Cask & Larder – Winter Park, FL

On our way home from Mount Dora (see this post), we stopped for dinner in Winter Park.  It is one of my favorite cities – I love the hometown feel and they have such a great range of restaurants to pick from!  Last time we were there, we ate at The Ravenous Pig, which was awesome! 

This time, we decided to try Cask & Larder Southern Public House, which is owned by the same chefs that run The Ravenous Pig – James and Julie Petrakis.  Both restaurants focus on seasonal ingredients and have constantly changing menus.  I really love places that update their menus regularly because it’s a different experience every time you dine, and that way they can use the freshest ingredients.  

We were a little early for dinner, so we walked around Swine & Sons Provisions next door first – which just opened a few months ago.  It is a market that features many of the concepts from Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig, but more casual.  They products like their homemade IPA mustard and you can purchase sandwiches or have charcuterie to-go.  We really want to try their food next time we’re in the area – I’m sure it’s just as great as their sister restaurants.  

When we walked into Cask & Larder for dinner, they were just about to start their happy hour specials.  We grabbed a seat in a window nook near the bar since the main dining room wasn’t quite open yet and browsed the menu.  The graphic design is really fantastic – Hatchet Design did all the branding for the restaurant, and you can see it carried throughout their daily-printed menus and signage throughout.    

While waiting for the kitchen to open, I sipped on a Bee’s Knees cocktail & Lance enjoyed an IPA.  They brew their beers in-house, so we also got a flight with the meal. 

We took advantage of their Happy Hour and ordered a few appetizers – the Sewansecott Oysters with mignonette sauce and Fried Chicken Sausage on a Hawaiian sweet roll with honey and watermelon.  I think I still prefer the oysters at The Oyster Bar, but they were good for only $1! The sausage was a really interesting fresh combination of flavors. 

After that we split a salad with fresh beets, figs, toasted almonds and a mix of greens along with their Country Ham platter – with Benton’s, Newsom’s, and Father’s smoked & cured hams, ale mustard, pepper jelly, and biscuits.  This is probably one of the best salads I’ve had at a restaurant – you could tell they used ingredients at the peak of their season.  The ham platter was really tasty as well and each had a different flavor (from sweet to smoky).  

We finished off the meal with their house-made almond waffle cone, malted bourbon semifreddo, and spiced caramel corn.  Again, it reminded us of our favorite popcorn sundae dessert at Canoe in Atlanta.  Still nothing beats Canoe, but this was close. 

I’m hoping that the owners of Cask & Larder decide to expand their company to Tampa, because I’d eat at their restaurants every week if they were closer to us!

Swine & Sons Provisions is located at 595 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789 and is open 9am – 4pm Monday – Tuesday and Thursday – Friday, and 7am – 5pm Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm Saturday, and 11am – 4pm on Sunday.    

Cask & Larder is located right next door at 565 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789 and is open 4pm – 10pm Monday – Saturday and 10:30am – 9:30pm on Sunday. 

The Ravenous Pig is located at 1234 N Orange Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789 and is open 4:30pm – 9:30pm on Mondays, 11:30am – 2:30pm and 4:30 – 9:30pm Tuesdays – Thursdays, 11:30am – 2:30pm and 4:30pm – 10:30pm on Fridays – Saturdays and closed on Sundays.  

Sono Café at the Tampa Museum of Art

 

Between the new job and wedding planning, it’s been difficult to stay on top of the food blogging!  Believe me, we’re still eating delicious food, but I’m unfortunately posting about it a bit late now.  And if it’s a restaurant or recipe I’ve already posted about, I’m just sharing photos on the facebook page rather than writing a whole new blog post about it.  So if you aren’t already, follow me on there!

Tampa Restaurant Week had 70+ restaurants participate this year.   Each offered a $30 prix fixe menu – we got a sampling of it at their Meet the Chefs launch party at Coppertail Brewing.  Some of the offerings were $30 per person, and some were $30 per couple. 

My friend Maddie and I decided to check out Sono Café’s three-course prix fixe meal, which was one of the $30 shared meals.  The amount of food we got for it being $15 each was pretty generous.   

It’s located in the lower level of the Tampa Museum of Art - the modern architecture of the building is so unique in Tampa that it’s worth visiting.  The view of Curtis Hixon Park, the new Tampa Riverwalk extension, and the Hillsborough River is beautiful – and if it’s a nice day out, you can dine outside in the shade of the museum (although being mid-summer, we ate inside in the AC).  

We each had a cup of tomato soup for our first course.  We split the Four Cheese Grilled Cheese with provolone, white cheddar, goat, manchego, spinach and sundried tomatoes (which also included a side salad).  This was one of the best grilled cheese and tomato soup pairings I’ve had.  Then for our other Second Course selection, we shared the Artisan Cheese and Charcuterie Platter – with crostini, olives, mustard, and pickled vegetables. 

 

For the third course, we got to split a coconut gelato.  While it’s served in a small container, they do fill it well beyond the top and it was plenty to share after the large meal. 

I had only ever had the gelato at Sono Café when I’ve visited the art museum, but I was very impressed with the rest of our meal.  I’d definitely go back again!  Their food is well worth the trip, even if you aren’t already planning a museum visit (although if you haven’t been, you really should see one of their exhibits!) 

Sono Café is located at 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL 33602.  They are open Monday – Thursday 11am – 6pm, Friday 11am – 8pm, and Saturday – Sunday 11am – 5pm. 

Ava – Tampa, FL

 

This year has introduced several new and exciting restaurants to the Tampa Bay restaurant scene.  One of the most highly anticipated has been Howard’s new high-end Italian restaurant, Ava.  It’s in the lower level of the new Post SoHo Square apartments across from its sister restaurant, 717 South. 

 

I tried to make reservations last Friday, but they were booked all through the weekend!  We ended up heading there Monday night for dinner with Grandma Anne.  We stopped by her home beforehand to see her beautiful Christmas decorations!

 

Ava’s design has a mix of wood, tile, and industrial metal throughout – I love all the textures.  The one downside to all the hard surfaces was the noise level – immediately upon entering, we realized it would be a difficult place to hold a conversation.  Maybe they can add some acoustic panels to their large open ceilings. 

 

 

Our waitress explained that the majority of the menu was comprised of smaller plates like tapas, with the “secondi” section comprising of the larger entrees.  While we browsed the menu, we enjoyed our drinks – my 1919 Mule was served in the traditional copper cup. 

 

 

We ordered the Salumi to share – a Chef’s selection of house-cured meats with grilled bread, pickled vegetables, and mostarda.  The fancy charcuterie platter was served with a side of potted pork topped in duck fat (a bit too fatty for me…but I loved the chicken liver topped crisp bread and the prosciutto).

For dinner, Grandma had the Casarecce al Pomodoro with tomato sugo, olive oil, and basil.  I had the Bucatini alla Vaccinara with oxtail, pine nuts, and currants.  And Lance had the La Bestia Pizza with spicy sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, arugula, and ricotta. 

 

We loved both the freshly made pasta dishes – although Grandma wasn’t as impressed with the tomato sauce on hers.  The Pizza was delicious and the ingredients vibrant, but I couldn’t even tell that there was any sausage on it.  It had a soft, doughy crust, so it had to be eaten with a knife and fork.  The flavor was delicious, but I prefer a crispy crust. 

We all agreed that my Bucatini dish was the winner for the night.  I was expecting a small amount of oxtail, but there was almost more meat than pasta!  The pine nuts and currants really elevated the dish.  I’d have trouble ordering anything else if I went back because it was so incredible. 

Despite being pretty full, we still splurged and split tiramisu for dessert.  The portion would normally be enough for just one, but we didn’t want to hurt ourselves after the large meal.  It was a perfect end to an enjoyable dinner.

If you plan to check Ava out, make sure you make reservations well in advance since it’s hugely popular right now!  It’s definitely worth the trip. 

Ava is located at 718 South Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606 and is open Monday through Wednesday 5pm – 10pm, Thursday through Saturday 5pm – 11pm, and Sunday 5pm – 9pm.  They will start serving lunch beginning January 1^st from 11am – 2pm Monday through Fridays. 

Rooster & the Till – Tampa, FL

Last night my friends Kate, Laura, and I decided to try a new restaurant we’ve never been to before called Rooster & the Till.  It was featured on Tasting Tampa’s Top 10 list for best restaurants in the Seminole Heights area so we knew it must be good.  The outside of the restaurant is a bit nondescript, so we drove right past it while trying to find it. 

Their website describes the food as “modern American cuisine cooked with love and sourced from nearby farms and gardens.”  It also says that they used local craftsman and reclaimed materials in the construction of the restaurant.  It seems that all new restaurants I’ve gone to lately have the same look to them – industrial pendants with filament bulbs, exposed ceiling, wood accents, and subway tiles.  I’m not complaining though – I love that the rustic modern style is so trendy now.  It looks like a sophisticated restaurant you would find in New York. 

We were seated at the bar – I could tell it was a classy restaurant because there were hooks incorporated underneath the bar to hang purses.  The chefs prepared food directly in front of the bar, so it was a great vantage point.  It is clear that they are all well trained on plating and presentation because each chef spent time to meticulously plate each dish in a precise way. 

Our server explained the whole concept to us and advised that we order several plates to sample and share since it is meant to be a communal dining experience.  I do love food, but I am in no way a culinary expert.  When scanning the menu, I was unfamiliar with the names of about half the ingredients.  However, the chefs were very knowledgeable, so they answered a few questions for us before ordering. 

We ordered the Charcuterie Slate – which included chicken liver pâté, gelée candied walnut crumble, coffee cured guanciale, cocoa aioli, bbq spiced pork pâté, smoked onion marmalade, beef heart bresaola, b&b pickles, and a hibiscus allspice mustard.  Most of these were brand new to me, but everything I tried was incredible.  The portion size was quite small though, especially for the price.  However, it is clear that they focus much more on quality than quantity. 

We actually received the Cheese Slate on mistake before receiving the Charcuterie – but they told us to just keep it and try the cheeses as well.  That plate included cabrales, honeycomb, cacetto sardo, golden raisin chutney, bucherondin, fig mostarda, idiazabal, and pepper jelly.  It definitely wasn’t the typical cheese sampling of cheddar and pepper jack – these were all gourmet cheeses that wouldn’t be at your typical grocery store.  Again, relatively small portions but each bite was amazing. 

We also ordered two small plates to share.  The first was gnocchi with short ribs, smoked ricotta, san marzano’s tomatoes, and spicy pickled peperonata (I didn’t get a photo of that one but you can see a photo above right from the blog Eat a Duck.)  There wasn’t much short rib, but the handmade gnocchi were very tasty.

The second small plate was the house smoked yogurt, vinegar soaked tomatoes and cucumbers served with flax seed pumpernickel crackers. We were intrigued about this dish after we learned about their process of smoking yogurt to infuse it with flavor.  The dish tasted like a very upscale caprese salad.

The staff was very friendly, and the executive chef, Ferrell Alvarez, spent a lot of time getting to know us and telling us about the locally sourced ingredients and his previous experiences at Mise en Place and Café Dufrain.  You can tell that he takes pride in his restaurant and really cares about the customer experience. 

I think it is definitely worth checking out – maybe go when you aren’t quite as hungry though since like I said, the portions are relatively small for the price.  And go with an open mind to try everything – I grew up as a picky eater, but over the years I’ve become much more open to trying almost any food.  It was a totally unique dining experience that you couldn’t have anywhere else in the Tampa Bay area. 

After our dinner, we headed down the street to Bo’s Ice Cream for dessert.  It reminded me a lot of Dairy Joy.  I had a soft serve vanilla cone dipped in chocolate.  It was a great night catching up with friends!

Rooster and the Till is located at 6500 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33604 and is open with a limited menu Monday – Saturday 3:30 – 5pm, Monday through Thursday from 5 – 10pm for dinner, Friday & Saturday from 5 – 11pm for dinner, and closed on Sundays. 

Bo’s Ice Cream is 7101 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33604 and is open 11am – 11pm every day.