Universal CityWalk previews Bigfire restaurant
Universal CityWalk previewed its new but not yet open restaurant called Bigfire on Monday night. The eatery is designed to have a homey — make that lake homey — feel, Universal Orlando officials say.
The semi-rustic space features wood and white stone touches, plaid decor, haphazard flooring patterns, a high ceiling punctuated with a boat-inspired lighting fixture and, as the name might indicate, a fairly big fire pit out front.
You might guess by the name that s’mores are on the Bigfire menu.
A specific debut date has not been announced for the 350-set restaurant, but it will open by the end of June, Universal Orlando officials say. It is on the former location for Emeril’s Orlando, which closed in July after a 19-year run at CityWalk.
Bigfire is training its 300-plus new employees, including some talent who worked at Emeril’s previously, said Darius Gilanfar, a Universal senior vice president.
“At CityWalk, we go out of our way to make sure when we open up a new venue, that it’s different from the one before,” Gilanfar said.
Prices at Big Fire are similar to Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Vivo Italian Kitchen at CityWalk, a spokeswoman said. For instance, a 6-ounce Sirloin steak costs $22 and handcrafted burgers, including a bison one, run $15 a piece. The menu also features fried green tomatoes, skillet roasted mussels, baked Alaska and Dutch apple pie.
The menu, which has a full bar, showed some vegetarian options, including a beet and goat cheese salad and cauliflower steak.
The new establishment, created by Universal Orlando, is designed to resemble a lake house that has grown and evolved to reflect the changing needs of its owner, said Ric Florell, executive vice president, revenue operations.
“It’s like you started out with a lake house with a family, and people would come and visit and take vacations. The family got bigger, more friends come in, so you add a little addition,” Florell said.
The restaurant’s flooring patterns vary from room to room, and nook to nook, accentuating the way the place would expand. There are other homey touches such as a collection of lanterns and weathered board games resting high on shelves. The idea is “just to be as comfortable as possible,” he said.
Bigfire’s location and its vast spread of windows give a view of the entertainment complex’s lagoon and Universal’s theme parks. Seating on its second story looks down onto the main dining area, a side bar and the rest of CityWalk. But the restaurant’s theme isn’t supposed to represent a particular place or region or lake, Florell said.
“It’s the memory of wherever you were,” he said. “It’s all the same kind of thing. It’s away from everything else you do every day. It’s with your friends, it’s with your family, it’s with the people you like. That’s the coziness of it.”