The Flying Pig, a family-friendly, pan-Southern restaurant serving the self-proclaimed “best damn mac and cheese you’ve ever had” opens today in the long-time home of now-shuttered neighborhood sushi bar Kyoto. Rob Vance, former executive chef at Ruby Slipper and at Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, and Kat Vance, a radio DJ, are behind the project.
Gone are the maneki-neko (or ceramic good-luck cats from Japan) that once dotted the rooms with their smiling faces and beckoning paws when the location was still a sushi spot. The animal of choice at The Flying Pig is...drum roll, please...a flying pig. Artist Becky Fos painted a colorful and lively portrait of the mascot for the walls, and other versions of the pig with wings appear throughout the restaurant.
The area that was formerly a sushi bar with refrigerated display cases for colorful, raw fish has been raised and outfitted to become a bar for drinks. Other renovations included adding new paint, and removing the bar that faced the main entry.
Opening menu items include mussels in garlic cream, spicy deviled eggs, and Caribbean fried chicken with collards and pimiento mac and cheese. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lunch and dinner are served every day, plus brunch on the weekends. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
