Firebirds Wood Fired Grill — Restaurant in Brookside

(This review is a month later than visit)

This was our first visit with Firebirds and based off the name of the restaurant and the atmosphere we had a higher expectation than that of which we received. As we were sat we told the hostess that it was our first time visit and received a mere "okay". That wasn't the response we expected . Our waitress came to take our order and we again told her that it was our first visit hoping to get a different response with some enthusiasm as well as hoping for the waitress to be excited to tell us about the specials, her favorites or just some plain insight on the menu. Well none of that happened. She gave off a "I'm just here " type of vibe but so did another waitress we saw in the same area. They could have been having an off day or it's the culture of the staff. It wasn't necessarily bad but expected more or at least a smile. The menu selection was subpar based again on expectations and the name of the restaurant. It was hard to make a decision and we settled for what would ordered. I'm not going to state what we ordered because although we weren't fans of the food someone may love it. But I will say this the presentation was off the food didn't say "eat me" and it was cold and there was a bug stuck to the inside of my glass, which was odd especially since the restaurant appeared to be slow at the time. We are not big complainers and do not send food back unless absolutely necessary. My husband made the waitress aware of the bug who told the manager. The manager apologized and comped my drink and our appetizer. We were thankful but should have taken the time to explain our experience with him but at that point we already wrote the restaurant off.

We don't deem ourselves "foodies" per se but we love great eats and even greater customer service. We have experience in the restaurant industry and we like what we like. We will stick to our "mom and pop" spots. We had high expectations for this place especially with the possibility of relocating from another state.

Although our experience wasn't the greatest, based on what we like, we hope that yours is better and that you will give them a fair chance...

The most truly awful experience I've had at a restaurant. I do not know how this is a highly rated establishment. My girlfriend and I were celebrating our two year anniversary and decided to eat here. Biggest mistake and regret I've had in a while. We arrived at 8:01 pm for our reservation and got seated by a SICK employee. We got our drinks promptly, received our appetizer at 8:30 pm but didn't receive bread until 8:50 pm. (It's complimentary and should've been brought out with the drinks) When I did ask politely about the bread to a different waiter because ours was no where to be found, he blew off the question by saying "it's coming out" and left it at that. We finally received our food at 9:09 pm. The chicken was dry and cold. The steak was warm but it was supposed to be medium rare and ended up coming out as well done and chewy. The burger was warm and dry. None of the food came out right or appetizing and was definitely sitting for a long time before we received it. The manager on staff (I didn't get his name, he wasn't wearing a name tag) dropped the food off with the same waiter I asked about the bread earlier. Both were stoic and barely said a word to us, in fact they practically ran away. When I told them about the food, the manager came over and asked what was going on. I told him that I would pay for the appetizer since we did eat them (I believed that was the right thing to do at the time). He did not even apologize or offer up better solution, he just stormed off with our food offering up a simple "okay". We then FINALLY received our check at 9:20 pm and got out of there at 9:22 pm. We lost almost an hour and a half of our anniversary night which did not allow us to go to dinner anywhere else. I also lost $16.20 for a lemonade and some onion rings. I understand that may not be much money, but that and losing a meaningful dinner with a loved one on our special night, to be put simply, just sucks. It should have all been free, but I allowed myself to be taken advantage of which is on me. What I've learned:

Steer clear from here

Don't be empathetic when there is no sympathy

Don't be taken advantage of because...

Anniversary Fiasco. We decided for this restaurant given the reviews and rave the people talk about. At first, everything was great. The server was attentive, understanding (having two toddlers in the table) and an outstanding service. We order the children food first and requested their plates to come first. About 15 m later, each couple ordered. Given the food children food haven’t been served we told the waiter that we needed the children food first. At this point she confirmed it will come first. About 25 m later ALL of the food came to the table. As parents, you know that dealing with hungry toddlers is not an easy feast. So obviously, the kids eat first and our food was going cold each passing minute. Well one would think what else could possibly go wrong. We were in for a surprise. Three of the guests ordered pasta and one meat. None of the pastas were savory. They were watery instead of creamy and very bland in flavor. One would think how can this happen in such establishment where quality control is or should be present. But also the meat was not great. The cut was great, the portion really nice, but the meat flavor you expect was completely missing and it was spicy (not intolerable). This was an aged ribeye where the flavor should be really present. As a Chef, I cannot fathom how a gorgeous piece of meat was messed up. And don’t think the sides were good. The mash potatoes were meh (they are boxed mash potatoes). The only side that was really good was the asparagus (believe it or not). As parents we tasted the children food which surprisingly was good. The grilled chicken was good, the mac and cheese too. But it all hit the ceiling with the Oreos the children plates came from. How?! How can a busy restaurant (usually hard to get a reservation) will serve old or stale Oreos. At this point we decided not to order dessert as the experience was bad. If you want unsavory food, then this is your place. If you want meat to...