Wood & Fire — Restaurant in Florida

I recently visited “Wood and Fire Pizza” for dinner with my family on January 2nd 2025. I asked the waitress what she recommended and she stated “everything”. Ok…. She says burgers, pizza, and specials, reluctantly. Then she pointed out the specials which had a few items that interest me. I ordered one of the Specials which was a 16oz rib eye, scallops, broccoli rabe and truffle potatoes. Disclosure-I eat steaks at restaurants and cook steaks at home at least 3 days a week, everything from Filets, NY strips, ribeyes, prime ribs, skirt steak, flank, all the cuts. I am VERY familiar with them all. This sounded like an incredible meal on face value. When the meal came out, the scallops were well cooked, different sizes, and different shapes, which means they are true scallops, and delicious. The broccoli rabe was tasty and potatoes were great. But with that being said, the steak DID NOT present like a rib eye, it was thick, narrow, and long like a NY strip, which I suspected it was. I cut into it, there was zero marbling and there was a fat line on the perimeter. Not only did it present like a NY strip, but it was a NY strip. Had this been what I ordered, which I do enjoy, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I mention it to the waitress and asked what the cut of meat was for the special today. She double checked, it was a rib eye. I explained it was a NY strip. She called the manager over, which I never asked for, I was just going to eat the NY strip. The manager openly admitted he didn’t know the difference in a NY strip and a ribeye and said he would speak to and bring the executive chef out. The executive chef came out and immediately said that I was right that the steak I had in front of my was a NY strip and he blamed it on the vendor. I explained they might want to change the description on the menu because someone else might get upset in the same circumstance. If you are paying $60 for a meal, people want what they ordered. I personally like both steaks, so wasn’t a deal breaker for me. BUT here is where I got upset. The same manager who openly admitted to me he didn’t know the difference in steaks, comes out after the executive chef leaves and proceeds to “try” educated me on how the steak I had was a ribeye and not a NY strip after the executive chef and I determined it wasn’t, to the point of almost arguing with me. He wanted to take A picture of another steak in the back and compare that to the half eaten steak in my plate. WHAT, are you serious? Totally unprofessional! At this point I was talking to a manager or the executive chef half of my meal, while my steak, the wrong one was getting cold. There wasn’t a single point where the manager apologized or anything resembling one. Meanwhile, I have been dealing with this, my son has a burger he barely touched. I asked him if he wasn’t hungry? He said the burger was terrible, dry, and over cooked. At this point, I was over this place and just wanted to leave. The waitress came over with a box and asked to box his burger up, I said, “no thank you, he didn’t like it, can you just bring the bill?, thank you”. She brought us the bill where they circled on the check a comped burger. But the $60 steak was still on the bill. I honestly didn’t ask nor expected them comp anything nor do I expect anything ever for free, but with that being said, the manager actively engaged in a discussion, almost an argument about a steak which was the WRONG ONE and I mention a burger and they comp the burger? Then circle it like they are doing me a favor? This was a terrible experience for me and my family. My advice, DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE, go to “Lindburger” next door, their food is delicious, consistent and the staff is excellent. The waitresses and waiters are excited to do their job and make great recommendations. The burgers barely hit the plate and because they are gone from my sons consuming them. They know quality food and this wasn’t it. Spare yourself the trouble. FYI, I NEVER EVER write reviews, this place...

The Atmosphere: Wood and Fire successfully walks that delicate balance between a vibrant bar scene and a family-friendly Italian favorite. With the right SoFla weather, outside seating is a comfy option. Inside are six sports (usually) flatscreens with techno-pop playing at a comfortable volume. This is not a restaurant for a quiet meal. The vibe is energetic but not just for the young. Unlike most places on West Atlantic, there was diversity of age. We were amidst the old, the young, some kids and the almost deceased. All seemed to be having a good time. As for the food, I see some mixed reviews about the food and I guess I have a mixed review myself.

The Food: I was here with family for this visit. Overall, we liked the food. When I get good service, my food tends to taste better. Mood is a taste enhancer. Still, I have to give low marks on the pappardelle with meat sauce. The pasta, presented as homemade, was starchy and too thick, maybe underdone. The meat sauce was scant on the meat. There was no attempt at something special for the dish and it fell short with the gummy pasta. I ended up not eating it. This dish stands in stark contrast to the rest of our food. I tried slices from two different wood-fired pizzas - the classico and the charred vegetable. These are thin-crusted pies served surprisingly fast. The crust was a 7 out of 10, good crunch, airy edge and a nice wood-fired taste without being too charred. The charred veggie pizza was terrific. Same crust with very tasty charred vegetables, dollops of fresh mozzarella and a nice sauce. The fritto misto (translated loosely as "mixed fry") was served with medium shrimp, calamari and finely chopped vegetables. I would have preferred the vegetables to be larger because the tiny diced veggies were overpowered by the fried breading. Still good. My beautiful, vegetarian dining companion had a salad. I cannot remember the name but she had it with strawberries, salmon and mixed greens. The salad's artful presentation was appreciated and she loved it and said she would order it again. The faro and vegetable soup was made with a chicken base and so she was not able to order that.

The Service: Our greeter and server were both nice and friendly and our server was attentive. A gentleman I assumed to be the manager came by to check on us.

Wood and Fire is fun, clean and the pizzas are well worth the visit. I will try another entrée, in addition to the pizza, my next visit and I will update my review. Please let me know if this is helpful and share...

Let me just start by saying that I had hopes for this place, based on location and pictures of the food online, I thought I've might of found the perfect place to hit once a week, boy was I disappointed . Once the waitress came to take out order, i can instantly tell she had no idea what some of the things on the menu were based on her answer, no big deal. The food arrives and wife asked for the chicken piccata while i got the Steak of the day, an over priced 14oz NY Strip " Prime ", and here is where the problems started. The Chicken piccata came with spinach as as part of the dish, you would expect for a $30 meal, they would use fresh spinach , not at all. Frozen spinach from a bag, you can taste the freezer burn, pretty disgusting. I asked for a medium well steak that was priced at $50 and what i received was a raw steak, still had a pulse in it... I'm not picky at all and i have never left a review , also am not the type of person who makes a big deal and sends food back, i rather just end the night and never go to that restaurant again. Taking each bite of that raw steak, spending 5 minutes chewing on it since the muscle fibers never got a chance to cook, it was 100% rare.. chewing on rare meat, i kept dipping each piece on the glaze provided to hide raw exposed meat . So disappointing, and it doesn't end there. We get home and later that day, after all the disappointment we decide , you know what, maybe their pizzas are better. We go ahead and ordered 3 pizzas, Their Cheese and spinach / figs pizza and their dessert Nutella pizza . For a quick summery, once again the use of watery frozen spinach on pizza leaves a disgusting taste in your mouth, and the Nutella pizza could of sent someone to the hospital if slapped by it. Stale dough with some Nutella spread on it, and the prices on them make you want to throw up. Wish it was a...