The Ravenous Pig

FORGET THE BIRD, THE PIG’ S THE WORD

By: Gabriella Allen

Winter Park is Chock Full of delightful restaurants, and The Ravenous Pig “American Gastropub”
sets the bar. What’s an American Gastro-pub you ask? Let us ask Wikipedia! “A gastropub concentrates
on quality food. The name is a combination of pub and gastronomy and was coined in 1991 when David
Eyre and Mike Belben took over The Eagle pub in Clerkenwell, London. The concept of a restaurant in
a pub reinvigorated both pub culture and British dining, though has occasionally attracted criticism for
potentially removing the character of traditional pubs.”
There we have it, thanks WIKI! Although The Ravenous Pig celebrates delicious and inventive
quality food, I wouldn’t say it was British dining (hence “American” in the tagline). The menu is seasonal
and items change daily. I think this concept is fantastic for a number of reasons. One being that you get
produce and flavors that are in season and at their best, and two: more variety and excitement. You’ve
been there before, but it’s a whole new experience every time.
Like I mentioned, with a changing menu, you never know what will be available, but you will
know that the food is coming out of a kitchen full of culinary artists. They do, however, have their staple
plates that only change slightly, such as the flat iron steak or their pub burger. The current pub burger
goes something like this: Meyer all-natural beef, caramelized onion, buttermilk bleu cheese, and truffle
fries. One of the current seasonal house-made pastas is a Pumpkin Tortellini, and there’s house-made
duck sausage, pomegranate, parsley, and frisée salad. If you are an adventurous eater, you will love
this place because their choice of meat entrees is plentiful: quail, duck, octopus, veal, lamb, scallops,
short ribs, trout, snails, mussels, and lobster. All are accompanied by wonderful side dishes you’ve never
dreamed of. Save room for dessert. That’s the gastro side.
The pub side is just as great. There are numerous rotating taps of local and seasonal brews from
across America and the globe. Microbrews are great because they are hand crafted and inventive. If
you want to expand your horizons don’t get a whole beer. The Pig offers 5oz. glasses for sampling the
plethora of brews available. Now isn’t that special?
The atmosphere is great, too. It’s fine dining with a casual flare. You could dress-up or come in
jeans and feel comfortable. Overall a great place to take a date or go with close friends. The friends who
don’t mind spending money on good food, that is. A pub burger is priced at $12, which in my opinion in
completely worth it. Some entrees may reach the mid- $30’s. Portion sizes run on the smaller end, but
what American couldn’t use a little portion control? Plus who could pass up dessert?

For menu and more information go to http://www.theravenouspig.com/.

-Gabriella Allen