Dec 052017
 

National Lager Day is Dec. 10, and Raglan Road at Disney Springs has reason to celebrate some of its most popular brews. The Irish-run pub, which recently raised a glass to its 12th birthday, serves Guinness Blonde Lager, Harp Irish Lager, and its new locally brewed “Blagger” Organic Blonde Lager.

The “Blagger,” created by Orlando Brewing for the pub’s annual Great Irish Hooley, is a signature lager made with organic malts, organic Hallertau hops and organic yeast and will be featured Dec. 10 in a buy-one-get-one offer.  Yep, bogo beer!

Pair with the Boaring Burger — grilled wild boar burger, Cashel blue cheese, crispy onion strings, arugula, port and pear chutney with herb aioli served on a floury potato bun.

Visit www.raglanroad.com for more info, reservations and menus.

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Photo Credit: Christina Thomas of GO Epicurista

 

Nov 202017
 

From Epcot to Downtown Orlando, The City Beautiful was bursting with food and wine events this fall. One that’s not to be missed next year is the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic. Featuring an astonishing number of wine stations, food and wine seminars and chef meet and greats, this multi-day event is always quite the show.

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We attended a fun (and informative) wine blending seminar prior to the Classic Causeway event. During this hands-on seminar we took a step-by-step look at the wine making process. After a little wine education, and a lot of wine sampling, we headed over to the main tasting event  featuring more than 60 food and beverage stations. See below for a sampling of what we tasted and sipped during the event!

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While there’s lots of events to choose from in the fall, make sure you put the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic on your itinerary for next year!

Nov 062017
 

four seasons orlando

If you’ve been following Spork for some time now, you know how much we love dining at the Four Seasons. This weekend they are calling all Italian food lovers for events that are not to be missed.

Executive Chef Fabrizio Schenardi, who hails from Turin, Italy, will welcome Italian guest chefs in partnership with the Italian Food Style Education (IFSE) Culinary School and the Region of Piedmont in Italy. The Resort first partnered with IFSE in October 2016. Ravello at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort will be host to two incredible dinner experiences highlighting Italian cuisine.

Ravello will welcome Chef Giovanni Grasso of Ristorante La Credenza in San Maurizio Canavese (Turin), Italy. La Credenza was recognized in 2006 with one Michelin Star. Chef Grasso has devoted 25 years at the helm of La Credenza, mixing tradition with innovation, and serving cuisine that is never predictable.

In addition to Chef Grasso, Ravello will welcome Italy’s renowned pastry chef Wendy Elena Bosca. Chef Bosca was born into pastry success, as the daughter of Master Pastry Chef Sergio Bosca, who was awarded the Excellence Artigiana Piemontese Award, Chef Bosca grew up surrounded by sweets. In 2012, she opened her own cake shop in Turin, Italy and in 2013, recorded her own cake design show, airing on television in Italy. In 2014, she joined the IFSE as a culinary instructor, specialising in cake design.

Friday, November 10, 2017

  • Italian Feast – four-course dinner with wine pairings, 6:30 pm, Ravello, USD 140 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity
  • Experience an authentic Italian meal in the Piemontese style of Italy, featuring imported ingredients and Italian wines, created by visiting Chefs Grasso and Bosca.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

  • Italian White Truffle five-course feast with wine pairings, 6:30 pm, Ravello, USD 200 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity
  • A decadent dinner featuring the exclusive white Alba truffle from Italy. The White Truffle Festival is one of the oldest Italian truffle festivals that remains widely attended year after year. The mouth-watering dinner courses include risotto with Piedmont cheese, coffee powder and white truffle; pan seared branzino with potato, oyster water and white truffle; veal with smoked potato puree, foie gras and white truffle; and more

BRB…going to make a reservation at Four Seasons!

Advance tickets are required for these special dinner events. Space is limited; guests must reserve their spot accordingly via Eventbrite.

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! 

four seasons orlando

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.

four seasons

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