Although I had been curious about the restaurant since its opening, my visit to Firebox during the Taste of Hartford promotion was my first.
A few people were enjoying glasses of wine on the patio.
The spacious bar area
was crowded with people enjoying superb bluegrass music.
I had passed Firebox a number of times, but from the street I had no idea it was so spacious inside. Behind the bar area was a dining area with large booths,
and further back a handsome dining room where hustling servers were just a blur.
Soon our chipper server took our order.
Firebox had drawn much praise for its investment in the community and for its farm-to-table emphasis. Wonderful house-baked bread
and a tub of soft butter
proved irresistible. Two starters were offered. One was a refreshing summer garden salad of julienne summer squash and zucchini with grape tomatoes and Beltane Farm goat cheese in a basil vinaigrette.
The other was a superb Connecticut sweet corn chowder with spicy chili popcorn.
Three main courses were offered. There were smoked Mozzarella ravioli with sautéed grape tomatoes in a sage butter sauce topped with grated Parmesan.
There was succulent honey-roasted breast of organic chicken with collard greens and bacon, New England-style baked beans and a smoked paprika vinaigrette.
And for an $8 supplement, there was a stunningly flavorful rib-eye steak with hollandaise sauce plus roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus.
Finally, two desserts were on offer, both housemade. One was scoops of strawberry and lemon sorbet,
the other a blueberry cobbler served with vanilla ice cream.
Everything we tried was delicious and fresh. While I would love to explore Firebox more fully sometime, the Taste of Hartford proved an excellent introduction to the restaurant.
Firebox, 539 Broad Street, Hartford, 860-246-1222
fireboxrestaurant.com