Oh Florida. You are so much more than Disney World and really tan senior citizens. So much more than Ponderosa Steakhouse and two-story tourist gift shops and for that, I thank you my good friend. A person can really only take so many neon lights in one night. I started my time in Florida at a gastropub just outside of Orlando, The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park. Generally speaking, you can almost never go wrong with a gastropub, and The Ravenous Pig was a fairly enjoyable mix of regional and house specialties. The atmosphere itself was a bit more refined than I expected for a gastro pub, and felt more like a seasonal American contemporary restaurant than a pub with really great food. Ah well.
We started with the opening photo, a delicious charcuterie plate made of house cured meats, housemade pickles, and the thinnest crostini I have ever seen in my life (not pictured). It included a torchon of foie gras, duck sausage with local honey, paper-thin slices of crisp Spanish chorizo, a bit of Genoa salami, two cheeses that I can’t really remembers, and a slew of pickled tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers ($14 USD). This was awesome–every bit of it. I loved the meats, the cheeses were pretty good, and combined with the pickled veg–my complaint is about the crostini. I looked at it and crumbled into the pieces, let alone when I tried to put food on it. Wish they were just a bit thicker and sturdier, but other than that, this dish was a dream. Especially the duck sausage with honey. I’m a sucker for meat with honey. For mains, Adam went with the special, a Texas redfish served with succotash. He really enjoyed this dish, especially since the fish wasn’t oily or overwhlemingly “fishy” as some fish are wont to be.
I went with the grilled salmon, which was served with potatoes, a delicious yellow sauce I was too tired to ask the ingredients to, crispy skin and a big ol slap of butter. I’m usually not a salmon person, but this fish was perfect. Moist and crisp, the perfect ocean flavor. I loved it.
BTW-sorry for the grainy photos. We got a new camera and are still figuring out the different settings. Better food porn below, I swear! I finished off the evening with a delicious 10 year tawny port, and Adam went for the sorbet trio. I believe the flavors included a strawberry lemonade and a coconut one…the port made me forget the last one 
After that, we drove up to St. Augustine, where my friend was getting married. St. Augustine is an adorable little town with a million historic sites, a ton of adorable tourist shops that manage to not be annoying and pastel houses. Lots of pastel houses. Ain’t no shame.
My friend was married at The Oldest House, which claims to be the Oldest House in the country. The wedding was small and terribly beautiful, and in between the wedding and the reception, we were taken on a trolley tour of the town. SO much better than sitting around the reception hall, waiting for the bar to open.
The friend who was getting married was a fellow gastronomy pal and guest host of Chicken n Waffles, Cari Sanchez! And since Cari loves her some food and has lived on nearly ever continent on earth, she decided to compile her favorite recipes in a cookbook for her guests. I loved this idea!
Now, I’ve been to a few weddings in my day and had one myself, so I’m no stranger to wedding land. But Cari’s dessert table has to be the most creative display of food I have seen in a long time at weddings. She made or purchased desserts from every single country her and her husband have lived in.
From Spain:
From Australia:
From Switzerland:
From Japan:
From the U.S.:
Oh, and Cari baked like, half of those desserts for her own wedding. The girl is a superstar! I just loved her creative and personal twist to dessert. She also happened to hook us up with a table full of awesome people, a hard feat to do. I mean, how often do you go to weddings where you know no one and leave with new friends? Table four rocked.
Thanks Cari, for giving us a good excuse to come and eat our way through Florida!
The day after the wedding, we decided to hit up a local beach, Vilano Beach, because honestly, I can never be tan enough. We ran into a craft fair/farmers market on the pier. I love random farmers. LOVE THEM.
This one had dogs and cats for sale, so I got to cuddle a bit with animals on the pier, and then shopped my way through regional products. I bought my dad a bottle of a hot sauce made with a locally grown pepper, the datil pepper.
Local produce
Cupcakes!
Also bought some blueberry lime jam from this vendor:
We ended our time in St. Augustine with a meal at the local microbrewery, A1A Aleworks, with two of our new wedding friends, Mike and Hannah from Ohio.
We started with a delicious crab and artichoke dip. Oh, and we also sat on the balcony, which faces the water and the main street of St. Augustine. It was gorgeous.
Mike went for the lobster tacos, which he said were delicious.
I had a tasty shrimp cocktail but took a really crappy photo (that was probably crappy from the cocktail sauce I smeared on the lens), so it has been omitted. Adam went for a tasty mango shrimp and corn cake plate.
Hannah was happy with her salad and lobster chowder. Whoa. What a boring description. But as this was our first time hanging out with Mike and Hannah, I wasn’t about to be Leena and eat off of their plate. The goal is to keep new friends, not drive them away. So happy will just have to do.
Florida, thanks for feeding me well and getting me slightly tan. ************************************** The Ravenous Pig 1234 N. Orange Avenue (between Orlando and Denning) Winter Park, FL 32789 407-628-2333 http://theravenouspig.com A1A Aleworks microbrewery 1 King Street Saint Augustine, FL 32084 United States 904-829-2977
