Eating like an Orlando Local: TR Fire Grill

Disclosure: I was hosted by TR Fire Grill to give you fine folks the scoop on what makes the restaurant so great for visitors to the Orlando area. All opinions (and photos!) are my own!

Truth? After days in the Orlando-area theme parks, I have to admit that seeing chicken fingers and fries does get a little old. One can only handle so many mass-produced meals before one starts hankering for real food. It’s then when my family and I start looking for where the locals eat. And it’s super nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy areas and enjoy a good meal. On our last visit to Orlando, we stepped out of the theme park bubble and headed a few miles away from the city to Winter Park and TR Fire Grill. Yes, the locals love the restaurant. Yes, the food is really, REALLY good. And, yes, we were able to decompress for a couple of hours- and loved every second.

TR Fire Grill

If you’re a tourist in the Orlando area, its entire vicinity can get a bit overwhelming. There’s hundreds of restaurants around the theme parks alone, but knowing where the locals dine is the key to a great meal. TR Fire Grill in Winter Park (about 30 miles north of Walt Disney World) is one of those hidden gems.

We visited on a Sunday afternoon, right in time for brunch, and were delighted when we walked into the restaurant. The space was just beginning to fill with local residents- folks celebrating birthdays and others simply wanting a laid back atmosphere with creative meal options. The driving force behind TR Fire Grill, Chef Gallagher, was named to the Board of Directors of the Global Culinary Innovators Association. Translation? He’s passionate about utilizing new cooking techniques and has been celebrated all over the world for doing just that.

The restaurant prides itself on using as much locally-sourced, fresh ingredients as possible, and the love for keeping its dishes healthy in this way shows well in its dishes.

Sunday Brunch

Brunch at TR Fire Grill is a really good time to visit compliments of a fun menu with both sweet and savory options. If you’re not sure if you want sweet or savory don’t worry; there’s plenty of dishes that include both.  Add in the house-made cocktails (Mr. Locke enjoyed a spicy Bloody Mary- so good.) that go beautifully with the brunch dishes and you’ve got a super tasty, affordable meal.

In our neck of the woods, there aren’t a ton of restaurants that serve freshly-squeezed juices, so we jump on the chance to try new flavors. Having never tried a Honey Tangerine blend, I was so pleasantly surprised. There was just a touch of honey for a subtle sweetness and it took away any bitterness the tangerines may have had.

Chicken and Waffles is a Southern meal staple and I love trying it every chance I get, so it was a no-brainer to try the restaurant’s version. FYI: the dish is huge, as are all of the brunch dishes, so be prepared to take some home with you. In traditional chicken and waffle dishes you can expect to be served dark meat, but TR Fire Grill’s version uses white meat- and I was so thankful. I’m not a huge fan of dark meat chicken (hey, everybody’s got their faves) so the crispy, thinly-sliced, perfectly-cooked chicken breast was a welcome update. Drizzled with Agave syrup (another fun replacement to traditional maple syrup) and the dish was both sweet and savory- and delicious.

The Kid loves French Toast and chose the Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast (calories don’t count on vacation, right?!) from the brunch menu. I told myself I’d had enough sweet compliments of the Chicken and Waffles, but I seriously couldn’t resist trying a bite or two of her dish. Rich cream cheese is added to the center of thickly-sliced French Toast and topped with a Blueberry Compote and maple syrup- yum! Add a side of bacon and she was in heaven.

We also all shared the Breakfast Flatbread. Topped with diced potatoes, bacon, and cheeses, it was a great starter to our brunch.

And if all of that food wasn’t enough, our sever brought a gorgeous Buttery Seared Lemon Pound Cake for dessert. Two pieces of rich, lemon pound cake seared in butter and filled with blueberry sauce and delicious vanilla ice cream was the perfect dessert to split between the three of us. And you know what? It made for a delicious ending to a delicious meal.

What You Need to Know

Location and Hours:

• 1035 N Orlando Ave #101, Winter Park, FL 32789
• (407) 708-3600

Hours: