Pig Heaven

The Petrakis powerhouse trots out exemplary fare at The Polite Pig, sticking with local providers while continuing to reinvent their porcine empire.

- Joseph Hayes

THERE ARE MANY ways of considering the behemoth that is Disney Springs: upscale shopping mall, entertainment arcade, culinary theme park. All of which can be loved or hated, depending on your tastes.

The shopping has expanded exponentially since Downtown Disney transformed into the Springs, adding dozens of high-end outlets for clothing, gifts and accessories. Entertainment, with the demise of Disney Quest and an uncertain future for Cirque du Soleil, is in flux.

But food, spearheaded by an aggressive outreach to celebrity chefs, has blossomed into a major reason for heading down I-4. And a seeming contradiction—a locally sourced, artisanal restaurant disguised as a fast food outlet—is e Polite Pig. e restaurant is owned by area culinary legends James, Julie and Brian Petrakis, Disney Springs’ only local chef presence and a delectable example of what commitment and passion can accomplish.

Here, one can find a place to snack on spicy pork cracklings and a house-brewed beer, or savor maple-mustard glazed, smoked wild salmon while sipping a tap-drawn gin and tonic. Fans of giant food, reminiscing about turkey legs of yore, can order a fresh baked pretzel so large it needs its own cradle, or go completely vegetarian with orders of barbecue cauliflower and whiskey-caramel laced Brussels sprouts that totally satisfy.