No pretense here, just fine family fare
Fireside Restaurant & Pub
171 Pelham St., Methuen
Telephone: 978-683-2945
firesidemethuen.com
Open daily for lunch and dinner; pub open after midnight most evenings and live entertainment after 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Major credit cards accepted
Not accessible to the handicapped
If the dining experience at Fireside could be summed up in a phrase, it might be "down-home family style." The signs near the entrance are accurate in describing the Fireside as "the place where the locals go."
Indeed, the establishment offers substantial meals with a sense of community and a lack of pretense. The front door is the entrance to the pub, a darkened area punctuated by the light of beer signs and sporting events on plasma TV screens. The faint smell of popcorn pervades the area.
Our party of four was escorted to the dining area, which was our choice. It struck us as a homey touch that ice water was served in clear glass mason jars with handles. While the rolls were sufficient, we discovered that patrons need to ask for them, as they're not provided otherwise.
The list of appetizers included traditional samplings with a twist, such as bacon cheese fries ($6) and pub potato skins ($7) with the option of chili ($1 more).
We chose to start with the combo basket ($9.50). In addition to waffle fries and onion rings, there were wing dings, cheese sticks, chicken fingers, and potato skins. Items could be dipped in sweet-sour, Italian tomato, or cheese sauce.
It surprised us that our favorite items in the basket, hands-down, were the jalapeño poppers. These delicate treats were gently breaded and not as fiery hot as they sounded, served with sour cream to defray any untenable spices.
We had chosen to sample the restaurant on a Friday, the only day of the week when Fireside sells chowder. My husband enjoyed the thick cream base with luscious yet subtle seasonings, and acceptable fillings of seafood with chunks of potato. The rest of us opted for house salads. These were ice-cold and crisp.
Our companions chose to split their order of fish and chips ($14), another Friday-night special. The portion was generous and the fish moist, though the batter was a bit pasty.
My selection was the haddock and steak tip combo ($17), for which I chose baked potato on the side. This proved to be a fabulous choice. The haddock was light and flaked easily, boasting just the right amount of cracker crumbs, resplendent in a buttery pool of sauce. The steak tips were tender, flavorful, and possibly the best I'd ever eaten.
My husband ordered the steak tips ($13) as a solo entrée. While he enjoyed them even more than I did, he wished they would have added one more chunk of the steak to round out his portion.
We were well-fed at this point, but after learning that most of the desserts are made on the premises, we couldn't resist sampling two of them. Our server noticed that we were struggling to choose from among several intriguing choices, so she offered us a taste of their homemade blueberry cake. Many patrons like this best, and it was similar to a full-flavored coffee cake, but was too sweet for our tastes.
She then recommended the fried cheesecake ($5), pointing out that "it takes a while" to prepare. We were glad to have selected this dramatic presentation. Two large spears of cheesecake were wrapped in phyllo dough and deep fried. These were placed standing tall and crossed over ice cream with mounds of whipped cream, drizzled with strawberry and chocolate sauce.
The overall dining experience was delightful, and we'd certainly go back.
NANCY V. BURNS 