New Lower East Side Eatery Has Pig, But Will It Have Wine?

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0400

If there was a Most Inappropriate Name award for restaurants in New York City, Chickie Pig's would probably be the runaway favorite this year. The 1,400-square-foot restaurant that will sit at 121 Ludlow Street come April will serve brick-oven pizza, prosciutto balls and pistachio halvah rather than the corn dogs and hush puppies that the name brings to mind.

"I just made it up," owner Martin Kirschner told The Real Estate. "Kind of like Ronald McDonald did with his restaurant."

Yes, kind of.

Chickie Pig's will open in the next few weeks, but it remains to be seen whether or not the wine will be flowing. Community Board 3 has made it known that it's not in favor of issuing further liquor licenses on Ludlow Street. Mr. Kirschner, whose family purchased the building in 1979 for $75,000, is planning on gathering signatures in the hopes of persuading the State Liquor Authority that the community board's feelings are not representative of his neighbors.

He may also want to do a quick survey regarding the name.

- Mark Wellborn

Observer » New Lower East Side Eatery Has Pig, But Will It Have Wine?

New Lower East Side Eatery Has Pig, But Will It Have Wine?