We’ve always been fond of the Mouse, especially once we discovered the fine dining side of Disney and Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. If you missed our review of the Chef’s Table at Flying Fish, click here.

Orlando has been anxiously waiting for the arrival of Four Seasons. The luxury resort is finally open and filled with dining options including Capa, set to open in September. Even more exciting is the announcement today for a new overnight package that includes Walt Disney World park tickets. Park tickets of your choice are included in this hotel package, available for a four to seven night stay. Of course, in true Four Seasons style you can say goodbye to those dreaded Disney buses. Four Seasons guests will ride in a motor coach to the parks! Click here for full package details and say goodbye to ticket lines and crammed buses.

I’d say this is the perfect excuse to book that staycation during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. Have a magical day!

Happy birthday to The Ravenous Pig! One of our favorites, this award winning restaurant was serving up gastropub and Southern food waaay before it was “on-trend.” To celebrate, they’ve added new shareable menu items and are debuting an updated logo.

“In pig years turning seven years old usually means you’re already bacon, so you could say we’re just happy to still be around,” said Ravenous Pig Owner/Chef Julie Petrakis. “In all seriousness though, we’re humbled by the support Central Floridians and visitors have shown us since day one. We couldn’t be more excited about putting some new lipstick on The Pig and we look forward to continuing to contribute to the region’s thriving culinary scene.”

Starting today, the menu will feature a variety of culinary “boards.” Selections will include spreads of handcrafted seafood crudos, artisanal cheeses, house made charcuterie and more; there will also be a dessert board for something sweet. {Hooray!}

See you at The Pig! 1234 N. Orange Avenue, Winter Park, Florida, 32789.

Ritz Carlton, the ultimate luxury hotel, king of relaxation and exceptional service. With the opening of Highball & Harvest next month, it’s time to add “culinary superiority” to their list of accolades. In the coming weeks, the Grande Lakes location will open H&H serving up Southern comfort food and design featuring seasonal Low Country and Cajun-inspired cuisine from Chef de Cuisine Mark Jeffers. Mark was raised the South and will soon be serving hyper-local dishes infused with Floridian citrus and ingredients from the resort’s own 7,000-square-foot Whisper Creek Farm.

In a few weeks Spork is getting a sneak peek of H&H! We’ll be sure to share all that we can, but in the mean time here are a few highlights coming to a Ritz near you.

This casual “come as you are” restaurant will feature interactive dining, handcrafted cocktails and a creative, playful menu. H&H’s railroad-inspired design will feature communal seating, a large bar/lounge area, a raw oyster bar (with chefs shucking oysters by hand) and custom hand painted dishware.

Their signature dishes will include H&H Pig-n-Potatoes, a decadent all-day breakfast dish, house-made beef jerky, dips with pickled veggies and a signature H&H Hot Sauce made from Whisper Creek Farm peppers. We can’t wait to try their Parker House Rolls made from old-world Khorasan wheat, served warm and made in-house.

Most intriguing is the interactive cocktail table, where bar Chefs will muddle ingredients while instructing over carefully curated and personalized cocktail classes. H&H will offer a hand-crafted, seasonal cocktail menu—signature cocktails include: the Moonshine “Whistle-Stop,” the refreshing “Green Acres” with house ginger beer and jasmine tea and a “Cranberry Cobbler” mixed with honey from the resort’s on-site collection of beehives.

Most cocktails will be served on the rocks with hand-carved ice, sculpted bar side with a Japanese ice saw and infused with herbs and citrus from Whisper Creek Farm. H&H will also feature Central Florida’s largest selection of wines from the cask, carefully selected by Advanced Sommelier Kris Soto, to ensure perfect temperature control and freshness.

Hungry yet? We can’t wait to sink our taste buds into these Southern flavors. More pictures to come after our sneak peek of H&H. www.highballandharvest.com

Photo Credit: Highball & Harvest

There’s something nostalgic about chewing bubble gum and enjoying salt water taffy at the beach. The smells and flavors take you back to a time when decisions were easy and life was simple. So, we were giddy when we recently stumbled upon Beachside Candy Co. They’re an old fashioned candy and ice cream shoppe on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach. One step inside and we were instantly transported back to “The good ‘ole days.”

They carry a large selection of homemade chocolates and fudge as well as nostalgic candies. We filled our bag at the candy bar with everything from gummy worms to nerds and my personal favorite, Fruit Stripe gum (remember the temporary tattos on the wrappers?). Beachside Candy Co. also has close to 30 flavors of the ultimate beach confection, salt water taffy. While we didn’t get a chance to sample their housemade coconut haystacks or chocolate covered marshmallows, we’ll be back for more sugary goodness next time. Skip the beach truck popsicles and head to Flagler Ave. for nostalgia and the perfect sugar buzz.