review

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington DC and to Old Engine 12 Firehouse Restaurant. 

Constructed in 1895 as a firehouse, this beautiful structure housed firefighters for over a century until transformed in 2013 as a restaurant. “From the brass fireman’s pole to the Captain’s Loft we have preserved the legacy and character of the original firehouse that once served here.”
Dora here. Sorry for the blurry photo. A rescue unit was parked across the street, and the red lights reflected from both directions. Fitting for a converted firehouse, right? 🙂 Oh, and their website indicates this restaurant is located in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, but it’s also only a couple blocks from Shaw.

The Grilled Brussel Sprouts appetizer with balsamic molasses syrup and sea salt was outstanding. With just the right amount of char and sweetness, these sprouts were delicious.
Grilled Brussel Sprouts Appetizer
The Classic Lasagna, made with short rib Bolognese, ricotta and arugula, was huge, definitely large enough to share. The pasta was homemade and thin and mixed great with the sauce and massive amounts of ricotta. The star of this dish was the brisket short rib; tender, juicy, and something you would not expect in lasagna. The only negative was the layer of arugula. More than I expected and a bit overwhelming. 

Classic Lasagna

Dora here. Beautiful dish, though, right? It’s a stunner presentation, but I agree. One bite, and the pungent arugula took over for me. I’m glad I ordered the Firehouse Burger. lol. Meaty, thick and juicy, the special sauce jazzed up the flavor even more. Delish!

Firehouse Burger
We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food. Dora here. This restaurant deserves five forks for ambiance. As a converted fire station, how could it not? lol. We enjoyed the outside patio. Cool and breezy and quiet, easy for conversation. A perfect spot for dinner! 

Outdoor patio


They score 5 forks for presentation and the burger, but the excessive arugula brings it down to 4 overall.

What’s the most unusual ingredient you’ve tasted in lasagna? Did you enjoy the twist or do you prefer traditional?

Washington Firehouse Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

For this edition of Excited about Eating we visited Smoke Modern Barbeque located in Huntersville’s Birkdale Village. 


This ultra-modern restaurant is not your normal BBQ joint. With the contemporary, industrial style decor, you would expect a much higher priced menu.

Now I like to consider myself somewhat of a BBQ connoisseur, with my BBQ hobby of judging KCBS events. So when I visit a BBQ restaurant, I expect tournament quality meat, cooked to perfection with the right amount of smoke. I was not disappointed at this restaurant.

I planned to share with our grandson, so I could sample a variety of meats. I chose the Smokin’ Q Combo with pork spareribs, beef brisket, and smoked sausage with sides of mac n cheese and my favorite, tater tots. The ribs were perfect, not fall-off-the-bone overcooked, like so many BBQ restaurants, but with the right amount of pull and full of juice. The brisket was lean and tender, smoky, and definitely not dry. The sausage was a little spicy and full of favor.  

Smokin’ Q Combo – 3 meats, Ribs, Sausage & Brisket

Dora here. A little spicy? Yowzers! That sausage was pop-your-eyeball spicy! Phew! One bite and our grandkiddo nibbled on the brisket and ribs instead. lol. 


Wow! So many items to choose from on their menu, it was difficult to pick just one. The Summer Strawberry Salad was just the right choice for lunch. With two of my favorite fruits, strawberries and pear sticks, how could I go wrong? Piled high with grilled chicken (shrimp was also an option), almonds and melt-on-your-tongue goat cheese and coated with balsamic vinaigrette, this salad was light and fresh. Delish!  

Summer Strawberry Salad

Can you believe that even with three of us eating only two meals, we still brought home two boxes of leftovers?


No debates over this, folks. 5 forks all the way!

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Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the Northlake Mall area and to Fox and Hound Pub & Grille. 

This tavern features typical sports bar food, including chicken wings, fish n chips, and burgers.

Dora here. Early birds again. Instead of closing the bars, we open them. 🙂

Because of that, service was attentive and the food arrived before I guzzled half my iced tea.

The Biergarten pretzels, two baked and salted Bavarian-style pretzels with a side of queso were soft, not overly salty, and the queso kicked in a good way.

Biergarten pretzels appetizer

I ordered the Blackened Fish Tacos, cod fillets with coleslaw, cilantro-lime sour cream and pickled red onions. 

Blackened Fish Tacos

These tacos were great. The spices on the fish and the freshness of the coleslaw caused the whole taco to work together. My only regret with these tacos is the cilantro-lime favor should be more prominent. 

Dora here. I. Love. Chili. So if a restaurant offers chili nachos on a menu, I’m all over it. But these Nacho Muchos were mucho on the cheese, slim on the chili. No layers of flavor, in some spots globs of cheese. Cheese lovers will be in heaven with this nacho platter, but I prefer a bit more…beef. I salivated over tasting the lime sour cream, but that didn’t materialize. Overall, good nachos, but didn’t quite quench my chili taste bud.  

Nacho Muchos Platter

We rate this restaurant 3 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving good food.

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