A few weeks ago 16 chefs from some of Central Florida’s best restaurants accepted a unique challenge for the second annual Appetite for the Arches fundraiser. The concept? Use McDonald’s ingredients to create a signature dish all benefitting the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

We were lucky to be among 500 guests sampling gourmet creations such as filet of fish tacos and fried chicken terrine with truffled egg puree, each served with a wine pairing. Additionally, mixologists from Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig prepared signature cocktails with McDonald’s ingredients. Here’s what we tasted and enjoyed over the course of the evening!

Cask & Larder’s Old Fashioned: Made with Hazelnut Syrup and Cherries from McDonald’s. Really strong, but my better half thoroughly enjoyed this libation.

The Coop’s Bacon Wrapped Meatball: Sitting atop a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes, using a variety of ingredients straight from the golden arches.

The Rusty Spoon’s Deviled Egg: Topped with a smidge of bacon and filled with creamy goodness.

Four Seasons Resort Gelato: Served from an adorable ice cream truck of sorts, this luxury resort served up two flavors of gelato – Orange “Hi-C” and Hot and Crispy Apple Pie, made from the Hi-C drink and McDonald’s flaky apple pie, respectively.

And because we didn’t get enough golden arches in our life, the following morning we were treated to some bundt cakes courtesy of McDonald’s. Both the chocolate and coffee cake bundts are baked fresh in-house daily in McDonald’s kitchens. And at 300 calories and $1.99 for both bundts, you can totally afford that McCafé latte. Come one, how can you resist these morsels of baked mini goodness?

Big thanks to McDonald’s for a weekend of yumminess!

Photo Credits: RMHC, bundt cake photo owned by Spork

Artegon Marketplace Orlando, the one-of-a-kind 1.1 million-square-foot shopping attraction and artisan marketplace located in the heart of Orlando’s tourism district on north International Drive, recently announced the addition of four new on-the-go food purveyors.

• At U Roll Express, customers can create their own sushi roll by choosing from a variety of high-quality, sushi-grade ingredients, toppings, and delicious sauces and flavorings.

• Operated by Belgian owners, The Belgian Waffleskiosk sells authentic Liege or Brussels-style waffles with several sweet topping options.

• Le Petit Café kiosk will serve traditional hot and cold espressos, teas and coffees, frappes, croissants and other pastries, and gourmet sandwiches.

• The Yogen Früz kiosk will purvey delicious and nutritious frozen desserts.

Photo Credits: U Roll Express, Yogen Früz

Believe it or not, we do actually eat at home, and most often enjoy our breakfast sans restaurant. So naturally, we’re always on the hunt for tasty foods to put in our pantry. Our new favorite, WOATS Oatsnack, was kind enough to send us their delicious, indulgent creations.

With multiple flavors to choose from, Woats makes it easy to fuel your body while putting sweet tooth cravings to rest. They’ve tapped into the wholesome goodness of the old-fashioned oat and paired it with a host of other natural ingredients for energy boosting morsels to enjoy by the handful.

With four flavors, perfect for yogurt, ice cream or even eating by the spoonful, WOATS oats are sure to delight your tastebuds:

Nuts About Berries: From the first delicious handful, you’ll instantly crave another serving. Southern roasted praline pecans and tangy cranberries pair perfectly in their irresistible oat and honey blend.

Jammin’ Strawberry Shortbread: This fruity blend includes the sweet melodies of juicy strawberries, buttery shortbread, and California almonds, and is a healthy alternative for packed lunches and game day snacks. The chewiness of the oats along with the crunchiness of the nuts creates a mouthwatering texture that’s unlike any other granola on the market.

Cookies ‘n’ Dreams: Everyone loves an Oreo, so why not combine it with granola for a morning treat? This oat and honey blend is loaded with chunks of chocolate vanilla cream cookies. Goodbye boring breakfast.

Peanut Butter Graham Slam: This flavor combines creamy all-natural peanut butter, crisp honey graham crackers and delicious butter toffee peanuts all rolled up in a blend of honey and oats!

There’s a flavor for every preference and taste, so head to Target and snag some of these delightful oats to spice up your morning meal or afternoon snack.

PS: Rosie stole my WOATS. She’s a fan too.

TR Fire Grill, a chef-inspired American bistro with innovative dishes from Chef Bob Gallagher, is now open with a second location planned for Winter Park!

At TR Fire Grill, you can choose from menu items using the highest quality, freshest seasonal produce from farms in Central and South Florida. Steaks are fresh, never frozen, aged and then hand cut daily in the restaurant. Smoking and grilling are essential to the experience, and TR Fire Grill smokes all of their meats and vegetables in-house daily using hickory wood.

The bar menu features the very best in American craft beer, wine, bourbon and artisanal cocktails.  Bartenders age tequila and pisco in small oak barrels, and take the craft of making the perfect cocktail to a new level by grilling fresh fruit and infusing the flavor into premium liquors in glass vessels at the bar.

“Working your way around the menu, you’ll find we’re taking a new approach to some of the classics, using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients to create memorable dining experiences for our guests,” said Chef Bob Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Culinary and Purchasing for Romacorp, Inc. “We created the menu so our guests could spoil themselves with craveable flavors every step of the way, from our signature cocktails to our delicious handcrafted desserts.”

Recently we feasted on a variety of drinks and plates, here’s what we tasted, sipped and loved!

Bacon & Eggs: Mustard glazed pork, jalapeño deviled eggs, barbecue potato chip dust, pickled red onions. A delightful, yet unique, combination of bacon and potato chips. I mean really how can you go wrong with those ingredients? A must try even if you’re adverse to deviled eggs.

Hand-Cut Flank Steak: Tomato infused, roasted tomato and onion, jalapeño Cheddar polenta, spring vegetables. Polenta is often underrated and underutilized, but it’s always a nice mix-up from grits! This dish is a yummy combo of hand-cut meat and vegetables all brimming with flavor.

Oven Baked Pizza Dip: Buffalo mozzarella, Provolone cheese, pepperoni, sausage and garlic focaccia bread. Woah. Yeah just order it.

Smoked Meatballs: Hand-formed and smoked in house, this beef-pork combo is topped with leek and onion beef gravy and sprinkled Manchego cheese.

Wood Aged Margarita: Oak aged (in-house!) Camarena tequila, Grand Marnier, agave nectar and lime. No syrups or powders in these cocktails! The real ingredients make for an exceptional margarita unlike any version we’ve tasted.

The Swindler: Apple pie shine, Fireball whiskey, pressed lemon and lime and a hint of cinnamon. Mmm. We’re usually wine, sangria or margarita people, but one Swindler drink and we’ve been persuaded to expand our palate. With an unexpected sweetness, this drink is both spicy and sweet. We’d go back just to sip on this goodness!

The Winter Park location is set to open this summer, but in the meantime head to their current location on Semoran Boulevard!

Photo Credit: Bartender, Fire and Lemon/Lime Photo owned by TR Fire Grill. All other photos taken by Spork.