Fireside Kitchen — Restaurant in Independence Charter Township

We went there last night for my birthday. Most of the food was excellent that we had (The sweet potato, fried mushroom app and the burger). They do not allow for substitutions so you are getting fries regardless. We had the chocolate cake with raspberry sorbet for dessert. Unfortunately it was pretty disappointing. Not a lot of flavor, just seems like a bit of an afterthought. We kind of wished there was some bread or something offered before the meal as well, there is nothing. The service seems like they are definitely still trying to figure things out which is understandable with it being so new. I asked a very basic question about the only Chardonnay offered by the glass, neither of our 2 servers were able to answer just if it was Oaked or not. They said they were asking the bartender but never came back with an answer, we ended up having to google it. For such a small wine list it seems they should be able to give a small description or know anything about the wine or offer a taste. They ended up just bringing a different wine, no inquiry on how it was. The decor is nice, a little confusing. Not sure if they are going for an industrial or bohemian vibe, it is kind of both. You can not really sit at the tables by the fire they have going, which we were offered first because you will roast, we opted for a booth instead.

Some people were dressed up and then there were hoodies and jeans, the Manager seems to be casual. It is definitely priced to be fine dining, it is just no where near a fine dining experience if that is what they are going for.

The absolute highlight however was the Speakeasy in the basement. We had so much fun! It was such a neat experience inside and getting to it. It is beautiful, and you can tell the staff love it and love what they do. Randy was our bartender and he was so personable, and the drinks were amazing! I saw on another review you can eat down there which we did not know, but will absolutely be back to try it. We live very close by and it is a great date night spot...

My husband and I went to Fireside on September 12 for dinner. We had never been and decided to check them out for something new. We had made an 8:30pm reservation from their website, but I guess the restaurant didn't get it, but there were plenty of seats so we were good.

We got the Peach and Proscuitto flatbread as our appetizer. It was really good. Would have liked to have tasted the peach and proscuitto a little more. The arugala on top was nice. The bread itself was really nice.

For an entree, I got the Halibut. It came with miso mushrooms and sauteed kale. It was really good! Highly recommend it. Everything was seasoned perfectly. My husband got the hanger steak and fries. He got his cooked medium rare (more on the rare side). It was cooked to his liking, but it could have been seasoned better. Even I had a taste of it and I couldn't taste any seasoning, just the grilled. The chimichurri sauce that came with it was okay. My husband said that it needed more acid and could have used to sit for a few more minutes because the garlic was too strong (and this is coming from my husband who loves garlic). The fries could have used some salt and could have been a bit more crispier, as a nice external crunch is nice on a good fry. He asked for some lime and salt for his food. It did make things better after he added them. We shared our opinions with our waitress, who told us that the chefs take suggestions to heart. So that is good.

We were going to get dessert, but I was quite full. Maybe next time.

The portions were perfect, and neither of us had any leftovers (as it should be).

We found out that they have only been open for about six months, and they just recently changed their menu to their fall menu. If you are on their website, and you don't see the halibut, then they haven't switched over the menu on...

Updated to 4.5 stars: I had previously raved about the chicken, so someone in our group decided to order it. Unfortunately, it was disappointing—nothing like what I had experienced before or what the posted photo showed. My earlier dish was deboned, with the top skin serrated and fire-crusted. This time, it had bones, looked baked which wasn’t the issue — it wasn’t fully cooked. Fortunately, the rest of the meal was excellent. The sea bass, cod special, bread, and salads were all outstanding. Note: Like many businesses, Fireside applies a credit card transaction fee. Considering inflation and other challenges facing small businesses, I’m fine with that charge.

Started with the bread. The bread and the 3 different spreads were excellent and complemented the fresh well made salad. For the entree we ordered the half chicken. Never have experienced white meat on a chicken that raised our eye brows due to its flavor and texture. Need to note that it was deboned, the skin was scored and the color of the glaze used gave the plate an artistic presentation. Trademarks of a professional chief. Finished with the apple torte which took apples to a different level. As for ambience, there are only a few restaurants in north Oakland County where restaurants look this...