Firefly, South Dupont Circle - Chef Lindsay Autry Replaces Todd Wiss

[Dr. Delicious]

I took my wife here a week or so ago for her birthday, not knowing that the chef left and the menu had changed. We sit down, she takes 1 look at the menu, and gives me a look that says I don't have much time left on this earth.

Overall, the food was uneven. While the stuffed little tomatoes were good, the goat cheese wellington was a bit bland and soggy. The fish and chips were just OK, and the seared rockfish with the yellow tomato vinaigrette was absolutely disgusting. Those flavors did not go together at all. It tasted like feet. I will say that the truffle fries were amazing. My wife was so pissed about her meal that we didn't stay for dessert...she just wanted out.

I had called ahead to say that it was my wife's b-day, and asked if they could put a candle in whatever she orders for dessert, which they said was no problem. We sit down at the table and the server immediately begins to congratulate me on my birthday. Thanks, pal. Anyway, since we didn't even have dessert, he was kind enough to bring 2 drinks on the house for us, even tho we didn't ask. Of course, this just meant that we had to sit there longer, but it was a very nice gesture.

Ah well, there's always her next b-day.

[jpschust]

Well we ate there last night and I've got to say, I went in with pretty low expectations just based on the new menu, but I was pleasantly surprised- I think we ordered just right though.

Started with the goat cheese wellington (ours wasn't soggy as the previous posters was) but rather tangy and rich, a cute take on this dish.

Oysters rockafeller- a good traditional dish, tastes good, simple

Meatballs- not quite Dino's saltimbocca, but still very good and again simple

Devil Eggs- great, again simple classic preparation

Crabcake- didn't get to taste it but looked mighty good

Little stuffed tomatoes- tasty, excruciatingly hot

strawberry shortcake- looked good, but my girlfriend pretty much kept this one to herself

[Tweaked]

And now the nomination for the worst charcuterie plate in DC...Firefly.

limp lifeless mounds of three meats that pretty much tasted the same. Scattered with some chopped chives and a pot of yellow substance that might have been mustard. Not so nice.

[dinwiddie]

My sister called and said that she, my mother, and another of my many sisters were going to be in town and asked that I pick someplace to meet for dinner. Since Firefly is close to another sister's office and they were going to be there, I chose it. I'd never been and wanted to try it so I made reservations for six of us (add in my wife and a brother in law) and asked about their corkage policy.

I brought a bottle each of the 2003 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chard and the 2002 Radio-Coteau Zinfandel Von Weidlich. As the evening progressed I purchased a bottle of the 2005 Conundrum from the list. Corkage is $15 per bottle with a two bottle limit. However, I was not charged corkage, either because I was sharing the wines I brought with the server, or because I purchased a bottle from the list.

We had a great dinner. Since we are all family, and tend to share/steal bites from each other, we ordered appetizers for the table. Oysters Rockefeller, crispy oysters with po' boy sauce, parmesan truffel fries, and heirloom tomato and mozzarella salads. All were excellent, with the tomatos being a major hit.

Entrees included the Halabut (I didn't get to taste it but my wife and sister both ordered it and said it was excellent) the 6 hour braised pork shoulder (so tasty and tender it didn't need a knife) pan seared scallops (out of this world) and of course, for me, the bistro steak. Service was excellent, very attentive without being obtrusive.

We ended the meal with the apple crisp (good but not extraordinary), bread pudding (good flavor, and very light, which was supprising) pear sorbet (out of this world) with a salty oatmeal cookie, and a brownie sundie with peanutbutter icecream that was a major hit.

My mother and sisters ordered coffee with a side of sambuca. I don't know who was more supprised, me or the server, when all three tossed the sambuca back in a single shot, but by then we were pretty happy, having finished all three bottles of wine.

If I had any complaint, it was that the place is loud. Since there were six of us, it was difficult to talk to someone on the other side of the round table. But all in all, we were all very pleased, both with the food and the service, and will be back.

[Laura24601]

Firefly is consistently one of my favorite places in DC. I went there Saturday night for dinner with my best friend. We traditionally go out for a pre-Christmas celebration; last year, we went "all out" at a much-lauded, trendy spot, and were a bit underwhelmed. This year, we didn't want to be disappointed, so we went to the cozy and always tasty Firefly.

I started with the arugula and portabello fritter salad, which was savory, crunchy, lightly dressed, and delightful. For mains, I had the bistro steak with truffle fries (very good, straightforward, exactly what I wanted), and he had the pot roast with mashed potatoes, which was worlds more special than any pot roast has any right to be. It was just melting perfection.

But the highlight was dessert...kind of a "center cut" of carrot cake topped with pumpkin cheeseake mousse. It was amazing! Rich, spicy, comforting.

The service was great. My one bit of constructive criticism is that the rolls they offer are a bit too dry and cold; they resemble yeast rolls, and so it's disappointing when they're not piping hot, well-salted, or soft. But other than that, it was a lovely meal at a lovely place.

I'm all about trying new places, but on special nights with my best friend, I just don't want to take any chances.

[Seeker]

Firefly is consistently one of my favorite places in DC...

After the dinner I enjoyed last night, Firefly is likely to be one of my favorite places in DC as well.

I'm recuperating from a cold, and their comfort food and attentive service really made me feel much, much better.

First, my dinner partner and I shared an appetizer of tender grilled calamari with olive confit topped with toasted bread crumbs ("Poor man's Parmesan" according to the menu).

Then I had a bowl of piping hot Matzoh ball soup - Jewish penicillin - which was a rich chicken broth with a large somewhat firm Matzoh ball. Preferable in my book to the light ones that tend to disintegrate.

My main course was fork tender pot roasted boneless short ribs with boiled onions and rich, buttery mashed potatoes. Yum!

The eclectic drink menu had beers, wines, and signature cocktails. The one that caught my eye was the Amber - a generous full pint drink of hot apple cider and Jack Daniels topped with Maple whipped cream. It was a great choice. That's definitely a winter drink that cures what ails you!

Although I didn't have room for dessert, the carrot cake did look tempting to me.

[qwertyy]

The halibut special was lovely this weekend, with all of the pieces on the plate perfectly cooked and harmonious. Tastes of my companions' bacon-y char and first! softshells! of! the! season! proved that I would have been equally happy with either of those dishes too.

The restaurant was super loud and the service was, um, odd, but I'll still happily return soon.

[synaesthesia]

Our lunch service here last week was pretty solid. We had a limited amount of time and our server, I believe his name was Mike, did a great job of keeping us on schedule. The warm Parker rolls were nice, and I was famished and tore into one. The chicken-fried oysters with remoulade were hurting. The coating was so heavy that you would have missed any hint of oyster if you blinked, and overall making it a slightly dry affair without the aid of the remoulade. My soft shell crab sandwich was tasty with a bright red tomato. Though it could have probably used different bread. As tasty as the Parker roll bread was for the sandwich, the natural pull apart pieces were splitting themselves and not maintaining its integrity. The desserts were... amazing though. Blueberry ricotta cheesecake, fantastic peanut butter ice cream on a chewy brownie, and peach crumble with some herbed ice cream. The chocolate pot de creme was great though it was my boss' birthday and he was not sharing. They was a little mishap with the birthday surprise, and without us complaining they comped two of our desserts, which was very nice.

I think the spot is pretty good for a business lunch, and the price is right. Our group would definitely return.

[dbortnick]

Here is what we are doing for New Year's Eve at Firefly:

In addition to our regular menu, we are offering two special entree's:

db meatloaf - A mini meatloaf stuffed with foie gras and braised shortribs, with yellow carrot fondue, parmesan tater tots and "F-1" steak sauce $45

Maine Lobster & Alaskan King Crab "Royale" - A Lobster & King Crab Cake with salsify veloute, brussels sprout petals, black truffle hollandaise, shaved fresh perigord truffles, and american caviar $45

[DonRocks]

Maine Lobster & Alaskan King Crab "Royale" - A Lobster & King Crab Cake with salsify veloute, brussels sprout petals, black truffle hollandaise, shaved fresh perigord truffles, and american caviar $45

I had an abbreviated version of that Crab Cake ($26) last night in Danny's absence, and it was terrific. Made with king crab and Maine lobster, topped with a little barely truffled Hollandaise and American-sturgeon roe, and served on a bed of brussels-sprout petals with a side of parsnip puree. The crab cake paired well with a glass of 2006 A to Z unoaked Chardonnay ($11). The other time I tried the (very tall) Parker House rolls, I didn't care for them, but this time I loved them: They were warm, soft, and buttery, and I finished them both.

I was happy to see good execution from Firefly's kitchen without Danny there, and it's probably due to the new Sous Chef, Tip Carter. Tip was formerly Executive Chef at Brewer's Art in Baltimore, and if this one dish is any indication, he's perfectly capable of running the line by himself. Welcome to Washington, Tip.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[ToothbrushFambly]

We had a double dose of comfort food, starting with the Cheddar and Beer fondue urban picnic and splitting the mini pot roast, which was not too mini to split and which was incredibly tender. The service was very good, but we were seated in the back room which was rather drab compared to the main dining area.

[Rieux]

We had a double dose of comfort food, starting with the Cheddar and Beer fondue urban picnic and splitting the mini pot roast, which was not too mini to split and which was incredibly tender. The service was very good, but we were seated in the back room which was rather drab compared to the main dining area.

If your name is a reference to the State skit, and I think it is, it is the best online nickname ever!

[ToothbrushFambly]

If your name is a reference to the State skit, and I think it is, it is the best online nickname ever!

It is, in fact. I thought $240 worth of pudding would be too obvious and might start another food trend before fro-yo and cupcakes have run their courses.

Just so this isn't completely off topic, does anyone know if Firefly regularly changes its urban picnic items, or at least the items to dip in the fondue?

[KeithA]

I haven't been to Firefly in a long while, but have a reservation during Restaurant Week. Any suggestions on what's good off the RW menu? Thanks

[ToothbrushFambly]

I haven't been to Firefly in a long while, but have a reservation during Restaurant Week. Any suggestions on what's good off the RW menu? Thanks

The mini pot roast tasted great, but the mashed potatoes and shallot were underwhelming. For Restaurant Week purposes, however, I don't know if it's worth the $6 supplement when you're getting two other courses.

[DonRocks]

Please read this entire post, because it pertains to larger issues than writing about a single meal.

Danny Bortnick has slowly come into his own at Firefly - a full meal last week revealed a confidence in his dishes that seems to have developed now that he's spent some time as Chef de Cuisine (remember that previously, he was Sous Chef under Rob Weland at Poste).

Bortnick seems to enjoy elevated riffs on straightforward classics, particularly picnic-style dishes, and his Smoked Trout Waldorf Salad was a perfect example of this. There was no single component in this dish that was outstanding, but the flavors meshed together and created a wonderful synergy, the deeply smoked trout playing off the grapes and mayonnaise.

There was one big clunker out of five dishes, and that was the Grilled Rhode Island Calamari ($11), an array of white-meat squid with tomato, olive, and garlic confit. This dish looked wonderful, but was fatally salty, so much so that I just couldn't finish it. Could it be that Danny Bortnick is one of "those" chefs that is so numbed to salt that he can't taste how salty his recipes are? Should I have simply come home and slammed the dish on this website? Read on and find out ...

I balked at the thought of paying $21 for a single Crispy Soft Shell Crab, that is, until I saw it. It was huge, a whale, and easily double the size of your typical soft shell. Chicken-fried, and served over Anson Mills grits, a few spears of roasted asparagus brought everything into harmony, and just made so much sense on the palate. This was a great dish, and the three flavors together (crab, grits, asparagus) were tremendous.

At Bortnick's urging, I ordered the Roasted Organic Chicken, a jaw-dropping $25. 'I think chicken should be the most-expensive AND the best dish on a restaurant's menu,' he said, and I took him at his word. And wow, this was, in fact, the dish of the night - a perfectly roasted chicken with the type of crispy skin that makes you long for it a few days later (like I am right this second, while I'm writing about it). The half-chicken is accompanied by housemade Italian sausage, scarlet runner beans, and collard greens, which made it a substantial plate of food, a complete meal by itself, and worth the money. Do yourself a favor and order this chicken.

And I indeed found my Ivory King Salmon as the market fish of the day, a great big filet that was well-seared on the outside, and meltingly tender in the middle. If you go to Firefly and they have this as a special, do not hesitate to pull the trigger on this tremendous fish.

Back to the calamari. Danny came over after the meal and asked how everything was, and I was honest with him: Four out of the five dishes were awesome, and one was just too salty. He had a puzzled look on his face, and mused aloud that the calamari simply isn't that salty of a dish. Did he trust my palate? Maybe not. Did I trust his? Yes, for sure, but I was exceedingly skeptical about this dish. So what happened?

The next day, Danny wrote me, and with his permission, I reprint his letter unedited. It's an important reminder that if something is "off" in a restaurant, it's best to tell the restaurant then-and-there so they can rectify the situation - not to prevent you from running home and trashing them on the internet, but so they can make you a satisfied customer (they really DO want to, you know). And in certain instances - such as this one - you might just help them correct a previously unknown problem:

Don-

Great seeing you last night, we'll have to catch up more next time....I'll fill you in about the lounges and what else is going on. I really appreciate all of your feedback last night, especially about the calamari. It is incredibly helpful when people are so timely in their feedback. It allowed me the opportunity to find the problem. As it turns out, when the olive & tomato mis en place starts to get low in it's sixth pan, the only jus left is olive brine - because the EVOO floats on top. Therefore, calamaris that are made with the last 4 or so orders of olive/tomato confit are going to come out salty! An a ha moment for sure! You know when you told me that 4 out of 5 dishes were "amazing", my thoughts immediately turned to "fuck, 1 of the dishes was no bueno", when I should have been thinking, "Cool! I made something that somebody thought was amazing"....we chef's are so hard on ourselves Later on - db

[hungry prof]

'I think chicken should be the most-expensive AND the best dish on a restaurant's menu,' he said, and I took him at his word.

Can somebody explain the logic of this claim to me? I understand how many people view roast chicken as their measuring stick for a restaurant, but what's the relationship to price? I don't normally think of the most expensive dish on a menu as being the best, only that it features more expensive ingredients or requires extraordinary time and/or skill to prepare. It seems unlikely that the expense of the chicken could justify the price. And it's hard for me to imagine how preparing a roast chicken could be that much more time-consuming or skill-requiring than other dishes. So, how are we supposed to understand this? If I eat at Firefly, should I assume that the cheapest entree on the menu is also the worst? Not trying to be difficult here (though perhaps succeeding nonetheless), but I don't get it.

[DonRocks]

Can somebody explain the logic of this claim to me? I understand how many people view roast chicken as their measuring stick for a restaurant, but what's the relationship to price? I don't normally think of the most expensive dish on a menu as being the best, only that it features more expensive ingredients or requires extraordinary time and/or skill to prepare. It seems unlikely that the expense of the chicken could justify the price. And it's hard for me to imagine how preparing a roast chicken could be that much more time-consuming or skill-requiring than other dishes. So, how are we supposed to understand this? If I eat at Firefly, should I assume that the cheapest entree on the menu is also the worst? Not trying to be difficult here (though perhaps succeeding nonetheless), but I don't get it.

I took it to mean that Danny truly loves a great chicken, and that it should be given status equal to anything on the menu. That having been said, note that it's a (clumsily written) paraphrase, as I don't remember his exact quote (and it's possible I'm misconstruing his thoughts as well) - maybe he can chime in and clarify?

[dbortnick]

I took it to mean that Danny truly loves a great chicken, and that it should be given status equal to anything on the menu. That having been said, note that it's a (clumsily written) paraphrase, as I don't remember his exact quote (and it's possible I'm misconstruing his thoughts as well) - maybe he can chime in and clarify?

Yep, a clumsy mis-quote, but well-intended none-the-less What I had said was that I belive that chicken should be the best dish on the menu, a lesson taught to me by Rob Weland. The point is, that if a chef puts that much emphasis on their chicken dish, it's bound to be a reflection of the entire menu. Often, in many restaurants, chicken entrees are treated as afterthoughts, included "only to appease the restrictive" diner....a fucked up perspective for any chef that takes themselves atleast a little serious.

As a side note, the chicken is our second highest cost protein, after the pot roast (boneless beef short rib). It costs more per portion than wild alaskan king salmon and halibut, Elysian Field's lamb shoulder, or all-natural hereford teres major steak.

[hungry prof]

Yep, a clumsy mis-quote, but well-intended none-the-less What I had said was that I belive that chicken should be the best dish on the menu, a lesson taught to me by Rob Weland. The point is, that if a chef puts that much emphasis on their chicken dish, it's bound to be a reflection of the entire menu. Often, in many restaurants, chicken entrees are treated as afterthoughts, included "only to appease the restrictive" diner....a fucked up perspective for any chef that takes themselves atleast a little serious.

As a side note, the chicken is our second highest cost protein, after the pot roast (boneless beef short rib). It costs more per portion than wild alaskan king salmon and halibut, Elysian Field's lamb shoulder, or all-natural hereford teres major steak.

Thanks, chef. This is (part of the reason) why this board is so great. I would never have guessed that chicken is your second most expensive protein. Maybe next you'll tell us how to make a great roast chicken. . .

[dbortnick]

Thanks, chef. This is (part of the reason) why this board is so great. I would never have guessed that chicken is your second most expensive protein. Maybe next you'll tell us how to make a great roast chicken. . .

OK, here goes:

First off, you need to start off with a great bird. We either buy Organic Poulet Rouge from Bev Eggelston of EcoFriendly Foods or Organic Chickens from Eberly Poultry. The key is that with an organic chicken, you get a lot more flavor right off the bat. This is from the fact that they have plenty of room to exercise and that their feed is high quality. You will also get a nice thin skin on an organic chicken.

Secondly, The chickens are brined for 48 hours. The brining process, via osmosis, allows for the cickens to absorb a highly seasoned solution. Our brine consists of salt, sugar, fresh thyme, garlic, and cayenne. I would give the recipe here, but it is actually a bit confusing to ensure the proper salt concentration relative to the amount of chickens you wish to brine. Any math whiz out there want to put the recipe into an algebraic formulation?

After the chickens are brined, they are strained out and set up on racks overnight so that the skin can dry out a bit. I should point out that we do not season the chickens after this point, the brine is all the seasoning that the chicken needs. The next step is the one that has the greatest effect on the outcome of your chicken; COOKING IT! .

We cook boneless half chickens at Firefly and we cook them in HEAVY iron pans. We also have iron presses to weigh down the chickens and "force" the skin flat, so that there is sufficient surface contact with the pan. The pan should be heated up to the point in which a small amount of olive oil in the pan just begins to smoke. At this point, add the chicken, skin side down to the pan. We do not cook more than one half chicken in a pan at a time. That way the chickens do not bring the temperature of the pan down too quickly and the chicken has the opportunity to sear, rather than steam. Once the chicken is in the pan, we put the weight on top, and turn the heat down to a medium flame. This allows the chicken to cook a bit slower, and the fat to render so that the skin gets crisp. Once the skin starts to get a nice light golden brown, we remove the weight, turn the chicken over and place the pan into a 450 degree oven to finish roasting. When the chicken is finished cooking, we blot it on a clean towel to remove any excess grease.

And there you have it.

Good luck,

Danny

[mdt]

After meeting the wife in DuPont and trying to decide on a place for dinner we realized it had been many months since we had been to Firefly. Not sure how busy it is on a Tuesday night, but we did not expect any trouble at 8p. I started with the chicken matzoh ball soup and she had the special soup, chilled pea with mint and other details that I forgot. I had the the market fish, California King salmon, that was pan roasted and served with fennel and green onion quinoa. The fish was My wife had the crispy soft shell crab (and it was a giant one) that was served with (thick) grits and asparagus. The fish on both dishes were excellently prepared and the crab had a great crunch and was very sweet. My one nit is that some of the dishes could have used a touch of salt. We shared the rhubarb-cornmeal cobbler for dessert and the sweet corn cake was the perfect foil for the tart rhubarb and I could have eaten much more of that.

I certainly want to revisit and try some of the urban picnic items on the menu.

I cannot believe it has been almost 2 years to the day that anyone posted on this place? While I have certainly not dined there with much frequency lately, has nobody else on the board been there and had any comments good or bad? Based on my meal last night it should be getting some chatter.

[DonRocks]

I cannot believe it has been almost 2 years to the day that anyone posted on this place? While I have certainly not dined there with much frequency lately, has nobody else on the board been there and had any comments good or bad? Based on my meal last night it should be getting some chatter.

I haven't been in awhile, but up until the past few months, I'd gone fairly regularly. Firefly is underrated, and Danny Bortnick does terrific work with fish, and quietly honors the farm-to-table movement that so many others trumpet - thanks for reminding me I need to get back.

[JonS]

I haven't been in awhile, but up until the past few months, I'd gone fairly regularly. Firefly is underrated, and Danny Bortnick does terrific work with fish, and quietly honors the farm-to-table movement that so many others trumpet - thanks for reminding me I need to get back.

I absolutely agree. We had a great meal there a few months ago, when my folks were in town. I've never had a bad meal there. The chef does do great work with seafood, and with veggies as well (which means a good bit coming from me). And they have a nice kids menu too, with a decorate your own cookie dessert that our kids love.

[giant shrimp]

I cannot believe it has been almost 2 years to the day that anyone posted on this place? While I have certainly not dined there with much frequency lately, has nobody else on the board been there and had any comments good or bad? Based on my meal last night it should be getting some chatter.

over the past year i have had some good meals here, usually on sunday nights. however, my last visit, a couple of months ago, also a sunday night, was one of the worst meals i have had anywhere lately. i don't know who was in the kitchen, but tuna ordered rarish was refrigerator cold even beyond its center even after it had been sittiing in front of us for the 15 minutes or more it took the server to get back to the table. when it did return, it was cooked medium and came with a message equivalent to you don't know how tuna should be cooked so this is what you get. a risotto was not well cooked and didn't seem well conceived either, though i don't remember the ingredients. a bottle of wine was not brought to the table until at least halfway through the meal, and when the half-full bottle was returned in a plastic bag to take home it was placed by the server on the floor. obviously an off night, but for a relatively small restaurant, it made me wonder.

[Genevieve]

I absolutely agree. We had a great meal there a few months ago, when my folks were in town. I've never had a bad meal there. The chef does do great work with seafood, and with veggies as well (which means a good bit coming from me). And they have a nice kids menu too, with a decorate your own cookie dessert that our kids love.

We're going this Sunday for Fathers' Day, based on this thread's reviews and Don's ranking in the Dining Guide - thanks y'all for always being terrific guideposts!

[RWBooneJr]

I met some friends here tonight because they were looking for a fun place near Midtown with good, accessable wine. It was the perfect choice. I grazed on some excellent chicken livers, deviled eggs, and a cheese plate. My friends had dishes that ranged from the chicken entree to mac and cheese and loved them all. I picked a good Steele Cabernet Franc rose ($44) to go with it all. I couldn't think of a better summer night. If Don didn't pick this place as the top spot in "South Dupont," I'd be tempted to call Firefly underrated.

[DaRiv18]

I've only visited Firefly for lunch, but its $20 price fixe seems to draw me back every time. Leaving hungry is not an option here, and the daily soup has not disappointed, nor the burger or the risotto. My companion really enjoyed the fish tacos here, even though that dish was judged by my eye-test as being a bit generously clumsy. My first choice in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, when KOMI or Sushi Taro is ruled out.

[DonRocks]

A quick update: two years after I wrote this, the poor thing got fucked by B-15A.

[Heather]

Just arrived for my reservation and found out that they don't have valet parking anymore!

[The Hersch]

Just arrived for my reservation and found out that they don't have valet parking anymore!

You're lucky it's so easy to find street parking around there!

[Heather]

You're lucky it's so easy to find street parking around there!

Right? I asked at the desk, and the hostess said no valet, and that she didn't think that they had ever had valet parking...I'm reasonably certain I had used it in the past. Maybe I'm just old and forgetful?

bathtub gin heavy seas golden ale, hendricks gin, juniper infused simple syrup & fresh lemon (pleasant, but I would have chosen a different gin for this)

Roasted pumpkin salad lolla rossa, parmesan, spiced pecans, garlic yogurt, pumpkin seed vinaigrette Lots of lettuce, very little of everything else. It tasted good but was very unbalanced.

deviled eggs smoked paprika, caper powder, garlic chips Tasty. (why is an order of deviled eggs almost always three halves?)

shrimp & grits texas shrimp, little tomatoes, rosemary, anson mill's grits Texas shrimp are very tiny, and weren't particularly flavorful. Grits were creamy. I didn't taste much rosemary, and the "little tomatoes" didn't add much

caramelized brussels sprouts came drowning in a painfully sweet sauce that detracted from the flavor of the sprouts

pear cobbler Served warm with lemon verbena ice cream. The best part of the meal.

Nothing at all was bad, but looking back I would have made different choices.

[Laura24601]

As many times as I've been to brunch in Dupont, how have I never had brunch at Firefly before today? Subconsciously, I must have categorized it as a "special dinner only" place because I have had so many wonderful evenings there.

So...$2 mimosas? Yes, please. And as there were three of us, it only made sense to upgrade to a carafe, right? As usual, I wanted savory and sweet, so I compromised by sharing deviled eggs with my companions and then sharing the lemon ricotta spoonbread with only myself. The spoonbread, while wonderfully balanced in flavor, was a bit dry. But the delicious cinnamon whipped cream and poached pears on top made the whole dish delightful. It was so nice to have a sweet brunch dish that wasn't too sweet. And even my friend who claimed she doesn't like deviled eggs enjoyed trying these--the texture of the filling is wonderfully rich and light at the same time, and not too mayonnaise-laden.

The service was friendly and speedy, and overall it was such a nice brunch experience. It reminded me of how much I love Firefly, and I'll be back soon.

[ckendall]

Just a quick note: some VA friends wanted to dine out in DC and we decided to try Firefly where we had not been for quite some time. We got a table in the back room which was very fortunate as during restaurant week on a Friday the bar was hopping and the front room was loud. Restauarant week menu was a steal, for $35.12 we got an app (chicken livers/devilled eggs and beet salad were notable) a main course (chicken was outstanding, arctic char good and eggplan parmesan a bit dull) and dessert (the chocolate thing and red velvet cake and cantaloupe sorbet were all wonderful). We carried in some wine and the server had a bit of difficulty with our no longer youthful corks but the manager (?) quickly took over and remedied the problem and with a decent pour of two nice 93 California cabs was willing to waive corkage. Service was fine and a good time was had by all, with my VA friends vowing to return for the chicken.

[Pat]

Firefly is closing for renovations September 10th and reopening the 29th. Prince of Petworth has details from the press release. It sounds like they've put a lot of thought into extending/reimagining the concept of the restaurant.

[mtureck]

I love this place, but I'm pretty sure they haven't changed their menu in the four years I've been going here. A little re-imagining sounds like a good idea.

[DaRiv18]

Wow, lucky me. I don't have the time to go boozing like I used to, and when I do it's usually a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I never really frequented the reservation-oriented Gibson (or even the Columbia Room) as much as I would like. So it's great that Jon Harris (formerly of the Gibson) has landed at Firefly, which is on my way home. Last night I started with the Lola, a champagne cocktail with cognac, saffron bitters, with a bit of maraschino bringin' the funk. Very mellow sparkling start. The Smoking Gun was his Vieux Carre riff, with whiskey (Wild Turkey?), cognac, Marie Brizard creme de menthe, absinthe, and Dolin dry. A much drier apertif rendition than the traditional show-stopper, delicious. Having tasted freedom from my routine, I opted to add on a round to my evening, with Bitter Reality, featuring tequila, absinthe, Campari, and something else. Also outstanding, this one was prepared by the other bartender who told me she had just learned to stir cocktails that week, so I expect consistent delivery from the rest of the bartending staff. Finally, closed with a Chicago Cocktail per bartender's choice, which is basically a Sidecar with ango. Perfect for me. Next time, I'll try the Laughs like a Parrot because it cracks me up everytime I think of the title (full disclosure, blah blah blah).

Bar itself I'm trying to figure out, it is half hotel guests and half locals, but all much younger (read: 30ish) than who you would find at the Tabard Inn. Renovations look very nice, although the bar stools are way too high. Expect your groin to be at counter level, kinda awkward. To mtureck's point, the menu looks pretty much the same: deviled eggs and beef tartare for me. But the bar has been totally overhauled. Price point is aggressive at $12.50/drink, but the punch bowl and happy hour deals offer some relief there. Worth visiting.

[dbortnick]

Thanks for stopping in! Glad you like the new bar program, we are super excited as well! Don't sweat the bar stool height, they came in too high and we are getting them cut down to normal height. FYI, over 1/2 of the dinner menu are new dishes, and also, be on the lookout for bites to be passed out of the kitchen windows.

[DonRocks]

Thanks for stopping in! Glad you like the new bar program, we are super excited as well! Don't sweat the bar stool height, they came in too high and we are getting them cut down to normal height. FYI, over 1/2 of the dinner menu are new dishes, and also, be on the lookout for bites to be passed out of the kitchen windows.

Danny, just as you were posting, I was Tweeting. Thanks for reminding me that I haven't been into Firefly in *way* too long, and the arrival of Jon Harris only reinforces this nagging thought that I've had for far too long now. You're a very underrated poissonier - what fish preps are you serving these days?

ETA - Am I seeing things, or does the website say Chef de Cuisine Todd Wiss?! Todd's probably a very good fish cook too (reminder: before Radius, he was at Black's Bar and Kitchen), so there you go. Are you still on the line?

Edited October 4, 2012 by DonRocks

[weinoo]

I'm looking forward to dinner and booze here next week.

[dbortnick]

ETA - Am I seeing things, or does the website say Chef de Cuisine Todd Wiss?! Todd's probably a very good fish cook too (reminder: before Radius, he was at Black's Bar and Kitchen), so there you go. Are you still on the line?

Great catch! (no pun intended ) Earlier this year I was promoted to the regional Director of Operations position, so I now oversee the 7 Kimpton Restaurants between DC and Virginia! (Who knew there was a job where I would work even more hours than as a chef?) Needless to say, I recently hired Todd to the Chef de Cuisine position at Firefly. He is running the day-to-day of the kitchen and collaborating with me on the menu (I am still the Executive Chef after all ). I am extremely lucky to have such a passionate and talented individual in the kitchen making sure every dish emulates the Firefly standard.

[mtureck]

Thanks for stopping in! Glad you like the new bar program, we are super excited as well! Don't sweat the bar stool height, they came in too high and we are getting them cut down to normal height. FYI, over 1/2 of the dinner menu are new dishes, and also, be on the lookout for bites to be passed out of the kitchen windows.

As long as you're still starting things out with those awesome, warm rolls (with butter served at an actual spreadable temperature!) I'll keep coming back.

[goodeats]

A hundred sorries to Chef Todd Wiss for this belated post. My friend and I had a great time Friday evening, especially with chef's compliments of the Pumpkin Hummus (a must get!). Equally delicious were the deviled egg and deviled breakdown (? Forgot - it's the bacon-wrapped dates). However, when you pair Chef with mixologist, Jon Harris (formerly of The Gibson), plus beautifully renovated furnishings, well, it's a definite win-win. Let's just say the whiskeys advised hit the spot after a long week!

[giant shrimp]

ETA - Am I seeing things, or does the website say Chef de Cuisine Todd Wiss?! Todd's probably a very good fish cook too (reminder: before Radius, he was at Black's Bar and Kitchen), so there you go. Are you still on the line?

If you are following chef Wiss here based on his cooking for Radius, you may be disappointed by the braised lamb with pasta. The lamb itself is falling apart good and hearty and there is more than enough in this generous serving to drown out the silken pappardelle you remember biting into at the pizzeria. The noodles are buried, and even worse the food is served sloppily in a shallow boat-shaped dish that guarantees the noodles will be clumped together once you get to them. I found myself peeling double and triple strands apart, an exercise that ultimately leads to frustration. Pickled small wild mushrooms (enoki-like) provide a familiar grace note from the earlier place, but neither make nor break this dish.

If you like good fried oysters, this is the place to find them. All around, the food is aimed at, and appears to succeed at, pleasing a crowd -- which includes truffled fries that have remained popular. Dry martinis were small and showcased vermouth. An apparent regular at the table next to us asked for a martini that is almost all gin, which is maybe one way to get the results you want.

I don't see that much difference in the post-renovation Firefly, except for a couple of small circular tables in the window of the transformed lounge space that you wouldn't want to sit at for dinner. I have always liked this place, and still do, but I don't think it is quite the match for the nearby and more genuinely eccentric Tabard Inn.

[weinoo]

Dry martinis were small and showcased vermouth. An apparent regular at the table next to us asked for a martini that is almost all gin, which is maybe one way to get the results you want.

While I understand the rest of your observations (although I found our fried oysters to be rather bland), I didn't find the cocktails (Martinis included) to be any smaller than at any serious cocktail place.

Both my wife and I like Martinis where you can actually taste the vermouth; that's what makes it a "cocktail" in our opinion.

The original Bartender's Manual listed a Martini as 50/50 gin and vermouth. Dale Degroff's Craft of the Cocktail has multiple Martini recipes, and The Savoy Cocktail Book has a recipe for a Dry Martini as 2:1 and an extra dry Martini as 8:1.

I imagine that at Firefly simply asking for your Martini in the proportions that you like will get you the result you want. There really is no single Martini recipe.

[DaRiv18]

I agree regarding Martinis. And to give the entire audience the whole picture, Firefly has about six classic cocktails (including the martini) priced at $5 during the 4-7pm happy hour. I hear Fiola does $5 Negronis from 4-6pm, but otherwise this happy hour under the direction of a bar manager of JH's stature is unheard of in this city (please correct me otherwise). I've had the martini here, mine was a 4oz pour, it was textbook, and I would kill for any of my neighborhood haunts to execute this staple without any uniformed whimsical detours. So in my experience, the happy hour cocktails here are solid.

But I can also make all the happy hour deals at home for about $3 each, which is why I'll still order something like a Malum Malum for $12.50 and get a conceptual bargain. I don't want to give a spoiler, but the recipe lists Dewars, Midori, lime, and sherry -- the presentation is hilarious! I say all of this to suggest that their fundamentals in classics is evident, but also that the personality in the house program is worth exploring. Many other places would charge $10 for these happy hour offerings, and wouldn't know the difference between trite ingredient inclusion and meticulous authorship style.

The size is the size, but a dry martini is something you should absolutely get from this bar. Jon worked at The Gibson, and knows how to make a Gibson and every other martini variant, so I cannot believe your experience illustrates that this bar program is some sort of ongoing amateur hour farce. Accidents happen, though, I'm not disputing you got more vermouth than you wanted.

[weinoo]

I agree regarding Martinis. And to give the entire audience the whole picture, Firefly has about six classic cocktails (including the martini) priced at $5 during the 4-7pm happy hour. I hear Fiola does $5 Negronis from 4-6pm, but otherwise this happy hour under the direction of a bar manager of JH's stature is unheard of in this city (please correct me otherwise). I've had the martini here, mine was a 4oz pour, it was textbook, and I would kill for any of my neighborhood haunts to execute this staple without any uniformed whimsical detours. So in my experience, the happy hour cocktails here are solid.

That's a good deal - I have to get there for happy hour. And I never bother ordering a Martini at any of our "neighborhood haunts," after way too many disappointing staples.

[giant shrimp]

I agree regarding Martinis. And to give the entire audience the whole picture, Firefly has about six classic cocktails (including the martini) priced at

The size is the size, but a dry martini is something you should absolutely get from this bar. Jon worked at The Gibson, and knows how to make a Gibson and every other martini variant, so I cannot believe your experience illustrates that this bar program is some sort of ongoing amateur hour farce. Accidents happen, though, I'm not disputing you got more vermouth than you wanted.

You shouldn't judge a bar program, or a restaurant, by a martini, although that is something we do all the time. I think that is one of the reasons we used to go to Radius; you could practically swim in the martini. The martini at Firefly was small, and at $9.50 was well below the price of a good martini at those places that serve them. After the first martini, we were asked if we would like a second. I would prefer to pay more for the drink and not have to address that question. At restaurants we frequent, including Masala Art, that question would almost be a dare; you absolutely would be staggering out of the place after drinking two of their martinis. I did notice Firefly's list of $12 concoctions, and looking back, I would agree those could be a better alternative. As for the amount of vermouth used, I can't recall when I have ever had to tell a bartender the proportion of vermouth to use in a martini ordered dry. OK, there was one time, and that was at an Ethiopian restaurant where they had no idea what we were talking about. Also, Jon from the Gibson is not the person who made out drink, for what it's worth. It could very well be that you can normally count on a classic martini at Firefly being outstanding. Anyway, my characterization of the martinis we were served was by no means intended to imply that the bar is an amateur hour farce. The same goes for the food, even though we found some shortcomings in it, nit pickers that we are.

[weinoo]

You shouldn't judge a bar program, or a restaurant, by a martini, although that is something we do all the time.

Actually, I often judge a bar by whether it can make a Martini or a Manhattan properly. It's great to be able to throw 6 or 7 ingredients into a shaker, to be sure, but when you're dealing with the primacy of 3 or 4 ingredients, let's see how well you do.

I do the same at a bistro. If your French fries suck, then your restaurant has a problem.

[Mark Dedrick]

I pretty much always judge a bar program by their Manhattan for the reasons you state. It is so easy to make it correctly, so if you put out a poor one your fundamentals are so bad I won't trust anything you make.

[DaRiv18]

Anyway, my characterization of the martinis we were served was by no means intended to imply that the bar is an amateur hour farce.

Ok I was going overboard there, but I agree with weinoo and DCDuck, I often judge a bar by how they execute the basics. And you should have received a good martini, I didn't mean to suggest you should have ordered from another part of the menu. After my visit yesterday, it is clear they are still getting used to their new bar program in terms of rythmn and execution.

The martini size there is pretty standard though, I imagine it is at least a 2 oz gin pour, but I hear you that it is smaller than what it used to be.

The $5 happy hour specials include Moscow Mules, John Collins (Bols Genever), martinis, sazaracs, negronis, pisco sours, and something else. The Moscow Mules are served in copper mugs, I just haven't seen that sort of presentation before at that price. Kold-Draft ice, japanese jiggers and shakers -- this bar has all the tools. There's also a non-alcoholic "beer" made of hops syrups, grapefruit, and soda -- really cool! But all things equal, I would rather visit if I knew that Jon was behind the stick that night, I don't doubt giantshrimp's experience even if I prefer 2 smaller $5 martinis over 1 big $10 one.

[Albert Yi]

I stopped by after a film screening at the Korean Cultural Center (which was eyerollingly melodramatic). Jon Harris was manning the bar and served me a great Manhattan (granted I've probably had fewer than 6 in my life). The deviled eggs I ordered with them were suitably decadent, although a bit unidimensional in their flavor profile. The shrimp and grits was a miss: the grits themselves were creamy and delicious, but the shrimp was small and terribly overcooked. I'm not sure if the shrimp is supposed to be chewy but that's what it was here.

But the drinks were good enough that I'd come back here to explore what else they offer.

[DaRiv18]

Price point is aggressive at $12.50/drink, but the punch bowl and happy hour deals offer some relief there.

I'm not particularly into expanding my bragging rights by visiting every new restaurant, and instead would rather spend my money at the same places and really explore the kitchen and bar styles. Lately though I've been dragged to many different restaurants that I wouldn't say would be my first choice, and have been surprised at the rising pricing of cocktails. $12.50 is now pretty conservative. Even though the Columbia Room's drinks are around $15 a pop, it includes tax and tip. Imagine my disappointment seeing $13 and $14 price tags around town nowadays for pretty mediocre cocktails.

Back to Firefly. The Black Fleece has been warming my cold winter evenings lately, a Tom and Jerry riff made with Duck milk stout. See the Going Out Guru's description. And continuing the Manhattan discussion above, the Rivera (full disclosure, yada yada) is a also nice riff, made with Old Overholt, Byrrh, Creme de Cassis, and Ango. Not as cloying as a Manhattan can sometimes be, this drink might make me switch camps in the "Manhattan or Negroni?" aptitude test.

[SeanMike]

Was here last night for a date. This is going to sound like an overly critical review, so let me say up front: the food was fantastic as were the drinks.

My date has celiac, so I requested the gluten free menu. They made sure to give her one that had the items with gluten faded out. It was a nice touch for someone who has to be careful, but she pointed out that it also still let her see what she was missing.

The Devils on Horseback (IIRC the name) were great - figs with blue cheese wrapped in bacon. I had the salmon with white asparagus and squid ink quinoa, which I quite enjoyed, and she had the pot roast.

Nitpicks: it was SO LOUD IN THERE. It didn't help that on one side of us they seated a large table of drunk, boisterous businessmen who were basically yelling and kept dropping things, and there were several small children in the place. I would've asked if we could be moved but there wasn't much open seating and really nowhere that wasn't loud.

Also, a server (who also had the big table, so maybe he was a bit overwhelmed) was a bit hard to flag down...

Still, I'd forgotten how good it could be.

[porcupine]

We ate at Firefly recently, too, and I agree with SeanMike: fantastic food (cucumber gazpacho; steak tartare one of the best in DC, even if it's spelled wrong on the menu), but very loud, and although service was good the pacing was s-l-o-w. Love the "urban picnic" concept on the menu.

[jiveturk21]

We went to Firefly today for lunch. I didn't think that I had been here before, but once I walked in and saw the big tree in the middle of the room, I remembered going there several years ago (but don't recall anything other than that).

I had the $22 two course lunch - salad/soup/appetizer + sandwich/entrée + soft drink/coffee/tea. I went with a corn gazpacho (pretty good flavor, too watery for me), the shrimp roll (greens were dressed perfectly, shrimp and roll were great, but the proportions were off) and iced tea (I really don't have anything to say about this). Overall, the food was good, the service was pleasant and the atmosphere was nice (definitely not too loud for lunch). My only quibble is that the two course lunch essentially gets you a drink for free (I guess I shouldn't complain about this, but I'm not sure how much of a "deal" this is). My soup and sandwich were $22 together, I think that you can "save" some money by ordering differently, but I think in some cases, you may actually pay more than what it would be a la carte.

In the end, it doesn't matter, this is a perfectly good lunch spot.

[fuzzy510]

Stopping in tomorrow for brunch.  Anybody been recently?

(also known as, things he should have asked before booking the table)

[DonRocks]

Stopping in tomorrow for brunch.  Anybody been recently?

(also known as, things he should have asked before booking the table)

Well, I know that Todd Wiss has been in LA within the past week.

[DonRocks]

South Dupont is a restaurant neighborhood on the upswing financially, and on the downswing culinarily, with the departure of Michael Hartzer from Teddy & The Bully Bar, Barry Koslow from DGS, and now Todd Wiss from Firefly.

Congratulations to all three chefs, but jeez, the Linchpins of South Dupont (LSD) have departed.