Thursday, February 9, 2017
Fireside
Fireside
Location: 5739 N Ravenswood
Cost: About $20 per person
You would think that one of the biggest perks of having a friend who cooks for a living would be that youd get top notch home cooked meals all the time. That is not the case, at least not with my friend Sophia. Whenever we find time to hang out, she usually has me cook for her and politely keeps her professional opinions to herself. Since I wasnt up for a showing of my mediocre knife skills, we decided to grab a bite at this little bar up in Edgewater, Fireside (Scottie and Brenner joined us too).
Logistics
Fireside is a neighborhood kind of bar pretty much on its own in the middle of an empty block. You can take a right from the front door into the bar or a left into the dining room. For some reason we sat at a table in the bar. It was full of regulars watching NCAA womens basketball on some crummy old TVs. I dont think youll need a reservation, even on the weekends.
Our waitress was quick with the drinks even though we didnt fit the M.O. of the 1 pack per day, 60 year old male lining the bar rail. The food came out in no time too. Sandwiches were in the $8-10 range, and the portions were doing their fair share of contribution to the obesity epidemic.
The Food
When I got there, the other three already had an order of Wings and Chicken Quesadillas on the table. They were both standard bar fare. The dillas had a decent burn to the tortilla, and the pico de gallo on the side seemed fresh enough. The wings had some tough meat and were probably over fried. The sauce wasnt too hot or too rich.
From there it was all sandwiches at tots. Our order included the Brisket Sandwich, the Club, the Reuben, and the Cajun Meatloaf sandwich. I thought the brisket sandwich bread to meat ratio was all out of whack. It was extra saucy, but the meat was too dry. I got a few bites in on the club and the reuben too. The reuben was juicy and the rye was extra buttery. I thought the club was impressively moist. Usually with all that sliced turkey and bread, the club sandwich is doomed to be dry and bland, but this one was a pleasant surprise. The tots came in the normal and sweet potato variety. My vote is to the regular.
Overall
Fireside is an acceptable neighborhood restaurant and bar that wont draw me back primarily because its not in my neighborhood. The sandwiches were hit or miss, but if you come in expecting rather standard bar food, youll find plenty of it. Im giving them 2 out of 5 Pearls.
Cost: About $20 per person
You would think that one of the biggest perks of having a friend who cooks for a living would be that youd get top notch home cooked meals all the time. That is not the case, at least not with my friend Sophia. Whenever we find time to hang out, she usually has me cook for her and politely keeps her professional opinions to herself. Since I wasnt up for a showing of my mediocre knife skills, we decided to grab a bite at this little bar up in Edgewater, Fireside (Scottie and Brenner joined us too).
Logistics
Fireside is a neighborhood kind of bar pretty much on its own in the middle of an empty block. You can take a right from the front door into the bar or a left into the dining room. For some reason we sat at a table in the bar. It was full of regulars watching NCAA womens basketball on some crummy old TVs. I dont think youll need a reservation, even on the weekends.
Our waitress was quick with the drinks even though we didnt fit the M.O. of the 1 pack per day, 60 year old male lining the bar rail. The food came out in no time too. Sandwiches were in the $8-10 range, and the portions were doing their fair share of contribution to the obesity epidemic.
The Food
When I got there, the other three already had an order of Wings and Chicken Quesadillas on the table. They were both standard bar fare. The dillas had a decent burn to the tortilla, and the pico de gallo on the side seemed fresh enough. The wings had some tough meat and were probably over fried. The sauce wasnt too hot or too rich.
The Wings
The Chicken Quesadillas
From there it was all sandwiches at tots. Our order included the Brisket Sandwich, the Club, the Reuben, and the Cajun Meatloaf sandwich. I thought the brisket sandwich bread to meat ratio was all out of whack. It was extra saucy, but the meat was too dry. I got a few bites in on the club and the reuben too. The reuben was juicy and the rye was extra buttery. I thought the club was impressively moist. Usually with all that sliced turkey and bread, the club sandwich is doomed to be dry and bland, but this one was a pleasant surprise. The tots came in the normal and sweet potato variety. My vote is to the regular.
The Cajun Meatloaf Sandwich
The Reuben
The Club
The Brisket Sandwich
Overall
Fireside is an acceptable neighborhood restaurant and bar that wont draw me back primarily because its not in my neighborhood. The sandwiches were hit or miss, but if you come in expecting rather standard bar food, youll find plenty of it. Im giving them 2 out of 5 Pearls.
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