Firebirds Wood Fired Grill — Restaurant in Annapolis

OK, OK! This review is based on two trips to Firebirds – Woodfire Grill! But I am going to base this review mostly on our first visit.

If you don’t know it by now, I love grilled food. Burgers, steaks, seafood, anything I can put on the grill I will cook it! I do a lot of grilling and cooking myself and it’s great when I can find a restaurant that cooks what I love! Firebirds Wood Fired Grill was originally founded in Charlotte, North Carolina. They have over 60 restaurants. And they just opened one in Annapolis Maryland and I have to say honestly, I was quite impressed! Have you been there? ”Firebirds” is an American restaurant in Annapolis, MD serving hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood & more from a scratch kitchen. And I love any restaurant that does things scratch made! 💪 I love the atmosphere, the staff was friendly and I was even thinking of maybe being a Grill Master there 👨‍🍳 … I did stop by there just before they opened and spoke with one of the head chefs. I kept thinking about this place, so I decided to to go eat there and check out the food. So, I brought my wife and her sister after a workout at the gym… and here’s how it went down.

Going into the restaurant was great, you are greeted by someone opening the door for you and a few people standing at the entrance. When you walk in the place hit his quite huge. A big bar on the left, and seating on the right and the kitchen in the back. The place seems to be well thought out.

It was great that the manager and one of the head chefs allowed me to take some shots. I did notice that the grilling area was quite small for the restaurant. And it only had one area of grilling and cooking no cool down area or if food gets a little too hot a part of the grill you can set it on to still keep warm. But other than that, it was awesome! My wife got the three course meal, mix green salad, grilled salmon and shrimp with seasonal ancient grains and a side of fresh vegetables and for dessert a crème brûlée cheesecake. My wife’s sister got the tomahawk pork chop with fresh pico, sticky hot honey, and chard carrots. Me, I kept it simple, and since the Burger Joint closed up, I was dying for a decent grilled burger, so I tried the half pound Smokehouse Burger, which has their own special Java barbecue sauce, applewood, smoked bacon, smoked cheddar and red onion… And cooked perfectly to medium rare. Yeah that’s me eating one in the photo lol! It was good! And cooked perfectly for me. I have to really thank the staff, the general manager, Ra and Chef Ramone for being patient and letting me take a few photos and videos of our experience there. Thank you! We will be back! Worth five stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Now, I did get lots of photos and videos. And this is just a few of the highlights. Please check out all the photos and videos. Note: No matter how hard I try to post a review the same day it just never happens 🤣 I will try harder to get my posts on the same day unless of course I’m eating late in the evening. It does take a little time to edit the photos and write a good review. 😬 We loved this place so much, a few days later we went back and brought a friend. now, to be honest I’m basing this review on our first time experience. My wife’s sister did order a tomahawk chop again, but was slightly overcooked, but that was taken care of. My suggestion would be make sure you tell them how you like your food to be cooked. Cooking on a grill is not as easy as people think and food can be can be overcooked easily, especially if the cut is thin. Let them know you want your tomahawk, tender, and juicy! They should have a thermometer, but I didn’t see anyone there using them. So if you’re ever in Annapolis Maryland, and once some really good Woodfire grilled food check out Firebirds-Woodfired grill! #woodfiredgrill #grilledfood...

To sum it up, tread lightly if you are Black. We were seated by the hostess, who seemed very nice, and we had high hopes for this restaurant since it was our first time visiting. However, we sat outside for approximately 15 minutes without being greeted by our waiter. During this time, about three Caucasian waiters/waitresses walked by us without acknowledging our presence.

Another Black woman, who was serving food, noticed us and approached to ask if we had been greeted. We told her that we had not been greeted by anyone yet, and she expressed that she would get someone to assist us. Shortly after, another Black woman, whom I assumed was a manager, came out. She apologized and explained that our waiter was unavailable and asked if she could get us started with drinks. We were so confused by her statement and immediately felt uncomfortable being surrounded by Caucasian staff and customers on the deck, especially since everyone else was being attended to without issue.

This experience felt like it had racial undertones, so we decided to leave and not support the establishment. I called the restaurant afterward to speak to the manager and inquire about our waiter’s name. The manager said she couldn’t give that information over the phone but apologized and assured me she would speak with “him.” This was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had, and I wish I could have gotten the waiter’s name before we left. I will never support this business again, and I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Whoever that gentleman is has certainly contributed to the establishment's...

I really wanted to like this place however it was disappointing. Our waiter had a very odd personality and demeanor. I initially didn't discuss it with my dining partner but she mentioned it to me so I then knew it wasnt just me. That aside I still kept an open mind because I wasnt there to analyze his personality. Let me sum this up in as few words as possible. He didn't provide the special items menu. Had I not asked how specific items were prepared based on the menu I was provided I wouldn't have known there were other menu options. OK so we order. Food comes. My steak is overcooked. I requested a rib eye medium. It came medium well. I ordered tempura shrimp. No where on the menu does it say the shrimp come accompanied by some type of sauce. That should be noted. I didnt want sauce and the waiter was unable to tell me what type of sauce it was. Mashed potatoes lack flavor and while the broccoli was steamed properly there was zero seasoning. My dining partner had the Durango burger....2 stars. Ceasar salad...0 stars. It was saturated in dressing. The core of the romaine lettuce dominated the salad while the green leaves were mainly wilted and even brown! We never got the refills on our drinks we requested twice. We left 18% tip but we will...