City Fire American Oven & Bar — Restaurant in Wildwood

We had a long day and by the time we could eat dinner it was too late to cook, and we were too tired anyway. So, where to go? We started ticking off the local eateries from fast food to bar food to — oh wait, what about the osso bucco at City Fire!? Disclaimer: this review is not about the osso bucco, although my dinner partner, a very difficult person to please, had it for the 3rd time in a row and raved over it. No, this is about my beef stroganoff. I didn’t have high expectations because my mother always told me to be careful of ordering dishes that have the potential for using up the kitchen’s leftovers disguised as a classic dish. Who cares? I hadn’t eaten anything yet and it was already 7:00 on a record setting cold day in Florida and I wanted some good old fashioned comfort food for dinner. Comforting it was, and it was better than good. I wanted to convey a message to the chef to express my overwhelming satisfaction but our server was so incredibly busy that it was impossible. The dish was served in a cast iron skillet with a side of fresh, hot baguette. On top of a bed of curly wide noodles was the beef, beautifully marinated and seasoned, complemented by a gravy that screamed Depth of Flavor at me with every bite. I halfway expected to run out of pieces of meat and be left with noodles and gravy, but such was not the case: there were enough chunks of beef for every forkful of noodles. (Sorry, but the accompanying photo was taken after a few bites.) Back to the overwhelmingly busy server: by the attention she gave us throughout the meal, the quick and efficient service, and friendly smile, one would never know just how busy she was; but she never stopped moving. When we entered the restaurant on this very cold evening we truly expected it to be nearly empty. Afterall, who else would go out on a night like this? Oh wait… it’s Florida and snowbird season, so while it was so cold that the nightly outdoor entertainment was canceled, it was not so cold for our friends from the north to come out for the music but finding no live band had nowhere to go but inside. It was wall-to-wall people and we expected to sit forever waiting for service. In fact, even our host warned us that it could take some time before we see a server. Then like lightning, there she was, taking our drink orders, then our food orders which arrived without delay and piping hot fresh. When we returned to our car after dinner we remarked that that was the fastest, most delicious dinner we’ve had in a very long time. Last but not least, the live indoor entertainment was fantastic. To summarize: fast and friendly service on a crowded night, excellent food consistent with past visits, and overall DEPTH OF FLAVOR! Yes, chef, you nailed it! Osso bucco and beef stroganoff never fails. Try the flatbreads, too. You won’t be...

City Fire is a casual, western themed eatery with no airs about it. We came her for lunch and after a reasonable short wait our party of 5 was asked if we wanted to eat inside or out. We choose outside as we always do when the weather cooperates. We were seated a nice table in the corner, cozy and located so you watch the colorful golf carts whizzing by. The table needed some attending to and it was quickly cleaned and ready for service. Our waitress promptly greeted us and introduced herself as Stacey. Stacey was full of personality and engaged me in some funny back and forth banter. She was quick and knowledgeable about the menu. She was very busy and would explain that without fail she would return with whatever we ordered as soon as she could. I liked this attempt at letting us know that although it was busy she would service us as efficiently as possible. Stacey was an excellent server and City Fire is lucky to have her.

For lunch I ordered the Cheeseburger (minus the cheese) and added bacon to it. For my side I got the potato chips. Our lunch did come out in a timely manner even though it was busy. My order came with a dill pickle which I always enjoy with a sandwich. The chips were crunchy and in the style of “Cape Cod” brand chips from back home in Boston. My burger was to die for. Delicious beef, piping hot and juicy. It was flavorful and just an excellent burger. It was garnished with an ample serving of bacon as I ordered at an extra charge.

Stacey continued to attend to us during the meal, replenishing our drinks and anything else we needed, all while attending to several tables on a busy afternoon.

City Fire was an excellent choice for lunch. It looks like it would also be a good choice for a casual dinner as there is a large bar inside with lots of tv’s and a small dance area with live music. While our lunch was quiet I would imagine by what I observed this place is probably rocking at...

I intentionally came to this place for outdoor seating. I parked and walked up and noticed an abundance of outdoor seating available. So, I went inside to the hostess (with my mask on) to request outdoor seating and was told the available tables are for bingo and we can't sit there (it's lunchtime guys). It's either indoor seating or take whatever is available at the outside bar.

Ok. That's... interesting but sure, we sat outside at the raised bar tables instead. We got our menus after a few minutes and our drink order. I'm not sure if it's because we were at the bar, but the non alcoholic drinks were provided in small plastic cups. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but the server only came back to ask for refills after everyone finished eating. So I feel a little cheated by paying for an iced tea at full price, not getting refills and getting a small portion for my 90 minute visit.

Moving on, I ordered the Caesar salad with chicken ($17). Thankfully, it came with a decent portion of chicken (not very flavorful) but barely any dressing. It was okay. I guess I should have ordered flatbread or pizza...

The general atmosphere is nice. I wasn't impressed with the bingo reservations taking all outdoor seating. I also never witnessed bingo taking place; tables were still "reserved" and empty at 2:30, I arrived before 1. I will say the staff was kind, 5/5 for them minus the refill oversight (probably because I was at the bar seating area).

I probably won't come back to eat onsite. Maybe a pick up order to try something from the stone...