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 Robin Garr's LOUISVILLE Restaurant Reviews |
RENAMED. As this local establishment grows into a regional mini-chain, the name was changed to Fire Fresh Bar B Q, and a number of new properties have opened.
*** Firehouse Bar B Q
6435 Bardstown Road
(502) 239-7800
Fire fighters, it is said, eat heartily and well, chowing down on well prepared if simple fare while waiting for the alarm to summon them to come defend us and our homes.
It's perhaps no coincidence, then, that Firehouse Bar B Q's decor pays homage to fire departments in general and the Fern Creek Fire Department in particular (along with a red-and-black bow in the direction of University of Louisville sports): The barbecue and country fixin's here are hearty and delicious, worthy of comparison to the best firehouse cuisine.
Although it's located in a modern shopping center, Firehouse is fixed up inside to resemble a somewhat sanitized old-fashioned country-style barbecue shack. (Weather permitting, it also operates a bright red-and-white striped tent alongside the shopping center - pictured below - where you can enjoy a limited menu with beer or soft drinks along with live music and fresh suburban air.)
The paneled walls are painted red and black, with just about every available vertical surface decorated with firehouse or U of L memorabilia. High tables are set with bar stools and low tables with chairs; the tables sport red-and-white checked oilcloth tablecloths and paper-towel rolls to clean up that pesky rib sauce that drips down to your elbows. A large-screen (62 inches big) television is usually tuned to sports and turned up loud.
You order cafeteria-style from the blackboard menu, which features sandwiches either solo or as a "Firehouse Plate" with your choice of two side dishes, with prices from $4 solo or $6 for a plate of pulled pork to $5.50 or $7.50 for a double chicken breast, country ham or, when available, marinated tenderloin. Baby back ribs are $8 for a half slab ($10 for the plate) and $14 for a full slab ($16 for the plate). The Firehouse Sampler includes a selection of ribs, pork, chicken and two sides, $10 for one or $19 for a couple.
(Call me a stuffy old coot, by the way, but I don't particularly get the humor in pretending to be semi-literate, so the menu's goofy "samiches," "chikin" and "briskit" don't really get a chuckle out of me.)
Long-smoked and savory brisket, pork and chicken all passed the ultimate test: We couldn't quit until we cleaned our plates, even though it looked like it was going to be too much to eat. The brisket and chicken seemed a little dry, but the the thick, tomato-based sauces brought them around. Pork ribs were the overall winners, juicy and tender, falling off the bone and surprisingly lean, with much of the fat rendered out by long, slow smoking. With the lamented demise of Champion's Barbecue, Firehouse now may hold the crown for the best ribs in town.
Fried corn was surprisingly good, tender corn-off-the-cob sauteed with diced red and green bell peppers and a load of black pepper. Honey baked beans gained character from long cooking in a tangy-sweet tomato sauce. Green beans were long-cooked and tender, very good indeed. A straightforward, thin-sliced slaw was acceptable if not inspiring.
A huge lunch for two came to just about $20, and the menu requests, surprisingly, "Please no tipping." $$
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