. When they told me it was Pig N Whistle, we went for it.
Steve says he has worked in human resources for technology companies and Carrie has an accounting and baking background, but they’re “thrilled” to now make the pub their full-time jobs.
37 responses so far ↓
1 visitor // Oct 20, 2009 at 10:43 am
They should make their happy hour til 7, as I often head to Naked City over the Pig for this fact alone… I certainly hope they don’t cut back on the happy hours or what is offered, though. Expand, expand!
2 james // Oct 20, 2009 at 10:54 am
cool! can hopefully breath new life in to P&N.
3 john walker // Oct 20, 2009 at 11:05 am
the food USED to be pretty good, originally. lets bring that back!
4 Glenn Fleishman // Oct 20, 2009 at 11:24 am
Second new owners in the last 3 or 4 years, right?
5 amh98103 // Oct 20, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Good Luck to the new owners. I used to go there for Happy Hour but didn’t like the changed menu a few years ago. Maybe they will give us a good happy hour menu! My husband and I usually don’t go out to dinner, it is too much food. I love a salad and a tasty appetizer.
6 Trix // Oct 20, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Woo hoo! Good luck! And, yes, please bring back the happy hour of old. And proper Pub food, for goodness sake!
7 Neighbor // Oct 20, 2009 at 12:24 pm
At least the third new owners in the past two years, I believe.
8 GreenLakeDave // Oct 20, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Turn off the big TV projection in the dining room. Unless you’re going to be nothing but a “sports” bar, that’s just tacky.
9 mike // Oct 20, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Yes, please change the menu!
10 Trix // Oct 20, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Last time I was there they had nixed the TV projection thing (idiotic idea, anyway) and added a TV behind the bar. Where TV’s are supposed to be in a bar.
11 Anna // Oct 20, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I don’t see anything wrong with the menu. I’ve had at least half of it by now, and 90% of it has been great. The menu and great staff (okay, and the 1/2 off Sunday nights) are what keeps me and my friends coming back week after week.
They had the projector going this past Sunday, as well as the TV at the bar. Maybe I’m not usually there on especially crowded nights, but I don’t see anything wrong with the projector. It’s pretty easy to ignore.
12 Sara // Oct 20, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Really? Why do people want the menu changed? Have you ever eaten their burger or pulled pork sandwich or macaroni or… well.. basically anything? It’s really tasty. As long as they don’t change the staff, I’m happy — the bartenders/servers are the best
13 Grover // Oct 20, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I too liked the old cheaper, pub food menu better, though the new one has a few tasty items as well as some duds. I never see more than a handful of people in there in the evenings unless it is happy hour when the appetizers and beer are a good deal.
14 Danimal // Oct 20, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I think maybe get rid of the $12 bacon burger… with the economy its a lil pricey for me, until I get a job that is!!
15 Greenwood // Oct 20, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Menu is good, but would love some more non-fried items, especially in the snack area. Whatever you do, do NOT change Rene’s schedule or cut his hours. That guy is the heart and soul of the Pig and the one continuous element over the years. It took the last owners a little while, but they realized he was awesome and the most valuable part of the business!
16 Greenwood // Oct 20, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Also, maybe have trivia night on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays. Nothing good on TV on Wednesday, and it will break up the week!
17 Trix // Oct 20, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Oh, yeah. They have to keep Rene. He’s awesome. He became really the only reason to go there.
18 Takenroad // Oct 20, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Old menu items that I liked, but got lost in the owner shuffle:
Aussie burger (with a fried egg on, < $12)
Yukon Gold potato french fries
Caramel turtle cheese cake (my bride’s favorite)
Pubs should serve pub grub. Veggie items and nouvelle cuisine are nice additions, when built on a solid foundation of pub food. Just my 2 cents.
Looking forward to trying whatever the new owners bring. Great place for dessert after a Taproot play.
19 aballardparent // Oct 21, 2009 at 7:00 am
I agree. I didn’t care for the new menu, bring back some more basics.
Congrats and best wishes in your new venture!
20 Graham // Oct 21, 2009 at 7:49 am
Old food, new food… it was all fairly good. Whatever you choose to serve it just needs to fit the restaurant, ’smoked tomato jam with sweet potato fries’ don’t belong in a bar & grill they belong in a bistro. It’s all about creating an identity, which is difficult, as the Pig is such a neighborhood establishment.
21 etta // Oct 21, 2009 at 8:53 am
I’d love a bar and grill with a simple menu featuring fresh, local ingredients whenever possible.
22 SPG // Oct 21, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Gotta agree with the pub grub in a pub sentiment with one major point…It has to be cheaper. Why on earth would I spend more money for pub food than I would for a nice meal in a proper restaurant? I know that the location of the food shouldn’t make a difference in how tasty it is or the quality of the ingredients, but on a purely psychological level it’s hard to stomach a bar food tab that costs more than a dinner at Machiavelli or Maneki.
23 SPG // Oct 21, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I should have added, Good luck with the new business venture and please take this as helpful advice for the better, and not just negative bitching.
Let us know when you take over and get things set up your way and we’ll come by and check it out.
24 AMC // Oct 21, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Yeah, I’ll give it a try again under new owners!
Bring back nachos!!
25 GWM // Oct 21, 2009 at 1:38 pm
We used to go to the old Pig N Whistle at least 3 times a week because of their breakfast, nachos, happy hour and smoked chicken. Don’t forget to add a good kid’s menu! 74th St. Ale House and St. Andrew’s don’t allow kids so you’ll have a great 5pm-7pm family crowd along with the Happy Hour bar crowd.
26 mike // Oct 21, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Please… do something with the pig ears groce! and the jamm…
27 Ben.D // Oct 21, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Yeah it was a bit pricey. But I liked it. Could always find a seat at the bar and the food was great. The burger and the steak especially good. something similar but a little bit less expensive.
28 Greenwood // Oct 21, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Would LOVE a pool table in the back again!
29 Alan // Oct 22, 2009 at 8:23 am
We actually liked the sorta weird, European-themed menu from a few years ago, and have been disappointed with the current menu.
Best of luck to the new owners!
30 Sharon // Oct 23, 2009 at 1:17 am
Hooray! I was a regular Pig-goer for years, for breakfast and late-night dinners, and the new menu really turned me off. As others have said, there were a few home runs (smoked tomato jam! the latest version of the mac n’ cheese), but a lot of duds. Frankly, the consistency was awful–from week to week the menu items listed under the same names and descriptions would be prepared vastly differently. I never knew what I was getting, and the small number of options made it hard to land on something I could trust.
I loved “Whine Like a Pig” half priced wine nights, and the wide selection of delicious and hearty pub food was far superior, affordable, and consistent than the most recent evolution. How many times did I just wish for a plate of good old fashioned nachos? Or a salad with ranch dressing? Sure I like some more complex flavors and to challenge my palate from time to time. But a menu should have a balance, and a pub should have pub food. This menu sure wasn’t the right mix for this neighborhood and crowd! And the downturn in patrons seems to support that opinion.
Can’t wait to see what the new owners do,a nd hope to make it our regular hang out again! *fingers crossed* Any chance the Botticelli babe over the bar can come back? Maybe that is too much to hope for….
31 Sharon // Oct 23, 2009 at 1:18 am
Ah and I second (or third) Rene! If he isn’t part of the deal, no deal!!
32 R // Oct 23, 2009 at 7:16 am
Why does every place that looks like a bar have to have the same food? Please be open-minded folks.
Everything I’ve tried on the recent menu (Portage owners) has been GREAT.
The friendliness of the personnel on the other hand, has been disappointing. This is what has kept me from going there more often.
33 another neighbor // Oct 23, 2009 at 10:24 am
Yay, new owners! Good luck!
bring back veggie burgers! There is no longer anywhere to get them in the neighborhood.
I doubt they’d even consider firing Rene. But yeah, he’s the heart and soul of the joint. We only ever stop in now if Rene is working.
The current menu may be good, but it is expensive and there is little for us vegetarians. Plus, what I had last time left me with terrible stomach pains. (I do not have a sensitive stomach). A change would be welcome.
34 R // Oct 23, 2009 at 10:57 am
Hey Veggie Burger (post #33): (http://www.pignwhistleseattle.com) shows the same menu that I saw there last night, including a veggie buger. Please try it, perhaps you will find it to be as good as the one 10 blocks away at 74th Street Alehouse.
35 GreenLakeDave // Oct 23, 2009 at 2:51 pm
74th St. is packed most nights, and their food is great, not cheap “pub food”. So I’m not sure about the argument that the neighborhood won’t support a place with an interesting menu.
36 StuS // Oct 23, 2009 at 3:37 pm
We have had a few spotty meals under the recent regime, but wish all the best to the new owners. This is a tough time to take on what can be an iffy hospitality business, but Pig & Whistle has had a strong presence in the neighborhood character. We look forward to see what the new iteration will be like.
I’d love to see the return of pulled pork and ribs, cheaper options, etc.
Long live P&W!
37 Brian // Oct 24, 2009 at 2:06 pm
We stopped in for dinner last night. I got there at 5:30, and found the dining room mostly empty with 6-8 people at the bar. I ordered the bacon burger/beer deal for $10.00. That is a hell of a deal. The burger was outstanding, true medium rare. I could have done without the garlic on the fries. I ordered the same for my wife to get the Happy Hour price. My wife works in S. Everett and traffic was bad. Happy Hour would be even happier if extended to 7:00. We were very pleased with the direction the place is taking. We didn’t like the arty version at all, and stopped going during that period.
Congrats to the new Pig! We look forward to many excellent burgers!
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