Firebirds restaurant not to be missed

By Ashley Jacoby and Katelyn Hill

A brand new restaurant, Firebirds, has just opened in The Village, located behind the mall in Fredericksburg. This gorgeous new restaurant features both an indoor and outdoor stone fireplace where guests can enjoy some delicious cocktails or relax with friends before or during a meal. The restaurant will have been officially open for 3 weeks as of November 23, 2009. All the food is made from scratch in-house and all the meats are prepared on a wood fired grill. According to general manager, Max Maxwell, “every steak is hand cut daily”. This is an awesome new place to try out with friends or family.

Max Maxwell has been a manager at Firebirds for 1.5 years; he started working at the Firebirds in Charlotte, NC, and then was moved to the Fredericksburg location in March to help get things up and running.

In addition to the wood fired grilled steaks, Firebirds offers fresh seafood, prime rib, mouth-watering burgers, large fresh salads, and hearty pastas. On Sundays, you can stop by for brunch and enjoy a 3-egg omelet with your choice of fresh veggies, cheeses and meats, lemon pancakes, or tres leches French toast, as well as a variety of offerings from their lunch menu. The restaurant features a different menu for lunch and dinner, offering a variety of things for every appetite.

If going in for lunch, we would recommend trying the Colorado Chicken Salad which is mixed greens with chilled grilled chicken, bleu cheese crumbles, sugar roasted pecans, dried cranberries, and green apples. Tossed with a raspberry chipotle vinaigrette. Not only is this a delicious meal, it comes out quickly if you are in a rush, or are just looking for a quick lunch with friends. All the steaks are delicious and they are all beautifully presented with various sides. Throughout the week there are a variety of soups offered, changing daily: Monday-Sirloin & Barley, Tuesday- Black Bean, Wednesday- Smoked Tomato Bisque, Thursday- Southwest Potato, Friday- Navy Bean, Saturday- Beef Chili, and Sunday- Chicken Corn Chowder. So pick a day that appeals to you and visit Firebirds for a delectable meal. We also recommend trying the Lobster Spinach Queso as an appetizer; it is served with tri-colored tortilla chips and it consists of a spicy blend of lobster, baby spinach, tomatoes, and pepper jack cheese. It is an awesome appetizer and the lobster flavor does not overpower the queso; it’s a great mix of flavors.

UMW Senior Maggie Smith has lived in Fredericksburg for 3 years with her family, and said “this is the most awesome place I’ve been in Fredericksburg, I’d recommend it to all students, and the bar is awesome”. Firebirds’ happy hour runs Monday through Friday, and consists of half priced bar menu food, as well as half priced signature martinis and margaritas. We recommend trying one of their signature martinis, The Double Black Diamond, which is fresh pineapple and citrus vodka, served with a wedge of sweet sliced pineapple. It is described by the restaurant as “the perfect light sweet treat”. If you can’t make it in for happy hour, try coming in for brunch on Sunday and enjoy a mimosa with fresh squeezed orange juice. The flavor is great. There is a full bar at Firebirds, consisting of a variety of liquors, wines and beers, something for everyone.

End the night with a spectacular dessert: the key lime pie, carrot cake, and crumble cheesecake are only three of the wonderful options you have to choose from.

Firebirds is a privately owned corporation, and this new location in Fredericksburg, is one of 16 restaurants. The first restaurant was opened in Charlotte, NC in 2000, and now there are a number of other locations throughout the United States. For more information on locations visit www.firebirdsrestaurants.com. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday, 11am to 10pm and Friday and Saturday, 11am to 11pm.