The Ravenous Pig, Winter Park, Florida
James Beard nominated chefs James and Julie Petrakis of
The Ravenous Pig make Winter Park, Florida their home with their second rendition of their restaurant, now in its 15th year, according to our server, Charles, with an expansion to the beer garden. It's a long wait, even with reservations, and impossible to get a seat without them on busy weekends. Great coverage from the rain can be found in the bar area during the rainy season.
Ravenous Pig Entry
Once seated, allergies are relayed, and Charles invited us to peruse the menu as a sampling is prepared for our enjoyment. As the inquisitive travel writer, I have to ask what we'll receive, but he wants it to be a surprise. On offer, cheese and charcuterie, s'mores French toast, pimento cheese fries, biscuits & gravy, wings, pork ribs, shrimp tacos and patatas bravas (an especially popular dish in this section of Florida.
As we consider the Gatherer or Arugula salad, and sandwiches from a chimichurri steak, country ham muffin, fried chicken cordon bleu, a pub burger or mahi sandwich with pickled slaw, w wonder if we'll even have room to eat any more after whatever they have to share.
The Ravenous Pig Bar
Brunch menus include a crab cake benedict, shrimp & polenta, and a butternut tagliatelle. Their chicken & waffles, Charles tells us, is a combination of layered flavors with waffles and guava and goat cheese with an espresso milk crumb. Everything here has just a bit of a twist.
Fair warning, if you don't eat pork or cheese and have gluten issues, your options will be limited. The beef from the pub burger or the mahi without the bread became my only options.
Fortunately, my colleagues had no such issues and were able to share their impressions with me.
As we waited, I checked in with Charles who told me about the desserts available for lunch: apple fritters and chocolate chip cookies. There are other dessert options for dinner, but none are gluten free.
The Ravenous Pig Charcuterie Board
Charles presents a long board of charcuterie that crosses the entire 5 seat round top table.
"Here we have Soppressata, Saville Road cheddar, Tete de Cochon and the lomo, the toscano and the camembert accompanied by a Spicy IPA mustard as well as date jam, lamash, and salted walnuts."
It's impressive, a wine and cheese connoisseur's dream. Stacey, our wine expert, considered the extensive wine list (equal in size to the entire menu), and chose an Albarino, a medium bodied white wine. She conferred with Charles once she'd narrowed her options to two. While he agreed her other choice was an excellent wine, he preferred this one as "one of the best."
After she appropriately sniffed, swirled and tested her wine, she took a proper taste and declared it "very excellent."
As Paula and Stacey enjoyed the cheeses, "this cheese is amazing," they found the jam a bit spicy and the cheddar went quickly.
S'mores French Toast with dark chocolate mousse
Shortly thereafter, the most incredible dish appeared, the s'mores French toast. A thick, dark, brioche, with burnished marshmallow and a dark chocolate mousse served with maple syrup looked incredible. They tell me the crust was even more delicious than the center, and it was impressive by the amount of food entirely that it couldn't be finished. I could smell cinnamon from where I sat. "It's really good!"
pimento cheese fries
With the French toast came our final starter, their pimento cheese fries. Fried in the same oil as their breaded products, cross-contamination doesn't allow for celiacs to consume it, but it smells heavenly. The cheese and sauteed green onions with pimento add moisture to make these sweet fries taste "really good."
Moving on to our actual lunch order, Stacey asks Charles for his opinion on her two choices, the arugula salad or shrimp & polenta. Charles laughs, "You're asking the wrong guy to choose a salad."
I asked Charles' opinion on the beef patty versus the mahi and he recommended the mahi. I couldn't have the fries due to cross-contamination, but they offered a side salad. Their base lettuce, it turns out, is arugula.
Mahi, slaw, and side salad
Once our entrees arrived, I found the slaw crunchy and salty. The mahi was properly cooked and made a nice trio with avocado, slaw, and cucumber.
shrimp & polenta
Stacey's polenta and shrimp arrived with some fanfare. It's a colorful dish and she relished the depths of flavor. She tells me there's not as much texture as she traditionally expects. She wondered if it was cheese or cream or eggs, maybe even cream cheese. It remains a Ravenous Pig secret… and will keep us guessing. It can also lead to her experimenting more at home.
Ravenous Pig Brewery Taproom
Well filled, we prepared to leave the Ravenous Pig. The front desk had offered use of their cell phone charger and we were grateful to remember the phone as we departed. One thing about these whirlwind trips is the significant use of technology. We appreciate the thoughtfulness of the staff who offered the service.
