The decor of the Firesalt Tavern is very cool. I would classify it as upscale casual. In fact, when we walked in dressed in t-shirts and shorts I immediately felt like we were underdressed. However, since it was a weeknight and the place was relatively empty, those feelings were quickly dismissed. The furnishings are warm and welcoming. Definitely a classy looking place.
The restaurant must have a seat yourself policy. I'd read this in previous reviews. And I guess if it were very busy, this might be a problem. But at 9pm on a weeknight, this is a non-issue. Upon entering the restaurant, a nice waitress immediately approached us and sat us down at a booth and got us menus and took our drink order. For those of you keeping score at home, that's an early score for the service. Unfortunately for Firesalt Tavern, it all went downhill from there.
We decided to start out with the spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer. I've had many iterations of this menu item at restaurants and at parties. I have to say the one the Firesalt Tavern delivered was disappointing. It looked like it had been prepared weeks ago and stored in the fridge and microwaved to order. Plus, it was mostly cheese with very little spinach or artichoke. They should really call it cheese dip. It was served with tortilla chips. The tortilla chips tasted old and just ever-so-slightly stale. For a starter, it was definitely poor execution. I dare say I could find a microwave version of this in the freezer at Kroger down the street. So score this a point off for the food.
The dinner menu is a mixture of grilled and fried entree items as well as a selection of sandwiches and miscellaneous bar food. On paper, it certainly looked good. Keep in mind that this is just on paper. The waitress went over the specials for the evening. All you can eat crablegs. Or all you can eat shrimp cooked 3 different ways. Or all you can eat fish and chips.
Steph went for the shrimp and grits. At $19, its a bit pricey. But based on the decor of the place and the upscale menu, it seems (keyword "seems") worth it. I decide to try the fish and chips. Will orders the Firesalt burger. Lindsay tries the Turkey Reuben.
The food arrived about 10-15 min after ordering. This is about the right amount of time. Not too long. Not too short. The shrimp & grits look fairly well presented but I could tell right away the shrimp looked a tad out of place. They looked a bit overcooked and perhaps were perhaps frozen and quick thawed and sauteed. The turkey reuben was rather skimpy on the meat. The Firesalt burger was slightly undercooked and seemed hastily put together. And the fish and chips....well, its just that. The fish looked like oversized frozen fish sticks. And the chips were just that. Chips. Albeit they looked like they were homemade chips. But they were piled into a wire serving rack and were mostly broken pieces at the bottom. It appeared as if they scooped out the bottom of the chip holder to make the order. So based on appearances, another point deduction for the food. It just does not LOOK good.
To make matters worse, there are no condiments on the table. No ketchup. No mustard. Nothing. So when the kids's sandwiches with fries and my fish and chips arrive at the table, its seems awfully strange to have to ask for ketchup. We ask and our attentive waitress brings 2 small plastic cups filled with ketchup to our table. Come on. Really? This place probably serves 50% of its meals with fries. Why not have ketchup on the table?? Or at least have bottles to bring to the table. Its not THAT expensive. To divvy it out in such small amounts just seems silly. AND, to serve fried fish & chips without any condiments is even more insane. No tartar sauce. No malt vinegar. No special sauce. Nothing. Just plain dry fish and chips. WOW! I was shocked. So again, I ask and our attentive waitress brings me some malt vinegar.
Here's where the wheels came completely off. I'm expecting the traditional dark brown bottle that we use to apply as needed. (see Long John Silvers) NOPE, she brings 5 plastic packets. PACKETS! REALLY! Who decided to put an all you can eat special of fish and chips on the menu and then decide to pass out packets of malt vinegar. The folks at Firesalt should be ashamed. You know you have problems when a dump like Long John Silvers can be used as an example of HOW TO DO IT.
Steph and the kids pick through their food. As expected, its a disappointment. Steph said the shrimp did not taste very fresh. The grits were pretty bland. Lindsay did not even finish her reuben. And Will was very disappointed in his burger. He did not finish it either. That is a first. He usually likes everything. But not this time. More points off of the food.
So our bill arrives. And with our $25 gift certificate taken out (and gratuity added back in), the total comes to $54. For a family of 4, I guess that is about average. But considering the $25 gift certificate, the pricing is completely out of line. My overall impression of Firesalt Tavern is that they are doing all they can to cut corners and cut costs. They have a beautiful restaurant and they are killing themselves by sacrificing the quality of the food. This place totally misses the mark. For nearly $90 (what it would have cost me without the certificate) I would happily drive down to Atlanta and eat somewhere with much better quality and have extra $$ left to pay for the gas for the trip. Firesalt Tavern. You are BANNED.
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