Dave A (Revved Up and Roasted)
Google
It's challenging with food reviews, because we all love such a variety of flavors, textures, seasonings, temperatures and specific dishes. One person's "THIS IS THE GREATEST PIZZA I'VE EVER HAD!" could be another person's "Meh," leaving the first reviewer scratching their head. Add to that someone's opinion of what "timely service" should be, value, attentiveness (vs. intrusiveness) and atmosphere and you have a spectrum that can stretch from here to Jupiter, seemingly. Myself, as much as I love a plethora of foods (yes I said plethora), when it comes to reviewing (especially a newer place) I like to use 5 simple parameters:
1. Do I love the vibe when I walk in?
2. Did the staff treat me warmly, and were they adequately attentive?
3. Was the food awesome? (Right temperature, well plated, yummy, etc)
4. Is the style/atmosphere cool?
5. Did the server (or service staff if shared) vanish near the end of the meal for seemingly 49 minutes when I am trying to pay the bill?
That's it, and although that last one sounds silly, it happens to my wife and I at least 75% of the time. Seriously. We can't figure it out, but assume it has something to do with a secret cabal of service staff who gather together and wager how long they can make patrons wait before they erupt into cartoonish anger. I have yet to do that, and won't, but hopefully the check starts coming quicker at some of these places.
Anyway, there was no such issue at Fire by Forge. In fact, all 5 of the items on my list were absolute bangers. Honestly. From the moment we walked in, we loved the place. It's an inviting, rustic, energetic (but not crazy loud) bar/entry area, and the decor is simple but pleasing to the eye, and the staff were very friendly and engaging. The food, I mean COME ON...it looked incredible going out to other tables, but my wife hasn't stopped raving about the Salmon, and the Big Mac-y smash burger was killer. Truly a gourmet version of that all time classic. The atmosphere and decor are a big plus for this place, IMHO, as the brick faced bar back area always does it for me, and I love the rustic yet sort of Bohemian style they have going on. Most importantly, the server was fantastic and did NOT, in fact, disappear for nearly an hour at the end of the meal.
We absolutely loved this place and will visit again soon. Happily!