Firebrands Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Dudley

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Four years ago I gave this restaurant 4 stars and what I would consider a solid review. At that time we were visiting a few times per year. We have stopped in much less lately. Tonight was probably our first trip in the last year. I'm not gonna get more detailed then necessary. The waitress while pleasant and accommodating was obviously poorly trained. Her command of the menu and options was sub par. Our wait for plates to be cleaned so we could have our apps brought out was a bit off putting. But the apps were delicious and worth the money. Our meals? At a table of 6 that ordered a good cross section of the menu 3 of us were wildly unhappy with our food. $25 rib eye 1/4" thick with cold mashed potatoes and cold Brussel sprouts? It was painfully obvious a few of our meals sat waiting for the rest of our food to be cooked. Dead give away to a poorly trained and understaffed kitchen. It was bad enough that I couldn't even put the waitress in the awkward position of apologizing for other people's mistakes. I asked to see the Manager immediately. To which 10 minutes layer I was greeted by a senior waitress who was put in a terrible spot. She handled it well but again it was obvious that she was not trained to deal with this situation. She removed my meal from the menu without argument. I was a bit irritated that she was sent out to help because the manager was gone for the night. We watched him walk through the restaurant 3 times after he was supposed to be "gone for the night". Apparently not interested in answering for his team's failures? Anyone that follows my reviews knows I'm fair and detailed. This dinner was saved by unprepared waitstaff doing their best. Wouldn't eat there on a bet....

I do not usually leave reviews, regardless of how I feel. I'll start with some positives. The restaurant was clean and the staff was very friendly, especially to my kids. Service was a little slow, but it wasn't an issue. There was a lot to choose from on the menu.

Unfortunately, that is where I went wrong. I chose the Sea Scallops with like a bacon/casino type stuffing. The sweet potato fries and vegetables were excellent. The scallops were absolutely disgusting. I muddled my way through them because I am not at all one to complain. However, I probably should have. It wasn't the stuffing that was bad. It was the scallops. They had a strong/foul odor of ammonia and I tasted exactly that.

After I left, I researched scallops and I found that scallops smelling of ammonia should be tossed out. I should have been more careful, and now I have to wait and see if I get sick because of this.

Everyone else's food in the group was good, with the exception of a shrimp wrap that lacked a decent amount of shrimp.... but it could be a blessing for my husband if the seafood wasn't fresh.

I hope everyone else has better...

Disappointed. Came in at 7:20pm on a Saturday night with my husband and 5 year old son. The ONLY table in the dining room. Service was slow but we are patient and understanding. My son started getting impatient and crying that he was hungry for his food in which was understandable as it had been 45 minutes since we ordered. At 8:15PM the waitress informed me she forgot to place our food. They close at 8:30… she brought his Mac n cheese over at 8:20 and forgot that he had a side of fries with his kids entree. Needless to say our food was thrown together and boxed for takeout. The bill was $75, there was no discount for their mistake and the food was trash. Also an old man leaving the bar stopped by our table to make a rude comment upfront of my 5 year old. Disgusting! This was the worst experience I have ever had dining out and I’m very frustrated this place can run a business this way. Robbed of time and money and absolutely pissed off with the service and lack of respect. I honestly can’t believe we just lost money for a dinner that I couldn’t eat....