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It's out with the old and in with the new.  Stopped by Firelfy on the way home from work this evening and ran into jparrott and mdt at the bar.  This evening was the last of the "old" menu.  The new menu debuts tomorrow evening.  Two items rotating off the menu are the lamb tartare and the pork scallopini.  I've had the lamb before and this last hurrah was identical to what I've had before.  This would be my last opportunity to sample the pork which was always something that tempted me in the past but always seemed to be beat out by the lamb shoulder.  Two big pieces of pounded pork arrived with a caper sauce on a mound of mashed potatoes.  Really good on a chilly evening such as tonight.

Chef Wabeck was experimenting with the spicy mussels which are set to debut tomorrow.  He seemed concerned that they needed some more spice.  I thought they were great (though I did not detect much spice, good cause for his concern).  I'm sure he will have them punched up for their opener tomorrow. 

I can't wait to try the lamb stew on which the curtain rises tomorrow.

Can't wait--we're going Saturday for my birthday!
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It's out with the old and in with the new. 

Chef Wabeck was experimenting with the spicy mussels which are set to debut tomorrow.  He seemed concerned that they needed some more spice.

Uh-Oh. Fortunately, he is still including the oysters, which my DH thinks have crack in them. I am the mussels aficiando in this duo.
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Soup lovers, I urge you to get thee to Firefly as soon as possible to try the cream of rutabaga soup with shallot confit and croutons. With each spoonful of the rich, luscious soup, make sure to include a bit of the intense slow-cooked shallot confit and the crisp, lightly toasted croutons. Even if you are not a particular fan, or haven't tasted, the underappreciated rutabaga, this soup will win you over.

I'd also strongly recommend the roasted beets with goat cheese vinaigrette and rye toast. Yes, roasted beets seem ubiquitous on restaurant menus lately, but don't let that stop you from trying Chef Wabeck's exceptional version.

Cured duck breast with arugula, dried cranberries and candied pecans is another winner. The duck breast, we're told, is roasted until rare and then chilled. Again, make sure to include a little of the tender meat, slightly bitter arugula and the cranberries and pecans in each bite to fully appreciate the layers of flavor in the dish.

Finally, the chef's experimenting with the spicy Prince Edward Island mussels seems to have worked - there's a definite kick to them, but just enough to enhance, not overwhelm, the flavor of the mussels.

Derek suggested a couple of excellent wine-by-glass pairings: an Australian Pinot Noir with the duck, and a sparkling wine from Greece with the mussels. Excellent, friendly service all around.

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2 of us went to Firefly on Friday night, as sort of a spur of the moment decision. I was able to meet both Derek Brown and Chef Wabeck (who took the time out to speak with me, even after being at the restaurant for 14 hours!).

We sat at the bar and started off with two of the cocktails, the Luxe Imperial (? - not entirely sure of the name) and the Pomorito. While my dining companion and I have similar tastes in wine, we don't in cocktails. He likes his strong and dry, whereas I typically pick out something extremely sweet and fruity (mostly, I don't like the taste of alcohol). This was, to the best of my knowledge, one of the first times we genuinely enjoyed both cocktails. The flavours in each blended together very well and both had a complex taste. I don't remember completely what went into the pomorito (although the main ingredient is pomegranate, but the Luxe combined gin, port, sparkling wine, and bay leaf syrup.

We started off with the truffled parmesan freites and the crispy oysters. The freites were extremely good, better than the recent ones I had at Mannequin Pis, though I didn't think they needed the accompanying dipping sauce, which had a tendency to overpower the truffle and parmesan flavours unless only a minescule amount was used. The oysters were absolutely incredible. I enjoy oysters, but don't tend to have very high expectations for fried ones. The texture of both the oysters and the batter on them seemed to melt in your mouth and tasted wonderful.

Chef Wabeck had mentioned the Greek sparkling wine he was pouring, and the woman sitting next to us was sipping some. Based on their recommendations, we each had a glass with the freites and oysters. We both enjoyed this quite a bit, although it was served maybe a little too cold for my preference...after a short while, the more complex and subtle flavours came through instead of getting mostly a lemon taste to start.

We then ordered entrees, the lamb stew, the red snapper, and a side of macaroni and cheese. The lamb stew was very good, the macaroni and cheese some of the best I ever had (and I was born and raised entirely in the South), but the red snapper was the highlight of the evening. I don't typically liked cooked fish (I grew up eating most of my fish raw) but the taste and texture of this fish was amazing. Moist, tender, and flavourful (with chive oil?), this was clearly a standout dish.

We asked Rachel to recommend wine to go with our entrees, thinking we would likely need to go with glasses, since it's not easy to pair a bottle with both lamb and fish. But she was up to the challenge and recommended 3 different bottles, all from different price ranges. Another moment when the service was excellent, she made it very clear that she wasn't trying to oversell or manipulate us into choosing the most expensive bottle, she just recommended it because she thought it would go very well with our dishes.

Sure enough, it did. The 2002 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers was a great recommendation for the two dishes, each one bringing out different notes. The fish highlighted the fruit and berry notes, while the lamb masked those but allowed the spicier ones to come through. It was enough to stand up to the heavier flavours of the lamb but didn't overwhelm the fish. We were very happy with the recommendation.

All in all, I was extremely happy with the evening and can't wait to get back. Especially since we weren't up for dessert...maybe next time.

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I picked Firefly for my birthday dinner because I wanted to have something both wonderful and familiar. I didn't want a great adventure. I spent 8 hours at a retreat on Saturday so I didn't want anything too complicated. I didn't want to make my husband rent a Zipcar to go to Virginia. I didn't want to bankrupt him either. Firefly was the first place to come to mind and it was exactly the right choice on Saturday night.

We were greeted warmly and seated immediately in the back at "our table." (54, I think.)

I started with the Pomorito and it was the best cocktail I've had in ages. Mr. BLB didn't make a face when he took a sip. Always a good sign!

I had the cream of rutabaga soup and Mr. BLB had the chicken soup. I loved my soup. Wow! Rich, creamy and just about perfect. (I would have added more croutons and chopped the onions finer...) The chicken soup was nice but a touch salty.

I then had the steak frites and Mr. BLB had the other steak option. My steak was way better than his, IMO, but his potatoes rocked. We split an order of the spinach to get something green into our meal.

I was sorely tempted by the new mac & cheese side dish but I couldn't imagine having enough room to eat it. Next time!

For dessert we shared the chocolate napolean, which I very careful took apart to get to the good stuff--the chocolate!

Derek picked a wonderful wine for me with dinner and we ended the evening with a champagne toast. I have to start paying more attention when the wines get picked...

It was a wonderful, relaxing evening and just what I needed to celebrate another year.

Can't wait to head back and try more of the new menu options!

Jennifer

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Once again, shameless and proud of it.

FREE WHISKEY TASTING at the Fly
Wednesday, February 8, 4:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
Our appreciation for a sip of whiskey means that you can warm yourself from within, defying gloomy grey skies and chilly temperatures with a nightcap at Firefly. Monday through Friday, a "reverse happy hour," appropriately named Whiskey Rebellion, begins at 10:30 P.M. until last call. That's all month.

Next week we have a free whiskey tasting Wednesday, February 8 from 4:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. to kick off our new selections.

Featured whiskeys for February include (in one-or two-ounce pours):
MONDAY - Jim Bean Rye ($2.25 / $5.50)
TUESDAY - Wellers 7 Year Reserve Bourbon ($3.00 / $6.00)
WEDNESDAY - Tangle Ridge Canadian Whiskey ($3.00 / $6.00)
THURSDAY - Tullamore Dew 12-Year Irish Whiskey ($4.85 / $9.75)
FRIDAY - Dalmore Cigar Malt Scotch ($4.75 / $9.50)

See you there, or here, I mean.

Derek

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Is the lunch menu at Firefly the same as the dinner menu and are lunch prices the same as dinner prices?

Nope - check out Firefly's web site

Edited.... I see now that they just have the 1 menu. I think they used to have separate lunch/dinner menus posted online, so I'm not sure now.

Edited by AlliK
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There is a cocktail I'm dying to try, the Montreal....Woodford, Sortilege and bitters. Now what to eat?

Once the slum lord to grants me a hall pass from purgatory I'm off to drown out the hum of a long day...

I can't...hold...on...

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I had the foie gras burger for lunch today at Firefly. It was damn good. I nicely seared rare beef patty was topped with a glistening slab of seared foie gras and some melted cheese. With a bowl of chicken noodle soup that included a dollop of foie gras flan and a cone of frites, it made a wonderful lunch. My only complaint, I thought the meat in the burger was a shade too lean and could have used a little more fat in it.

Does anyone know who else in town is serving up such a delicacy?

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OK, let me see:

The meat in the burger too lean? What, with a card deck-size of goose fat on it?

My arteries have been calling to me for the last twenty minutes. And their cry isn't for lack of richness. They are not saying, "Mistress...send us some fat instead of that disgusting rabbit food we had for lunch and dinner."

They are saying: "Baby....I am so clogged I can barely breathe...but damn! that was good."

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<urp>

I'm just hoping no one in the office notices the truffles on my breath.... :lol:

Chef - any chance of disclosing the full ingredient list/recipe for that lovely, light-as-air quenelle in the soup? (or was it foie imperial that you called it...)

(sure beats the heck out of the carryout from Olive Garden all my coworkers had for lunch - suckers! :huh: )

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I had the foie gras burger for lunch today at Firefly.  It was damn good.  I nicely seared rare beef patty was topped with a glistening slab of seared foie gras and some melted cheese.  With a bowl of chicken noodle soup that included a dollop of foie gras flan and a cone of frites, it made a wonderful lunch.  My only complaint, I thought the meat in the burger was a shade too lean and could have used a little more fat in it. 

FYI: The French word for fat is gras

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Oh, oh, oh.

Yes, the burger was a thing of beauty. It caressed the eye, the mouth, and the stomach cavity. Yes, it was worth hauling bottom from vile Virginia. All that richness, and warmth, and melting, and juicing, and mixing in mouth.

But then came the payback.

Four hours after that lunch, when most lunches would have been digested and excreted, I was at the gym, where I am usually found on Friday nights jumping, kicking and leaping through the studio. Fifteen minutes after hurling self into my ultimate step training, I paused. There was no usual spring in my step and no lift in my kick. My vertical splits were pathetic. My attitude toes went unpointed. The smallest dance sequence felt like over-the-top exertion. The usual look of awe in the eyes of the steppers behind me turned to condescension.

I stopped, perplexed, to examine self. I looked deep inside.

And there, deep inside, from the pit of my stomach, a fat blob of foie gras looked up at me.

"Hello," it said with a gleeful little smile. "Thought I'd be gone by now, babycakes?"

I felt betrayed. But the thing kept smiling at me. "For the rest of the night, I'm just going to sit here and refuse to melt. You'll pay. Oh you'll pay."

I made a good college try to stay, but it was pitiful. Every liquid in my body turned to goose fat. I was breathing out and sweating out foie.

So, maybe in future I will limit my foie consumption to just a smidge. Just a smear. Just a touch. Just a whiff. My tender sensibilities have been shot to ribbons by the shock of the switch from carrot sticks to the richest food known to man.

Yes, I've been happy eating it. Oh yeah, I've paid.

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After lurking for a looong time, finally coming out of hiding to say "thank you."

After reading the discussions on Firefly, I decided to take my Mom there last night as the culmination of our annual Girls Weekend.

It was so surprisingly wonderful.

We had tried several new restaurants this weekend but Firefly took the cake and knocked our socks off.

Although busy and 86'd of several entrees we had terrific service and truly enjoyed the evening. I cannot wait to return for a warm cosmo and a bowl of soup...

The menu for those who care about such things...

We started with the mushroom brushetta and the rutabaga (sp?) soup? For lack of a foodie word... YUMMY. (Although, later we lamented why restaurants make such rich appetizers that "force" us to only split one dessert?)

Mom had the salmon, I the lamb stew and we shared the mac and cheese. I'm looking forward to my leftovers (dessert planning, remember?) tonight.

We split the chocolate napoleon and I think we drew attention from the table next to us for the gasps of delicious delight! Coffee was just OK but there was chocolate on the table and all was right with the world.

Thank you all who post on these boards regularly - I do think you are doing a service for those lurkers who, like me, love to try new places but appreicate those that have come before to help us spend our money well.

Back into anonymity ... all this de-lurking is exhausting and I have lamb stew leftovers calling...

Edited: I meant to post this in the Firefly thread but somehow managed to start a new one and can't move it to the appropriate place. Mr. DR can you help? *sigh* This is why I lurk...

Edited by kat6185
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A long sucky week back at work after vacation, a car-free Friday evening, Opentable reporting a 6:15 opening for dinner at Firefly: the recipe for a relaxing start to the weekend.

We actually tried new things last night instead of relying on the same old, same old.

I started with the beet and goat cheese salad. Next time I ask for a lot less of the rye crumbs. Aside from that it was terrific.

Mr. BLB had the duck breast salad. It's huge! Almost too big to be a starter. And damn tasty.

For entrees, I had the pork chop and he had the spaghetti and venison meatballs. Both were terrific and we had enough leftover for breakfast later this morning.

No room for dessert!

Great service as always.

Jennifer

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Want a great and delicious way to spend an upcoming warm evening or maybe a quick lunchtime snack? Order Firefly's cheese plate and wash it down with their refreshing Cucumber Collins (or in my case a couple of them). Part of their new cocktail menu, the Cucumber Collins combines Hendricks Gin, fresh squeezed cucumber juice, simple syrup and a splash of tonic. It's garnished with a slice of cucumber and a sprig(?) of lemongrass and looks as good as it tastes.

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Part of their new cocktail menu, the Cucumber Collins combines Hendricks Gin, fresh squeezed cucumber juice, simple syrup and a splash of tonic.  It's garnished with a slice of cucumber and a sprig(?) of lemongrass and looks as good as it tastes.
<_<

What time do they open on Sunday?

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Finally made it to Firefly. Kay and I had a light meal after attending a photo show. I loved the feel and the decor. We sat at one of the low tables in the lounge which made eating a bit of a challenge as it was quite wobbly.

We had the cured duck breast with dried cranberries (I think) candied pecans and arugula which was pretty darned good. The duck seemed to be more roasted and chilled than cured but the flavor and texture were nice. The beet salad was also very good, with my quibble being too much goat cheese. The crimeni mushroom bruschetta was very 60's retro (a rif on beef stroganoff to my mind) which, while well made, did not send me. The mac & cheese was good but I would have liked a more cheddary bite to it.

Derek came out after we were done and forced us to consume a bourbon or two and a canadien rye along with a creme brulee. All in all a nice short stop. I can see why people like to HH there.

$64 for the food and a couple of cocktails. The wine by the glass list was a bit of a dissapointment but the list had a lot of things I would gladly drink. The markups were around 2.5 or so. Service was great if a little on the enthusiastic side from our server.

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After nearly two years of standing beside the large faux tree that graces the entrance of Firefly, I am saying goodbye.

I will truly miss the excellent staff at Firefly, especially Chef John Wabeck. Firefly's success is due directly to him. I have learned a great deal during my stint, most notably in the world of wine. John has been instrumental in nudging me toward the Master Sommelier Diploma, of which I am currently a Certified Sommelier, through the Court of Master Sommeliers. His mentorship has been invaluable to me.

My new position is restaurant manager and sommelier at Agraria, opening on the harbor this spring. My new bosses are farmers--specifically, the North Dakota Farmers Union--and, like my previous bosses, they know a few things about good food. I will concentrate on the wine and beverage program (yeah, expect incredible cocktails). Not that I don't enjoy other restaurant tasks, but my passion in restaurants is and will always be poured from a shaker or bottle.

I will be at Firefly through April 27, 2006 and will start at Agraria shortly thereafter. For Agraria's opening date, watch the Agraria thread. Thank you all for being a part of my Firefly experience and I look forward to joining you at Firefly for a drink.

Once again, thank you John, Firefly and all the Rockwellian Tree Huggers.

Yours in Service,

Derek M. Brown

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After nearly two years of standing beside the large faux tree that graces the entrance of Firefly, I am saying goodbye.

I will truly miss the excellent staff at Firefly, especially Chef John Wabeck. Firefly's success is due directly to him. I have learned a great deal during my stint, most notably in the world of wine. John has been instrumental in nudging me toward the Master Sommelier Diploma, of which I am currently a Certified Sommelier, through the Court of Master Sommeliers. His mentorship has been invaluable to me.

My new position is restaurant manager and sommelier at Agraria, opening on the harbor this spring. My new bosses are farmers--specifically, the North Dakota Farmers Union--and, like my previous bosses, they know a few things about good food. I will concentrate on the wine and beverage program (yeah, expect incredible cocktails). Not that I don't enjoy other restaurant tasks, but my passion in restaurants is and will always be poured from a shaker or bottle.

I will be at Firefly through April 27, 2006 and will start at Agraria shortly thereafter. For Agraria's opening date, watch the Agraria thread. Thank you all for being a part of my Firefly experience and I look forward to joining you at Firefly for a drink.

Once again, thank you John, Firefly and all the Rockwellian Tree Huggers.

Yours in Service,

Derek M. Brown

I'm sure I speak for all of us "tree huggers" when I say we will miss you at Firefly. However, this new venture sounds awfully exciting and getting you involved can't help but ramp up the chances of success rather considerably.

Best of luck to you. I'm sure many of us are anxious to check out the new joint.

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