03/26/08

Wonderful food, carefully prepared

by johnmeli

This is my first-time message on this board.

My wife and I had lunch at the Fireplace Restaurant in Brookline (corner of Beacon and Washington).

The lunch was terrific. The conch chowder was some of the best chowder I'd evereaten -- creamy but not too thick, with a nice bacon and herb flavor. The fig-goat

cheese salad, the deep-fried gnocchi with that fresh tomato and pepper

sauce -- it was all great. The way they used herbs was really

special, and I liked the light hand with the salt (most places continue

to oversalt everything). The staff was really nice as well; our

waitress, a blonde young woman, was friendly and hard working. It got crowded.

We'll definitely go again.

• Pros: Food, herbs and spices just right, not oversalted

01/14/08

Good food, good service. Nice fireplace

by laurad2008

I have to say. Both times I've been here I've had positive experiences. Food is usualy good, so is the service. Servers even joke playfuly and recomend items, something you cant say anymore about many Boston restaurants. With Dalias across the street, the competition is strong but this place holds up well. Keep up the good work!

12/10/07

No wonder this restaurant is a smashing success!! Hands down- best customer service around.

by mktimmons

Top notch customer service- the other reviews speak for themselves on this outstanding restaurant's food, ambience etc so I won't waste space on that. I go out to eat regulary for work functions in the NYC area and am constantly surprised/disappointed by customer service in restaurants. My own memory was when I needed help on my brother's birthday and the owner of this restaurant made sure everything was taken care of. Not all places understand or take the time to go that extra step, I would suggest anyone to go here if you're looking for a wonderful meal, experience and I bet you'll book your next reservation before you've finished dessert.

12/04/07

Great Gluten Intolerance Awareness/ Wonderful Food

by akbaldwin

My husband and I came here for a dinner because it was listed as a local restaurant that had gluten free options on their menu. Being a celiac, I have to be weary of every place I eat and I was overly impressed with the knowledge of the waitstaff and their care in making sure my dinner remained uncontaminated by gluten

The food was incredible! We will definitely go back!

• Pros: Great Gluten Intolerance Awareness, Ambience, Parking lot, friendly waitstaff, delicious food

09/15/07

Tasty food, horrible experiences

by talltaste

This place has one of the greatest kitchens in Boston. However, the service and staff leave much to be desired. Our party of three was dismissed from the dining room after being escorted to the table and asking for just drinks and desserts. We would have not minded, but for the rude tone of the hostess and the fact that there only six people in the restaurant. Sadly, we choose to not go there again.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Service

08/11/07

Good atmosphere, but overpriced.

by cmm30

The food is not at the quality (preparation and presentation) suggested by the price. Really not even close. Thew service is also below par on occasion. I go there because I live around the corner and will continue to go for that reason. Brunch is a better value and is generally worth it. There is usually no waiting for a table for brunch (rare indeed). The atmosphere is nice but this place is a pretender.

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: value

07/22/07

Great service, good food, nice atmosphere

by annae393

I couldn't believe when I read the other reviews that they mentioned bad service. As a waitress myself, even I would have been frustrated with my two elderly dining companions last night, but our waitress at the Fireplace could not have been more courteous. They asked about everything on the menu, twice. She was so friendly and patient. The food probably took a little longer than it should have, most likely due to the fact that one of my dining companions was eating her appetizer interminably slowly. I had the scallops which I thought were excellent, and I am pretty picky when it comes to scallops. There were six, decent-sized scallops and they were not at all grainy, which is a big plus. They came over mashed potatoes and arugula with mandarin orange segments and a vanilla glaze. Seemed like an odd combination but it made for a nice flavor profile. My grandmother loved her half chicken dish and the other lady seemed pleased with both her lobster and corn appetizer and her main course. They offer "tastes" of wine for $2-4, which is 2 oz. I find this an unusual, but nice option, as I wanted a sip but not a whole glass. They also have wine by the standard size glass and the bottle. The berry cobbler was good, nothing too fancy, but then again what do you expect when you order a cobbler?

• Pros: Service, Outside Patio, Atmosphere, Food
• Cons: Menu not anything too different from other "New American Gourmet" menus

04/03/07

Greay Atmosphere, Yummy Food

by lederhosen1

The Fireplace is a great place to go when you want good food without all the fuss. The meals are delicious, reasonably priced, and nicely prepared. The ambiance is relaxed but still upscale enought to compliment the sensations coming from your taste buds. The owner, who makes an appearance once i a while, is the nicest man you have ever met. PLus, he very much supports local causes and charitable organizations. No wonder so many celebrities have come to eat at this happening spot!

• Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Principles
• Cons: None.

03/23/07

Expensive Potatoes Served by Impatient Staff

by smccalmon

On a busy Thursday night, when all other Coolidge corner restaurants were full, we meandered into a half-empty Fireplace restuarant...was this a sign? Yes! Only as a last-option did I go here because I have felt disappointed by the overpriced mediocre food in the past. But, my aging parents were in town and I didn't want to drag them all over creation to wait an hour or more at another establishment. We were somewhat lost upon entering as the hostess station is 50 yards from the door (not practicle!) We were silently pointed to our table by a disinterested hostess to be greeted by an even less interested waiter. Despite the restaurant being half empty, our waiter rudely rushed my mother repeatedly to make her wine order. In fact, he was so impatient that he left and came back 3 times to our table because he could not be bothered to wait more than 30seconds each time to wait on us, saying "Oh, I guess you need a few more minutes then?" When we finally got our drinks and ordered our food, we were greeted with a reading of specials that even seemed to bore the waiter while he was reciting them. The questions my vegan-father had about his "Winter White Bean Vegetable Stew" were met with dismissive remarks. When our food did arrive, my father's white bean stew was a bowl of cubed potatoes in mystery-sauce, my $6 side of "Rutabega and Potato Risotto" was a bowl of suspiciously similar looking cubed potatoes in a cream sauce, and my husband's King Salmon was served over....you guessed it....mystery cubed potatoes. My mother's $28 scallop scampi was 75% elbow macaroni and cheese sprinkled with canned bread crumbs. On top of all the expensive potatoes and starch, our drinks remained empty for ages until we could flag down our waiter for a second drink....apparently they don't care about selling alchohol here. Point of this story:.you'll pay too much, have bland food, and as this is the 3rd time I've experienced rude waitstaff, that seems like a guaruntee as well. Stay away!

• Pros: nice live jazz music and cozy lighting
• Cons: staff, service, prices, food, did I mention bad service?

03/06/07

A very bad experience

by eb02144

While dining at the fireplace one Saturday night, a cokcroach came out and started walking near our booth. The waiters didn't really do anything until we asked if we could switch tables. Then when another waitress helped us, our waiter didn't check in to see if all was OK. Never did they ask if there was anything they could do to help us...really poor customer service. Food was okay, but overly priced.