Pulling up to Pig Floyd, the first thought I had was “Oh crap, I hope we can find parking.” But, to be fair, it’s like that for most businesses in that area. We decided to hit this place up on a Saturday night at around 7pm, and we still only waited for about 20 minutes before getting to order, all in all, it’s worth the wait, even if it looks like the line is ridiculously long, don’t let that stop you. The outside aesthetic is homey. Lively music and a nice patio with plenty of room for outdoor dining. Florida can be a hit or miss weather, but it beats waiting for one of the few tables inside the joint. The place is set up similar to a meat and three or a Pei Wei, where you order your food, grab a number and sit down at a table. This is an elegant solution to people camping out tables and getting others to order for them.
WARNING: The patio is served with a side of beefcake. While we were there in line there was a huge, hunky guy running around helping everyone and being super nice. Once you make it past the doors, you get in line and check out what they have on special, I believe these are dishes made from the previous days’ leftovers. It’s written in cute chalk-marker on a huge roll of paper. Speaking of chalk work, take some time to appreciate the great pictures and penmanship on those blackboards featuring menu items and beers. Someone over there is quite the deft hand.
The food arrived a short time after ordering, in spite of being very busy, we only waited about 10 minutes. My order came out on two plates. Because I got a platter (1.5 lb rack of ribs) it came with two sides. I went with the fried yucca with fancy sauce, and the corn, grilled and coated chili, lime and cotija cheese. I’ve had corn like that before at cask and larder, and it was equally good here.
The fried yucca has it’s own little story… Yucca and I have been bitter enemies as most of the time I’ve had it, it was served as a puddle of starchy slime with no seasoning. At Bahama Breeze they fried it, and it completely turned me around on that root. That’s why I ordered it here, to see if frying is indeed the way to go, and I can tell you, it totally is. The sauce is, (I assume) a combination of mayo and ketchup seasoned with garlic. That’s my best guess anyway.
Let’s talk about these ribs… Oh these ribs, the ribs were phenomenal. They ask when you order them what sauce you would like, make sure you choose one or the other. The reason they ask, is because they add a sauce on the ribs before finishing them off on the grill. I have no idea how they did it, but they managed to make fall off the bone ribs, stay on the bone until you bite into them. They were super tender, but held up when you lifted it and had a satisfying meaty chew.
Being gluttons for gluttony, we ordered a dessert, they called it a black and tan, a pudding parfait type dish, served in a small mason jar. It’s chunks of a blondie (a non chocolate brownie) a chocolate pudding, Mexican chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I’m not usually one for a sweet tooth but this little guy was great. It was good for sharing as well because it is a bit rich, in a good way.
Tags: Barbecue, BBQ, orlando restaurants, patio, ribs