Posts Tagged ‘orlando restaurants’

Comfortably Num Num Num

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

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.

20150509_193630

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.

20150509_195410

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.

You Wish You Were Here

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

At Pig Floyd’s, one thing that is often missing from great barbecue comes through in spades – and that’s flavor. It’s not just about how tender the ribs are, but the complexity of the sauce and those fine details that turn regular BBQ into something closer to gourmet.  Look out, 4 Rivers Smokehouse, I’ve got a new favorite.  Okay, so I’m rambling. It’s a little hard to put into words how delicious this place was. Pig Floyds isn’t just tasty, the prices are manageable, the staff is swift and polite (with refreshing motley of hipster beards and gauges) and the selection is quite fine.

20150509_193450

The ambience is typical downtown coolness. Fun textures and different levels of brown and white give this place the fresh barbecue joint style. Their little pig symbol can be seen everywhere, from their hand-chalked menu boards to the wooden board on which they served delicious ribs. Like most awesome restaurants, there was a line out the door. It moved pretty quickly, however. We waited maybe 15 minutes before they took our order. It was counter service style where they give you that little number-on-a-stick deal. We snagged a table and it was mere moments before we had our beers. The beer selection was good, but they ran out of the interesting ones on draught and we had to settle for Cracker House – which is a favorite anyway. Beers were served in the usual hipster mason jar.

20150509_194945

The only honest complaint I have about this restaurant is that the table was made of some kind of rubber that always feels sticky. Honestly, it could have been covered in corn syrup and I still would have enjoyed an amazing meal.

I ordered “The Big Floyd – Can you handle it?” It came with a pile of fries for a mere $9.99. “Oakwood Smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork, Sausage, Sweet BBQ sauce, citrus peanut slaw and fries on a toasted coconut pineapple roll.” Sound delicious? Dear lawd, it was. The toasted roll was light and sweet, the mix of meats was perfectly balanced and there was something amazing in the slaw – but I can’t pin down what. It might be fennel. There was an earthiness to it. Each bite was tender, meaty – one could say wholesome. It’s rare that I can take a bite of a BBQ sandwich an have it create such a wonderful blend of flavors. I don’t usually go for the French fries on the sandwich deal, but here it just added a mealy crispness to the sandwich that was a delight to the mouth. Everything was just seasoned delightfully. I tried their two types of BBQ sauce with the fries, and I couldn’t stop eating it. It was just so delightfully complex. Each nibble told a story.

20150509_195347

Aside from the meal, we ordered a pork belly taco to try. This was pretty freaking good, too. The wrap was a bit soggy from all the delicious things inside of it, but if you eat it quickly it’s not really a problem. The pork belly was cooked perfectly and the interior had more fascinating coleslaw.

Our dessert was a shared Black & Tan pudding. Chunks of blondies with a super light fluffy chocolate pudding and Mexican chocolate sauce. Each bite was rich and soulful.

Overall, Pig Floyds was a wonderful experience. It seemed like simple fair until you put any of it in your mouth, then the way everything meshed together, it could only mean love.

Howlin’ good times.

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Alright, that title was cheesy, but once you read what I ate here, you’ll understand.

We happened upon White Wolf Cafe when looking for a place to eat around Florida Hospital. Man Biscuit and I were visiting family and wanted to find a place nearby. White Wolf Cafe popped up on Google Maps, and we just had to check it out. Not just because of the nerdy connotations of the name, but also because it had a ton of reviews. If people were buzzing this much about it, we needed to see what it was all about.

The business next to WWC was an exterior decorative statue company. It gave the whole place a Disney’s Haunted Mansion feel to it…with eerie eyeless statues staring at us on the way in. We opened the door into a huge bar area and very detailed antique shop/cafe. The host stand was placed awkwardly in the center of the room, which invited your eyes to a sweep of the whole restaurant. They seated us immediately, and we spent a few moments ogling the various paintings, antique signs, wrought iron and chandeliers that consumed the walls and ceiling. It was a fun collection and certainly kept us entertained.

Everything was antique. Chairs, tables, walls, rugs…even elements of the bathrooms belonged in an antique store, which the cafe also was. The only thing that wasn’t old and tired was the menu. We were intrigued by the idea of french fries with red beans and cheese. We were not disappointed. They piled on the fries. The plate was enormous. It was covered in delicately spiced red beans and melted cheese. We dug into the fries with vigor. They were satisfying and very, very filling.

At the server’s suggestion, I selected the “mac and two cheeses.” The dish boasted crab meat, brie and caramelized pasta. They didn’t mention what the other cheese was. When it arrived, my jaw dropped in awe. It looked phenomenal. Huge, gooey, cheesy delight with strips of fresh brie on the north, south, east and west poles. The center housed the crabmeat, which was surrounded by thickly coated bowtie pasta.

I dug in with gusto. The brie was bright and creamy, and just the right temperature after being placed on the piping-hot pasta. The crab was good quality and lightly seasoned. I was still pretty full from the fry-appetizer, so I was only able to enjoy half of the dish. I wrapped it up to take home.

The White Wolf cafe had much to offer on the menu and on the walls. I highly recommend this cafe if you’ve A. got to visit someone in the hospital and are very hungry, B. enjoy looking at/purchasing antiques, C. Love rich cheeses and upscale menu items at comparable prices, or D. are bored and looking for something to do. Or, all of the above. Definitely check it out, it’s pretty dang cool.