Firewater Grille

Summerville restaurant flames your appetite for value and flavor

More than flowers were blooming this spring in Summerville. In the midst of a global financial freefall, the Flower Town in the Pines saw the opening of a second Santi's Restaurante Mexicano, Farringdon Bistropub, Montreux Bar and Grill, and Wasabi of Summerville.

This spring, Bob Shipley opened Firewater Grille in the space formerly occupied by Morris' Restaurant. With the goal to "provide our valued customers quality cuisine at great prices" and to "use fresh, local products on our menu," Firewater Grille hit the ground running.

For me, it was an experience of "don't judge a book by it cover." With a name like "Firewater Grille" and a logo that launches from a bed of flames, I was expecting a casual sports bar. That part was accurate. The surprise was a white-framed restaurant complete with Bahamas shutters, a gallery of local artwork, and a dining room trimmed in wainscoting, lit by chandeliers and appointed with a lovely duo of murals. Windsor chairs and sage green tablecloths iced the cake in the dining room.

Then there is executive chef Perry Stone, who is committed to buying local, churns his own ice cream, makes his own vanilla flavoring, tops his salads with house-made dressings and roasts the meats in-house for sandwiches and platters. Couple that with owner Shipley's commitment to his community: On Mondays, all hometown heroes (police officers, firefighters, paramedics and members of the military) receive a 15 percent discount on their food orders. And if you are a "starving student" with a valid ID you can order from the kids' menu, where all the items cost $4.99.

The bar feels very much like a sports bar where you can join like-minded folks and cheer on the home team, or not. Smoking is allowed, and the flat-screen TVs deliver the boosters to the bar stools, but the quality of the food keeps them coming back.

Burgers are ground in-house from meat that has never been frozen. Have them in 1/3-pound, 1/2-pound or two-fisted 1-pound weights. Try the Bud and Bleu Redi Mix dipped in hot sauce or the Coronary with fried egg and bacon, or have it your way with a choice among 18 toppings. You also have a turkey burger or chicken breast options. Prices are based on weight.

Blue Plate specials ($6.99) at lunch are easy on your wallet, and the portions will satisfy a trencherman.

House specialties are identified by a flame icon.

The boom boom shrimp ($7.99) got our attention: local shrimp dipped in a tempura-like batter, fried and glazed with "boom boom" sauce. The dish had the flavors of the Orient with the heat of Buffalo wings. Great with a beer and a fried grits cake ($3).

For your "M'm! M'm! Good!" fix, order the tomato soup ($3.25). It is a creamy version topped with a grilled cheese "crouton." A trifle too much salt but standing on legs of good tomato flavor.

Stone and his kitchen team have had some fun planning their menu. Chicken and turkey are combined in their churkey salad ($7.99); smashed red-skin potatoes ($2.50, $2.99) get the baked potato treatment with sour cream, cheese and chives or just gravy ($2.50); the smoky dog ($7.99) is topped with chili, sauerkraut, coleslaw, relish and onions and is served with a bib.

Salads are crisp, fresh and well-portioned, and the dressings are served on the side. The only fault was chilled quarters of tomatoes in the tomato cucumber salad ($3).

Desserts are recipes from their mothers and grandmothers, and the whipped cream is the real deal. DD's seven-layer pecan pie ($5) is misnamed. This dessert is the seven layers bar (aka, the magic bar) with layers of crust, pecans, coconut, warm bits of both chocolate and white chocolate chips mortared together with sweetened condensed milk. A sweet tooth satisfier and then some.

The servers and staff are engaged, helpful and accommodating.

Good prices, local ingredients, fresh-tasting foods along with casual appeal seem right on the money for these times.