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.