Out and About Town – Late Afternoon Break

Continuing with our family visits to St. Louis Missouri and Omaha Nebraska during the week of Thanksgiving…

In this instance we were out and about in Omaha and we decided to stop in at a local watering hole for a snack and an adult beverage.

This is Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.  Laurie and I hadn’t eaten here for at least 3 years. 

Firebirds started out in 2000 as a steakhouse in Charlotte NC.  It has a real wood-grill and it specializes in steaks and seafood but there are a number of other items on the menu.  They are open for lunch and dinner…

The dining area at Firebirds is warm, with mellow lighting combined with wood and lots of stone. 

The parent company has about 50 Firebirds location scattered across 19 states.  They are all company owned.

But…we weren’t planning on going to the dining room!  Instead we were focused on happy hour in the bar area.  Happy hour at the “Firebar” is a ‘happy time’ for saving a couple of bucks.  Amy and Emmett Lee are at the bar waiting for a snack and their beverages.

Their special martinis are $6.00 vs. $11.00, seasonal craft cocktails are $7.00 vs. $11.00, select glasses of wine are $5.00, well drinks are $5.00 and all draft beers are $2.00 off. 

How about that 'FIREBAR'!  Very eye-catching.  The backbar features a colorful display of bottles, all back-lit and tiered…creating a ‘waterfall’ of color for the bars patrons. 

One of our appetizers was this giant Bavarian Pretzel with beer cheese. ($5.00 Happy Hour/Normally $8.00) The big German-style soft pretzel was very nice, especially when paired with Samuel Adams beer cheese fondue and horseradish mustard.

I was in the mood for some beef so for another appetizer, I ordered the Beef Sliders. ($5.00 Happy Hour/$8.00 Normally) The three USDA Choice mini burgers normally come with Tillamook cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, yellow mustard and pickles.  Not being a big fan of onions, I left them off this trio.

OK…To quote from Firebird’s website, “…Firebirds’ chef-prepared, made-to-order bar fare upholds the same standard of quality you’ll enjoy in every bite of steak or morsel of lobster in our dining room”.  Well…so much for commitment!  These sliders were overcooked, hard and dry with very little flavor.  Even at $5.00 they weren’t worth the money!

The final appetizer was the Fired-Up Shrimp. ($7.00 Happy Hour/$10.00 Normally.  These flash fried shrimp were coated and flash fried and then they were served with a spicy Sriracha sauce.  These spicy shrimp were pretty average and they could have used a little more spicy sauce.

As per Forbes Magazine, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill was named as one of the USA’s top 50 emerging restaurant chains by a leading industry trade magazine.  New management/ownership is planning to expand this chain.  Please fix the sliders first…!

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Omaha Nebraska is located at 17415 Chicago Street.  Phone: 402-359-1340.  The Website for this specific store is at: https://omaha.firebirdsrestaurants.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave