Dinner at Fireside Brewhouse

My wife and I had the opportunity to have a date-night last night. No kids, just us and what originally was a few spare hours of free time to catch dinner and a movie.

I wasn’t sure where to go and Kim was leaving it up to me to decide on the dinner destination.

I’d driven by the Fireside Brewhouse a number of times since it opened and kept thinking we should give it a try. They’re located off of County Line Road and Emerson Avenue on the south side of Indianapolis. Just off the County Line Road exit of I-65.

Last night we decided to stop in and before we even walked in the door we realized this place must be a good spot to grab a bite. The waiting area was packed and just about every table seemed to be taken. We were told it would be an hour wait for a table, but that tables seemed to be moving quickly so we gave it a shot.

The atmosphere was great. They have a huge bar area with a live DJ and plenty of large, flat-screen TV’s to catch your favorite televised sports. Last night the Indiana Pacers were beating up on the Houston Rockets while we waited.

The menu is loaded with what they call "Floribbean" fare, a combination of Cuban, Latino and Caribbean dishes. The waiting area has a giant window that you can look into the kitchen to see all the bustle of activity as delicious dishes are prepared and served out to guests. As my wife and I browsed through the menu there were more than a couple of dishes we each wanted to try, but we finally landed on two.

We started with a large bowl of the Yukon Gold-Lager Soup, a rich chicken broth, lager beer, cheese and potato soup. For our entrees, my wife chose the County Line Tenderloin and I had the "Mongo" burger. Both were very good sandwiches and the "Mongo" burger lived up to its name.

It was a good burger, I still have half of it I’ll be eating later tonight for dinner. One of the few times in my life I haven’t completed an entire burger like this.

Aside from being slammed and very busy, which is a good sign for a restaurant, the service was great. We did end up waiting for over an hour and we missed our movie, but ended up being okay too. We were both very tired and just came home with very full bellies.

The only complaint I did have involved a server we were lucky enough not to get. With the giant window to the kitchen open, we repeatedly saw one of the servers bit his fingers, rub his nose and run his hands through his hair while waiting for his table’s food dishes to be prepared.

We’ll be back for sure. There’s plenty of more great dishes to be tried and devoured with friends.

Go visit Fireside Brewhouse for a great meal if you’re on the south side.