The long awaited opening of Cask & Larder (C&L) is over. C&L officially opened their doors for business on September 5th. There certainly was much hype- and justifiably so- as the chef/owners are James and Julie Petrakis, two well-respected chefs in Central Florida and chef/owners of the Ravenous Pig. Having opened restaurants myself, I know what chaos happens prior to opening night. [singlepic id=193 w=270 h=190 float=]The staff had a couple of “run-throughs” with friends, family and those who had a part in building the restaurant, the opening night mishaps were minor, and my dining experience was that of an established restaurant.
Inside C&L, for those of you who are “old timers” in the area, the former Harper’s Tavern is alive again!. Truly a beautiful bar area with long tables in the center of the room and booths to the side, you can also view the “brewery” behind the glass wall where in-house certified cicerone, Ron Raike, creates the brews! Menu selections are also available in this area, along with whiskeys, wines, and old Southern cocktails.
The main dining area is just as esthetically pleasing, with an oyster bar serving succulently sweet beauties from Maine, California, and Washington. [singlepic id=194 w=270 h=190 float=]You’ll even find some smoked James River oysters from Chesapeake, Virginia on the menu. Let me say, the portions at C&L are quite substantial. This means a few more visits in the near future to sample more of the menu as my dinner guest and I were quite full on the first visit. We began our experience with the Shucker’s Choice ($25), a dozen of these bivalve beauties — Kumomoto oysters from Hood Canal, Washington; Fanny Bay oysters, just off Vancouver Island, BC; Blue Point, South Bay, Long Island and Cooke’s Cove oysters. Some were briny while others were creamy, but all were superbly fresh. The oysters are served with a serrano pepper-based cocktail sauce and some spicy green verjus mignonette (a vinegar made from immature grapes, accompanied by chopped garlic).
We also ordered the Country Ham Tasting ($22). [singlepic id=191 w=270 h=190 float=]The wooden platter comes with Edwards, Benton and Newsome hams, essentially from sweet to smoked, concluding with salty. You can create your own delicacy by utilizing the three freshly baked dense buttermilk biscuits and some farmer’s cheese, which closely resembles ranch dressing, and their own homemade pepper jam. My preference would be to offer strong mustard to go with the ham, as I was not a fan of the farmer’s cheese.
We elected to pair our dinner with the beer flight ($10), five 4-ounce pours—Lone Palm, Old Southern Wit, Red Drum Ale, Black Cyprus Brown, and Five Points IPA. I find beer flights are an ideal option to get more tastings for your buck. Be sure to ask your server about how they were named … there are some fun stories.[singlepic id=190 w=270 h=190 float=]
By the time we sipped our way through the flight, we had our favorite and we ordered a full pint of the Olde Southern Wit ($6), a Belgian White Ale, refreshing and crisp with grapefruit notes with a little bitterness of coriander spice on the palate.
I still had a hankering for C&L’s Oxtail Tamale ($9), a fresh tamale stuffed with braised shredded melt-in-your-mouth oxtail with hominy and charred jalapeno relish to add some spice to the dish. All the flavors that come from braising oxtails make for rich complex mouth-feel textures; adding the hominy gives it such a simple rustic appeal on the plate.
I was very satisfied with the opening of C&L …CONGRATULATIONS to all and I am sure James and Julie had huge sigh of relief on a great night. Make this a stop on your dining tour of Central Florida!
Cheers!
ABOUT THE WRITER : Scott was born and raised in London, England. As a young lad he enjoyed playing soccer and tennis, and also started to pursue his interest in culinary arts. At the age of 16 he had completed one year of culinary school and was hired by the Cavendish Hotel. This first job fueled his desire to learn more about the industry, so he returned to school. As luck and timing would have it, after completing his second year, he became a chef on a private yacht traveling throughout Europe, Africa and South America. In 1984, Scott decided to continue his education in international relations and moved to the United States. During his more than 27 years of experience in the hospitality industry he’s served as a banquet chef, general manager, corporate executive chef, college professor and industry consultant. Scott and his wife Pennisu live in Orlando.
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