Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, located at 9611 N. Meridian St. (on the northeast corner of 96th and Meridian in Indianapolis), holds Happy Hour (HH) every Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Firebar. The restaurant is a beautifully styled space, with a large fireplace in the lounge area and lots of high-seated tables arranged near a three-sided bar.
Our friendly bartender/server Madison came by soon after we found our seats and took our drink order. HH drink prices range from $7.95 Classic Cocktails to $5 Well Drinks. I took to the HH wine list and ordered a Canyon Road Chardonnay ($6 for a five-ounce pour) while Mrs. K ordered off the menu and asked for the Rodney Strong Chardonnay – one of her favorite labels which was $8 for five ounces. (The filled glasses came and looked more like six ounces to my eye.)
Seven items are offered on the HH Shared Plates menu, which you can view at firebirdsrestaurants.com/carmel/menu/firebar. My wife had been to Firebirds before with her ladies’ HH group and had ordered the Fired Up Shrimp ($9.75), which we thought might be a little “too Sriracha” for me. We were tempted by both Sliders on the list, Prime Rib (2 for $11.75) and Beef (2 for $6.95) but opted for the Prime since they sounded so good. We added the Chicken Chile Nachos ($5.25) on top of the sliders.
The bar at Firebirds is really a popular stop. We got there a bit after 4 and it already had a good number of patrons, which only grew as we sat through our meal. The bar was almost full by the time we left; this kind of following tells me that good food and good drinks regularly happen here.
Our plates came and we each started in on one of the Prime Sliders. It was tender and juicy with a good amount of shaved prime rib and onions, plus a dollop of horseradish sauce was served beside each sandwich. Quite a good selection on our part, I think. Very tasty!
Firebirds’ Chicken Chile Nachos. (Photo courtesy FirebirdsRestaurant.com)
The Chicken Chile Nachos came piled high with lots of cubed grilled chicken, corn salsa, goat cheese, and a generous serving of crisp corn tortilla chips doused with a creamy cheese sauce. It was very delicious and very filling. A bargain for the price.
We decided to end our meal with a dessert: the Chocolate Brownie Sundae, a two-person, absolutely delicious brownie topped with vanilla bean ice cream with a small pitcher of caramel sauce on the side. OMG!
Our tab came to just under $50 plus tip. Firebirds is a very welcoming place and I would hope we come back some time to try the Beef Sliders and the Steak Tacos (3 for $9.95).
Ken Klingenmeier offers this series of columns, called “A Seat at the Table,” wherein he reviews Indy-area restaurants – specifically their Happy Hour offers. Keep reading The Reporter for future restaurant reviews.