Black Fire is a Brazilian Steakhouse that captures the boldness and vivacity of São Paulo with an unbelievable culinary journey.

Begin with our gourmet buffet, where you’ll have unlimited access to vibrant fresh food and bold flavorful dishes.

The gourmet buffet also has warm treats…

And some sushi rolls.

At your table, your server will introduce you to specially made sides brought directly to you for your convenience, while tableside carvers serve you unlimited churrasco grilled meats, done perfectly to your liking.

Make sure you keep the little coaster on GREEN for more meat. Or else, it’ll be left on RED where the servers will skip your table to serve others.

Little did they know, we’d try to make a run with their cart filled with deliciousness. What did I run away with? Check the next photograph to see and I’m sure you would be doing the same.

Look at the braised beef and all the fresh ingredients they used to make it taste as great as it did. Those bones would be great for a broth afterwards too.

The meats were fabulous and the picanha was my #1 pick all night.

That didn’t stop me from trying other cuts or meats. These lamb chops were made by experts to your preference without any gamey tastes. Have some fun and match them to the height of some servers from your table by playing perceptual games.

If I could bring these home, I 100% would with my cart of braised beef ribs.

Make sure you save room for desserts too. They’ll bring a tray of toy desserts that show you what treats they have in store for you, which are made with the liquor found on each plate. If only they gave us a mini bottle of the liquors too.

We gave our server the choice of bringing her favorite dish and she chose the molten cake. I can’t blame her why this would be her favorite because chocolate is life.

For more information, visit Black Fire Brazilian Steakhouse for more information.

Chef Ian challenged himself with the art of barbecue with opening Smoke & Donuts after being classically trained and being a high-honors graduate of the C.I.A. and studied under Bryan Voltaggio during his externship. Smoke & Donuts became established in Orlando, FL in 2016 and is now in a few locations around town.

They’re now visiting A La Cart with their truck for an easier location for you to find and enjoy their amazing dishes, but they’re also in College Park if that’s closer for you to pick up some takeout.

Not only can you grab food at their College Park location, but you can buy a rad T-Shirt or hat.

They focuses on oak-smoked barbecue and hot donuts; harnessing smoking techniques and seasoning profiles found in Texas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.

Listening to Chef Ian talk about the entire process to make his meats, especially the brisket, makes me want to grab my own smoker for the house. If only Chef Ian can stop by and tutor me in the arts of barbecue and smoking meats so I can ensure I end up with such moist and tender meats.

The meats are carefully crafted and paired with scratch-made sides, which are inspired by regional ingredients and his classic techniques. This Cucumber & Cabbage Slaw is more of a refreshing salad instead of a slaw itself because it consists of red & green cabbage, cucumbers, red onion, candy-red radish, and sherry & rice-wine vinaigrette instead of being a mayonnaise-based side. The Roasted & Smashed Red Potatoes are also a great side with lemon & garlic gremolata and topped with brisket burnt ends. Who doesn’t like burnt ends?!

The 1,121 Road Trip Sandwich is one of the biggest hits at the truck. It consists of chopped brisket & pulled pork with guava-quince, toasted guajillo, and green sauces, cucumber & cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, and jalapeño kettle chips on a toasted Olde Hearth potato roll.

Bar-B-Cuban is Chef Ian’s take on the very popular Cuban Sandwich. With his, he uses Virginia Ham, Swiss cheese, pulled BBQ pork, house-made pickles, dill mayonnaise, and Heywood’s mustard on an Olde Hearth Cuban roll – Pressed! I am a big fan of this sandwich, especially when I ask for his country mustard that has whole mustard seeds to dip the sandwich in.

The Pulled Pork Sandwich with garlic & apple cider jus, cucumber & cabbage slaw, pickles & onions on a toasted Olde Hearth potato roll… don’t forget to add a few slices of Chef ian’s Turkey to add a little more salty, savory flavors to the sweet and tangy flavors this dish already holds. The turkey is made with brown butter and it’s the most buttery meat ever.

As mentioned before, the Turkey Breast is absolutely smooth and buttery after being made with brown butter.

Don’t forget to grab some St. Louis Style Ribs made with Habanero chili, chipotle and pickled red onion relish. The flavors are sweet, spicy and all around delicious on top of the most tender and moist ribs I ever had. Moreover, you can bet that I mentioned to Chef Ian how this flavor would be great for jerky too.

True to its namesake, Smoke & Donuts serves made-to-order hot donuts as well. Enjoyed as dessert, as a side with your meal, or as a meal on their own in Smoke & Donuts signature barbecue sliders. I can’t tell you which is my favorite, because I fancy them all.

If I had to pick one, it would be The Lou Donut. It consists of Maker’s Mark bourbon & maple glaze, Heath bar, Hershey’s chocolate chips, and brisket burnt ends. Yes, you caught me. I like it because of the brisket burnt ends adding some salty and savory flavors to the sweet dessert.

If I had to pick a second donut, it would be S’moreo. It is flame-kissed marshmallow, Hershey’s chocolate chips, broken Oreos. These bad boys are best eaten hot when the marshmallow is melty and gooey to coat your entire mouth.

Not sure if you want to eat just meats or just donuts? How about you combine it with one of Chef Ian’s BBQ & Donut Slider Duo. The duo consists of both chopped brisket with toasted guajillo sauce & pulled pork with guava-quince sauce (one of each meat) on a donut with vanilla and sea salt glaze. With this choice if having both, you can choose one side to go with the order.

For more information, check out the Smoke & Donuts website. To order for pick up or delivery, make sure you order ahead on their website as well.

Amidst the pandemic madness, I never stopped searching for delicious local food and I’m very happy I found this place.

V.L.C. Vegan Eatery is East Orlando’s new vegan spot, located in Waterford Towers.

The owner and head chef, Jim Wu, has been cooking for over 40 years. Later in life, he found his passion for nature and the love of animals and started his plant-based journey almost 15 years ago. With his culinary knowledge combined with his passions, Jim has created a space filled with nature, plant-based food, and comfort all in V.L.C.

V.L.C. stands for vegan, love and care, which is all you need in life. This small family owned restaurant is excited to start its journey in Orlando and continue the growth of vegan food in our City Beautiful, which I was able to visit and enjoy their clean bites.

While waiting for my order, I tried Mama Wu’s vegan Thai Tea that was great and tasted just like how it is usually made. Here, they use oat milk as the dairy replacement, which works wonders in their favor.

At V.L.C., Papa Wu’s gluten-free Potato Curry is a favorite for many of their employees and it is even his favorite dish to make. I like having it with white rice to allow the ultimate level of soaking the curry sauce up for each bite.

The gluten-free V Crunch Roll consists of chick’n, avocado and sesame seeds being flash fried to add a crunch for each bite. This is the best vegan roll I’ve had so far. I can’t wait to try their other rolls.

Now, for my favorite dish from V.L.C. – the gluten-free Ginger Be-ef Stir Fry. It has the right amount of ginger in it to not overpower the dish. The flavors make me nostalgic of my mom’s cooking back home. I would order this dish every time I’m in the Waterford Towers area because I will never get sick of it.

If you’re interested in knowing the favorite dishes of everyone in the V.L.C. family, here is the list. Check the dishes out for yourself to see why they’re so loved.

• Brittney Phan: It’s hard to choose a favorite since every dish on the menu is incredible but Papa Wu’s Potato Curry takes the top spot for me. This dish is packed with tender potatoes, flavorful be-ef, and a mix of vegetables that are perfectly sautéed. The potato curry is paired with the choice of white rice, brown rice, or mixed rice. I always recommend this dish to others which is why my family and friends have become hooked on this dish as much as I am.

• Matt Shaffter: Well since Brittney stole my all time fave…My second would be the Vegetable Stir-fry. When you just need a big healthy dose of seasonal veggies cooked to that perfect crunchy to soft ratio in that addictive homemade sauce. Top it with some rice and I’m stuffed….I’m always sad when the bowl is empty.

• Laci Penton: Spicy Tu-Na Roll. Hands. Down. The unique rice blend helps the already savory flavor pop. The spice equally kicks but is not overwhelming, and the avocado inside helps round it off. Dare I say, it’s the perfect roll.

• Sandra Wu: My favorite dish is the Spicy Chick’n! It has an amazing smoky flavor from the wok, enhancing the spices used in this dish. The combination of mixed veggies with chick’n brings a beautiful balance of flavors.

• Sarah Wu (social media marketing manager): My favorite dish at VLC has got to be the Tempura Taro Chick’n. I’ve never had a dish that tasted like this before. The creativity with pairing the sweet taro inside the chick’n and then deep frying the whole thing is just crunchy goodness. The dish takes time to make so I try to order it whenever I can.

• • Kalen Penton (manager):  My favorite dish at VLC is the Tomato Pasta. The Unique flavor profile of this item doesn’t only make it authentic but also makes it one of a kind. with the sweet tomato complimenting every bit. This is a defiant must try and the eatery.
    • Papa Wu: Potato Curry
  • • Mama Wu: Spicy Tu-na Roll with some of Mama Wu’s homemade kimchi on top to add more spice to the roll.

For more information, visit V.L.C. Vegan Eatery yourself. Don’t forget to post about it and let us know what your favorite dishes are from this mom and pop hot spot.