Bigfire — Restaurant in Orlando

Giving this one a four-star review. I had a GREAT experience here one time and a very underwhelming experience on my second visit. We'll start with the strong visit...

Basically walked up to the restaurant as they were opening on a Thursday. The girlfriend and I wanted to try a new spot and we'd never eaten at Big Fire before. So we walked in and sat at the bar. The bar staff was incredibly attentive and the drinks were pretty damn good too. I had the smoked old fashioned and I believe I also tried the PB&J, which was good because I like peanut butter whiskey but I would prefer the old fashioned. I ordered the Signature Bison Burger with fries and it was outstanding. Cooked perfectly and the fries were fresh and crispy. The GF ordered just a wedge salad. At the time I don't believe she was too hungry but overall it was a great experience and we were the only people at the bar so the staff did a phenomenal job. On our way out we made a reservation to have dinner there a couple nights later because we were pretty impressed.

Now I'll even be objective and at least try to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt. When we showed up for our reservation the night before we flew home, the weather was atrocious. Florida weather was turned up a few notches and City Walk was getting pounded by rain. Luckily we were already inside waiting for our reservation. We ended up being sat well after our reservation and we didn't get the greatest table. We're a younger couple so they may have assumed we were on a tighter budget than other coupes or families. Maybe they assumed we wouldn't be spending much money and would be out of there soon. On top of the lackluster table location, we had to flag down a server after about 20 minutes to get some service. Again, they were MUCH busier this time around because people are trying to get out of the rain. I get it. But it took forever to get a server to come by, and when they did they just took our order and we didn't see them again until they dropped off the check. Not a huge deal, I was a little turned off by the experience and didn't want to bother ordering a drink. GF got the wedge salad again as she was a little annoyed as well and wasn't that hungry. I ordered the eight-ounce filet mignon. Holy hell. It was awful. Zero seasoning. No accompanying sauce (when I die, I want to be buried in A1 sauce). It was also overcooked. And the lone side I got were oven-roasted mashed potatoes with no salt. The dish is supposed to come with mashed potatoes and grilled carrots. I ate it because I wanted something in my stomach. I feared that sending it back would just delay the poor experience we were already having and I'm a simple guy. Just give me sustenance and I can go about my day. So I'm gong to chalk this one up as a just an off night for the restaurant. They may have been overwhelmed by everyone that was coming in to stay dry and maybe get a table to hide from the rain. Could've been an off night for the kitchen as well.

So the first visit was a five-star review. The second visit is probably worthy of one star. But I'm leaving four stars because I give more weight to the phenomenal first visit I had. I'll likely swing through next month and hope to get a spot at the bar as that's where I prefer to eat. I can get in & out quicker and I have easier access to my server by sitting at the bar. But I highly recommend the bison burger because if it's consistently cooked as well as it was when I ate there my first time, then hopefully you aren't...

This place is, in one word, fine. Not fine dining, just fine. If you need food you can get it here. I don't do 1-star reviews often, infact overall is I'd say this place is probably 2.5 to 3 stars. So why do I give it 1?

To start, we waited 35 minutes PAST our reservation time-- after checking in 10 minutes early. So we waited a total of 45 minutes for a reservation. What is the point of the reservation then? Especially since we made it in April... The host at the front was very apologetic and nice, we know it wasn't her fault at all.

After finally being called in a few in my party were visibily annoyed and the staff made no effort whatsoever to pretend to care. In fact our reception felt cold. Some tried to make a few jokes to break the ice but the staff didn't seem to respond. Eventually however everyone started to lighten up as we poured over the menu and our service for the rest of the night was fine... Just fine.

As for the food, it was hit and miss. Two in my party ordered Oysters Rockefeller. I cannot judge the quality of it as it isn't a dish I care for however I take others opinions into consideration when they have had a dish from over a dozen different restaurants. Their rating of the dish was 6 out of 10, which isn't particularly good. Their biggest complaint was that the description didn't match what they received. There was no bacon and more importantly the bernaise sauce was more like a cheese sauce. I know bernaise sauce and it shouldn't come across cheesey... It should be buttery which they said it wasn't. Others in my party claimed their dishes were a bit salty and I can agree with that assessment because my Pork Belly Mac & Cheese was pretty salty. Overall, it was fine... Just fine.

The lamb chop was seasoned heavily which is ashame because lamb usually doesn't need to be and beneath the seasoning there was actually a really nice smokey flavor. Using the bordelaise really cut through some of the seasoning. However, I felt like that shouldn't be required to enjoy the dish and if it is required then perhaps it should just be served it in the sauce. This could have been exceptional and I really like to see more lamb on menus but in the end it was fine... Just fine.

The redeeming part of the meal is the bison burger. I read a review that said the bun was dry, I do not agree with that. The bun was a perfect brioche bun and the bison burger was actually very flavorful. I really enjoyed the smokey flavor and the premium side of truffle mushrooms was an excellent addition-- I dropped the fries and added Mac & Cheese and Truffle Mushrooms. On top of that I really appreciated my drink, a white old fashioned. Both were more than fine... Had we stopped by this place on a whim, been seated quickly and all had bison burgers with a round of drinks this would have been a very different review.

Perhaps this place (being newer) is still finding it's footing especially since I think it launched during COVID-19. I really hope they can get it together as CityWalk needs a restaurant like this. I don't like to review a place just to tear it down, I only aim to make shortcomings known and hope others have a better experience...

For my birthday weekend, my fiance and I planned on a weekend getaway to Universal/IOA. Best part is that he surprised me with dinner reservations to Big Fire! He knows I've been dying to go since they opened and he made it happen for my birthday! The restaurant itself inside looks so inviting and cozy. As you're walking in you see to your right the big cooking area which was nice to see they cook with wood. After being seated by the hostess, we were shortly greeted by our waiter, Juan A.

We started off with the lamb sliders for our appetizer. They were so tender and juicy, they tasted amazing! I was surprised how good they tasted, I wanted more if possible but had to save room for dinner. LOL I also ordered the Lakeside Punch drink, it was OK. Tasted good but I wasn't wowed by it either. I figured I'd try something out of my norm when it comes to drinks.

For our entree, I ordered the 16 oz cowboy rib-eye steak with a double side serving of their pork belly mac and cheese. I have to say that I was very impressed with their rib-eye! It was so tender and juicy, you could cut it with a butter knife of how well it was tenderized and cooked. It melted in my mouth as I was eating it. The pork belly mac & cheese was so good as well. I normally love creamier versions of mac & cheese but this didn't disappoint me at all! I was so happy with my food choices! My fiancee ordered the short rib pasta. I took a small bite from it and it was very tasty I must say. He loved it a lot and said it was a great.

For dessert I picked the apple pie dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Let me tell you guys something, I normally skip out on desserts because they are all mostly chocolate based and I hate chocolate! (I know, I'm that very weird 1% that hates chocolate). Juan, our waiter said it was a great choice that we chose the apple pie since they do the crust in house. I have to say that he wasn't kidding, it was so delicious! The apples were a nice soft consistency but not mushy like some other places. The taste of this dessert was mind blowing! The crust itself was so good! All the flavors were played well together and I enjoyed my birthday dessert very much so! (Btw - They don't sing happy birthday to you like other places do. My fiance tried but since it's a low key restaurant, they won't.

After dinner we sat outside by their outside fire pit for awhile to enjoy the warmth and people watch. Overall, it was an excellent experience and I have no bad complaints about it at all. It truly is an immense improvement from Emril's which use to be in that same spot. Love the look and feel of Big Fire and I plan to...