Aug 092017
 

Husband and wife chefs James and Julie Petrakis, who have won wide acclaim for their Central Florida restaurants Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig, have expanded their Swine Family Restaurant Group to Disney Springs with a new fast-casual concept, The Polite Pig. Partnering with the James Beard Foundation-nominated chefs is Brian Petrakis, who owns the popular Orlando eatery Greens & Grille. The partnership unites the Petrakis brothers on a restaurant venture for the first time.

Operating with a culinary philosophy similar to its sister Swine Family restaurants, The Polite Pig serves dishes made using sustainable and local ingredients. Some of the signature dishes include House-Smoked Chicken, Brisket, Pork Shoulder and St. Louis Ribs, as well as BBQ Cauliflower on the sides menu. Here’s what we’d recommend trying during your visit!

  • Brisket Sandwich with pimento cheese, lil john’s BBQ, pickled jalapeños and crispy onions. YUM! I could try to explain more, but I’ll let the ingredient lineup speak for itself in this case. We reluctantly ordered the BBQ cauliflower for our side (at the enthusiastic urging of our awesome server) but were thrilled with the accompaniment! Who knew this white, typically bland, veggie could hold so much flavor and fun?

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  • Baby Back Ribs with a signature rub and a side of savory cheese grits with collard greens and bacon black-eyed pea potlicker. We promptly polished off the whole rack and almost inhaled the grits. I’m usually a traditionalist when it comes to my grits, as in don’t add anything but cheese and maybe a dash of hot sauce, but the additions to this side dish totally worked. Even our Mississippi-native server is a fan of these grits, and you know how serious southerners are about their grits! Bottom line, order both of these items during your visit to The Polite Pig.

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  • Desserts are kept simple with two choices, Orange Blossom Honey Cake or Double Layer Chocolate Cake. You’re at Disney so dessert is not optional, just order both and share among your table for a sweet ending.

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  • I don’t do bourbon (or beer), but am always ready for wine. They have three wines on tap which means they are consistently served at the perfect temperature. Since it’s ONE BILLION DEGREES outside order a glass of the French rosé. Plus, ordering wine from a keg is trendy and cool.

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Longtime Swine Family chef Allison Weldon leads The Polite Pig kitchen and serves as the restaurant’s executive chef. Most recently, Weldon was part of the Cask & Larder transition team to the Orlando International Airport. She began her career as a line cook at The Ravenous Pig and in 2013 was named a regional winner in the national “2013 Best Young Chef” competition sponsored by the Confrérié de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

The Polite Pig will also features beers and cocktails on tap. Cask & Larder Brewery will brew several of their signature beers for The Polite Pig including its Lone Palm Golden Ale, 5 Points IPA, Red Drum Ale and Working Man Porter. On tap cocktails include Gin & Tonic, Vodka Lemonade, Rum & Coke, Tequila & Grapefruit and an Old-Fashioned. Bourbon enthusiasts will also enjoy the “Bourbon Bar” with more than 60 varieties of whiskey including Florida’s largest collection of Pappy Van Winkle whiskeys.

The Polite Pig is located in Disney Springs’ Town Center neighborhood. The 5,000-square-foot venue is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with seating for about 200 guests.

The Polite Pig Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Jul 222017
 

We are magical dining obsessed, it’s the best way to try over 100 local restaurants for just $35 per person! Our favorite and one that’s worth visiting multiple times is Ravello at Four Seasons Resort. Their prix-fixe three-course meal (and all Magical Dining meals) benefit Freedom Ride and BASE Children’s Cancer Foundation. One of the tastiest and best options, the Ravello menu includes:

Appetizer (select one)

  • Insalata Mista with trevisana, arugula, lola rossa, moscato vinaigrette
  • Polpettine meatballs with mortadella, prosciutto, pomodoro sauce and mascarpone, grilled pan pugliese
  • Gelato di Parmigiano with radish, artisan lettuce, cucumber, tomato vinaigrette, Parmigiano cheese gelato and taralli crumble
  • House made charcuterie and cheese board

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Entree (select one)

  • House made bucatini amatriciana with guanciale, onion, pomodoro sauce
  • Chicken puttanesca with polenta, taggiasca olive, capers and pesce spada
  • Swordfish with sale speziato, salmoriglio, roasted potatoes, spinach, pomodorini, taggiasca olives

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Dessert (select one)

  • Affogato vanilla housemade gelato with Café Umbrian espresso
  • Sicillian cannolis with pistachio and candied orange

Magical Dining runs August 25, 2017 and runs through October 1, 2017. For reservations and the full list of restaurants, click here. 

Don’t want to wait a whole month to enjoy a special Four Seasons experience? Capa will feature an incredible Louis Roederer Champagne Dinner on August 3, at 6 p.m. August 3 also marks the resort’s third anniversary, truly an occasion worth celebrating! The five-course dinner will feature rare pairings, including Cristal and Cristal Rose. Proof that bubbles pair with more than just caviar, here’s the stellar lineup for the evening! 

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Between all that Magical Dining and champagne sipping, you’ll want to “take the elevator home” after the night out. With adult amenities such as The Oasis adult-only pool, the 18-hole Tranquilo Golf Club (with an awesome brunch at Plancha) and a 18-treatment room Spa, Four Seasons Resort Orlando is an ideal adult destination. So tell us, what’s your favorite way to experience Four Seasons?

Jul 092017
 

What’s more luxurious (and fun) than a champagne dinner at the Four Seasons? Yea, we can’t think of anything either! Last week we were fortunate enough to attend a special Louis Roederer champagne dinner at Capa celebrating the resort’s third birthday. The five-course dinner featured rare pairings, including Cristal and Cristal Rosé.

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A good night always starts AND ends with champagne…..the evening’s stellar lineup below.

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Amuse Bouche

  • Zanahoria PB&J, Foie Terrine Tetilla, Cheese Puff Fingerlings, Smoked Crema, Caviar – so many fun bites to start off the meal, especially all the caviar!
  • Champagne Louis Roederer, Brut Premier NV – super tasty and available for about $50 bucks from a wine shop, well worth the money.

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Primero

  • Lobster with turnips, ponzu vinaigrette and lardo – lobster and champagne, the ultimate and perfect pairing.
  • Champagne Louis Roederer, Brut Premier NV

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Segundo

  • Oxtail Consommé, A5 wagyu and artichoke – always a treat to taste some of the finest wagyu on earth.
  • Champagne Louis Roederer, Brut Nature 2009 (zero dosage) – bone dry, but still delicate, so obsessed with this sparkler!

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Tercero

  • Salmon, burnt leek and champagne sabayon – because when you’re drinking champagne, why not also make it a main ingredient in a dish too.
  • Champagne Louis Roederer, Brut Rosé 2011 – takes the whole “Rosé All Day” thing to another level, I must find a bigger champagne budget so I can order more bottles for myself.

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Entrante

  • Braised Veal with potato and truffle – fork tender and exploding with goodness, this main dish was fabulous.
  • Cristal, Brut 2009 – see comment above about needing a bigger champagne budget. I’m still dreaming about this elegant champagne in my sleep. Maybe someday I’ll have the chance to enjoy it again.

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Postre

  • Turron Helado, apricot, currant and pistachio – every single morsel of dessert that their pastry chef has ever created is divine. This dessert was no exception, the right ending to an evening of bubbly and gourmet fare.
  • Cristal, Brut Rosé 2007 – Vintage. Bubbly. Rosé. No better way to end an evening.

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And then we called Uber. The end!

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Capa Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato