The Whiskey is known for its award-winning and eminently Instagrammable burgers. But one of the more popular items people order while waiting for their burgers is the Crab Fries. In this episode of Compliments of the Chef, Hector Tolentino demonstrates how he makes it and shares the recipe.

One of the secrets, he said, is a bit of liquid smoke in the butter. That and Old Bay seasonings.

Watch the video and then give the recipe a try. Then head down to the Whiskey and see how Tolentino does it – and have a burger.

In this episode of Compliments of the Chef, Peter Cox, chef at Sear + Sea at the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek, shares his recipe for a favorite side dish he serves at the steak and seafood restaurant: Tallow Cabbage. Cox believes in making good use of all the ingredients in his kitchen and keeping waste low, especially because the JW uses high quality ingredients – make use of it all. 

You probably don’t have the fancy grill contraption that Cox has at Sear + Sea, but he says you’ll do just fine with any type of grill you have.

Watch the video then give the recipe a try. Better yet, head down to Sea + Sea and try it from the pro.

If you read my recent review of Unreserved, the multi-faceted restaurant at the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek, you know that chef Peter Kunstek is cooking up some good food there.

One of his more popular dishes is the Beef Cheek Ragout with Gnocchi and he shares the recipe in this edition of Compliments of the Chef. Actually, he shares three recipes: the braised beef cheeks, the potato gnocchi and putting it all together. The latter is shown in the video below.

This is a good full day project, or you can make the beef cheeks ahead of time and use premade gnocchi (Kunstek says that’s fine) and assemble the ragout in just a few minutes.

Watch the video then give the recipes a try.

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This episode of Compliments of the Chef could be titled Compliments of The Chef & I as Chris Rains, chef/owner of The Chef & I at Hall on the Yard in Ivanhoe Village, demonstrates his recipe for Wild Mushroom Risotto with Pan-seared Sea Scallops.

Risotto is labor intensive, but Rains gives some useful tips on making the rice dish. And he shows how to beautifully sear the scallops.

Watch the video below and then give the recipe a try.

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When I reviewed Four Flamingos: A Richard Blais Florida Kitchen my favorite entree was the Black Lime Swordfish in brown butter. It was just simply one of the best pieces of fish I’ve had in a long time. So I was thrilled when Blais agreed to share the recipe.

In the video below, Blais discusses how the restaurant came about, and his chef de cuisine, Shelby Farrell, walks us through the process of cooking the swordfish.

Watch the video then give the recipe below a try.

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Pammie’s Sammies in Winter Garden is known for its sandwiches, of course, but owner Pam Thomas has come up with a breakfast creation that’s perfect for kids who might want to serve mom breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day – French Toast Casserole.

It’s a very forgiving recipe – the measurements don’t have to be exact, in fact Thomas uses a coffee cup to measure some of the ingredients. You can assume the coffee cup is about 10 ounces.

Watch Thomas demonstrate the recipe in the video below, then gather your ingredients together for a Mother’s Day (or any day) treat.

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Note: A previous version of this recipe had an incorrect measure for kosher salt. It calls for 1 teaspoon, not 7.

When I dined recently at Bull & Bear, the fine steakhouse at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, one of the best things I ate was the Potato Pave that accompanied one of the dishes. It was multilayered, densely packed and loaded with creamy flavor.

So I was delighted when executive chef Bernard Fiemeyer agreed to share the recipe and to demonstrate the proper way to cook it.

Watch this episode of Compliments of the Chef then grab some potatoes and lots of heavy cream and give it a go. And just so you know what you’re making, stop in at Bull & Bear and taste the way it is made by a master.

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When I returned recently to the newly renovated Fiorenzo at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, one of my favorite dishes was the Scallops Agrodolce. Chef Jared Gross uses huge scallops and tops them with an agrodolce sauce — agrodolce is Italian for sour and sweet — and serves them on a frissee salad. It’s a light appetizer, and it’s perfect for a hot summer day.

I asked Gross to share the recipe, which he was happy to do. In this segment of Compliments of the Chef, he shows you some cooking tips so you can try the recipe yourself. Or head to the Hyatt Regency Orlando and he’ll cook up a batch for you.

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One of the best things I sampled when I recently reviewed American Kitchen at B Resort Orlando was the Tempura Avocado appetizer. It featured firm wedges of avocados in a light tempura batter topped with a tangy jam made with tomatoes and chipotle peppers.

I liked it so much that I asked executive chef Venoy Rogers III for the recipe. He presents it here with his compliments.

Watch the video that start heating your oil. Or stop by American Kitchen and sample these tasty tidbits yourself.

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Chastity Harvey, the executive chef at The Whiskey, has found a fun way to work some of the restaurant’s namesake into a duck and chorizo slider she features.

She takes the ingredients that would go into a traditional Old Fashioned cocktail and new-fashions an aioli with them. Add some arugula, marinated tomatoes and a smear of brie and you’ve got a great slider.

Mix yourself an Old Fashioned and watch the video as Harvey explains the process, then give the recipe below a try.

Just don’t drink the aioli.

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