Going Feral at the Pig

The Feral Burger with house-made French fries and pickles. As far as pub burgers go, this one is luxurious.

The Feral Pig refers to itself as “pork-centric”, which I take to mean “concerned with all things pork.”

This, however, is not what makes its clientele so comfortable.

The Pig — as its regulars call it — is a watering hole, a great place for a sandwich, a good place for news and to meet people. And it’s a friendly place where everyone actually knows your name.

Owner Dave Powers explains it as the marriage of an Irish Pub with Kaua‘i Island feel. And its mission: Really good food at a really decent price, using the most local ingredients as possible.

The Feral Pig strives to make in-house as much of what they serve; from salad dressings and sauces to smoked meats.

This historic cocktail is the Toronto, served up. Dating from around 1956, it’s an old fashioned with Canadian rye, fernet and a lemon twist.

The Feral Burger is a mix of Kaua‘i Ground Beef, Smoked Pork Shoulder and their House-Cured Pork Belly (capitalized for respect, these are top quality meats). Sizzled with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and Spicy Aioli Secret Sauce (SASS), and served on Passion Bakery’s Taro Brioche Bun. It’s not just a burger; it’s a work of art any meat eater wholly respects.

But let’s talk cocktails. Dave melts his passion for bartending with history, so he can talk the story of a drink and make you feel like you are participating in its re-creation. Try him. Just get him talking. He’ll ask you a few questions and then make you something good.

We asked about gin, and Dave took us through the history of the Tom Collins, starting with an Old Tom Tom Collins, a recipe dating prior to 1890. He keeps a handy drink list based on classics — 1935 or before.

The Feral Pig has a lively beer selection featuring many local brews, including beer from Kaua‘i Beer Company. And Dave can talk about beer as well, all the way down to temperature, yeast, hops, sugars, etc. He knows his product well.

The Fish Tacos is one of the more popular menu items. Almost everything in it is locally sourced, or at least from Hawai‘i. You have a choice of corn or wheat tortillas. The locally caught hebi, or shortbill swordfish, is blackened and quite spicy.

The Pig has live entertainment every Sunday evening and on special holidays such as St. Paddy’s Day and Repeal Day, the day Prohibition was repealed, Dec, 5. They also do beer tastings and special food paring events, very tasty and educational.

Find The Feral Pig at 3501 Rice St., at Harbor Mall in Nawiliwili. They are open Wednesday through Monday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Visit www.theferalpigkauai.com or their Facebook page or call 246-1100 for more information. But the best way to learn about special events is to get a text from Dave himself: Make friends at The Feral Pig.

• Anni Caporuscio is a food lover and can be found daily at her Kapa‘a business, Small Town Coffee.