The Salty Pig is a just a few steps away from the Copley Square and is known for their charcuterie and flatbreads. The walls surrounding the restaurant are covered in chalkboards that leave me envious for this type of artwork in my own kitchen. The bar welcomes those to belly up for a salty, meaty snack and a drink from their extensive list of local craft beer from breweries such as Notch, Pretty Things, and Jack’s Abby. Butting up against the bar are long wooden high tables, and benches line the walls of the rest of the L-shaped, multi-level venue.

The brunch menu is a choose-your-own adventure take on the cheese and charcuterie board paired with a handful of plates and a few specials for the day. The plates looked amazing but the cheese and charcuterie were too enticing. We picked a few “Stinky Cheeses” and “Salty Pig Parts” to compose our lunch of the day. The Valdeon is an intensely bold and spicy blue cheese from Spain made from a blend of cow and goat’s milk, wrapped in sycamore and oak leaves. The Montcabrer is a slightly tangy goat’s milk cheese that’s coated in vegetable oil and charcoal before aging for two to three months. The Smoked Beef Tongue with grains of paradise and Porchetta di Testa were outstanding, albeit a little bit out of Elise’s comfort zone; the Salame Calabrese was a little more her speed. The fig jam rounded out our board along with a jalapeno jelly with just the perfect amount of sweetness to offset the heat from the peppers.

The pork belly hash was served extra crispy and just begged to be slathered in barely cooked egg yolk. (Note to self, get the Pork Belly Hash plate next time.)

The surprise at the end of our meal was one I’ll likely never forget. Moleskin is one of the most creative ways to present the check I’ve ever seen, with little doodles and notes from previous guests adorning each of the pages. My favorite page in our book I imagined was from Jesse Pinkman, and perhaps the best way to sum up our meal at The Salty Pig: Oink oink, bitch.