We’ve taken a bit of a hiatus here….but we’re getting back down to business.
Friday night Drew and I went out to Firefly here in Washington, DC–next to the Hotel Madeira near Dupont Circle.
Upon walking in to the restaurant, I was really excited. The atmosphere was unique–there is a huge tree in the center of the dining room with lots of little lanterns hanging from it. This, with the dozens of little candles lighting up the room, helped create a very warm atmosphere, set off with just the right kind of jazzy-modern music playing in the background.
The restaurant is pretty small, so I would definitely recommend making a reservation. I thought the smallness was quite cozy, but by the end of our meal, I found myself distracted checking out the orders of the people next to me (which looked quite tasty!)
As for the menu, it’s small, but isn’t lacking in variety. It ranges from an “urban” picnic to several fish plates, beef, chicken, and pork. There is even a mini pot roast and a seared tuna sandwich (there’s a PDF of the dinner menu here, however, it seems to be old and isn’t actually the menu you get in the restaurant!). The wine list was extensive, but also expensive, so we passed on the wine.
So, getting down to the good part—the food. We shared the mussels appetizer, a favorite for both Drew and me. They looked and smelled fantastic–served with red onions and dill. The flavor was also good, but unfortunately, the mussels were very gritty and sandy. There were also a few in our pot that looked suspicious. Really, they were pretty bad, and I wanted to send them back. Mussels are something that you just can’t enjoy unless they are perfect. That was a big disappointment.
Despite the sub-par appetizer, we had high hopes for our entrees, and Drew wasn’t disappointed. He had the mackarel special, served with apple butter sauce and some kind of vegetable. It was out of this world and I was jealous that I didn’t order the same thing! My entree was also very good–halibut served with potatoes and brussel sprouts in a brown sauce that tasted like bacon. The fish was cooked perfectly and was very good. I did not care for the brussel sprouts, and the potatoes were pedestrian. The sauce was interesting, but it was a little too overpowering for me–at times I almost thought I was eating a plate full of bacon.
We rarely order dessert, but couldn’t resist the hot apple crisp. It was delicious–crispy crumbles on top, soft and warm apple pie filling on the inside. Absolutely fantastic.
As for the service, it was sub-par. Nothing extraordinary happened, but we had a waiter who was never there when we needed him (he took away our empty drink glasses and neglected to refill them for a pretty long time) and was always there when we didn’t want him to be–just as we were in the middle of eating or a great conversation, he would show up and interrupt. It was unfortunate.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Firefly, whose decorative touches, including soft lighting, jazzy music, and a firefly theme (the check was served in a jelly jar with a twist-off lid with holes poked in it), made for a unique and romantic dining room. However, beyond Drew’s entree, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the food.
Overall grade: B+ Those sandy mussels left a really bad taste in my mouth.
