Winter haven is a small town in Central Florida. They have a cute little downtown area that is having a restaurant boom. Fire is one of those hot spots.
They are pretty big inside. There is an area where bands play. They have an outside patio area, with a full bar. This is also where you can go with your dog.
I was pretty hungry when I arrived because I had worked through lunch that day. I started off with the bacon wrapped scallops with an Asian slaw.
The scallops were large in size and wrapped tightly with crunchy bacon. The scallops were very tender and paired well with the bacon. It was as if the were soul mates with one being salty and the other sweet.
The Asian slaw added so many flavors to the dish. It consisted of cucumber and Mandarin oranges. The cucumbers added a crunchy element and the oranges added sweetness. Then drizzled across all of this were three different sauces: a hot sauce, a cucumber aioli, and a sweet and sour sauce. That may seem like an over use of sauce but they all worked spectacularly together. The hot sauce added heat that was quickly extinguished by the aioli. This was great with the scallops and bacon. The cucumbers and oranges were great tossed with the sweet and sour sauce. This was my favorite part; it was extremely refreshing. I would consider making this at home for a side dish.
I also ordered the fried green beans. I do not see these very often so I was happy to order them. They came with a red pepper dipping sauce. The breading had a subtle salty taste. The green beans were really fresh. I could tell as soon as I took a bite. Fresh green beans have a unique earthy taste to them. This is how I knew these were fresh. The red pepper dipping sauce was not spicy at all, it was slightly sweet and added extra flavor.
I also got some wings. They had a couple of flavor choices; I went with classic Buffalo sauce. I wanted them extra crispy because this is how I prefer my wings. They did come out crispy but they could have stayed a little longer in the fryer. They have nice meaty wings. The sauce had that great tangy kick that I have come to expect from Buffalo sauce.
I really enjoyed everything I ordered at Fire. It was all appetizers however, they do have a full menu with many options. I would want to come back and try one of their burgers, they looked great.
Check out their menu at http://thefirerestaurant.com/
Enjoy!
T
