The Purple Pig

If you’re on The Mag Mile and want something other than the run-of-the-mill restaurant experience, then The Purple Pig—a collaboration between three beloved chefs, including Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia—is your best bet. The food is all about big, bold flavors that pay tribute to the Midwestern palate, but the wine selections offer the perfect counterbalance—skewing more toward low alcohol and high acid offerings from the old world. Like Rootstock, The Purple Pig’s by-the-glass list is unusually exciting; well-chosen whites and reds from unexpected regions (Greece, Portugal, etc) prove to be a welcome discovery and a particularly great match to the cuisine or the afternoon of downtown Chicago.