fire

fire food and drink
13220 Shaker Square
Cleveland, OH 44120
216-921-3473
Brunch; June 8, 2008
Party of Two

Pictures!*

Clay Oven Bread with Cinnamon Sugar

Diver Scallops with Local Greens, Strawberries and Cucumber Salad

Braised Pork Crepes with Créme Fraîche, Argentinian Pepper Relish and Fried Egg

Lemon Beignets with Vanilla Ice Cream

*(Not pictured, Housemade Sausage, Yukon Gold Home Fries and Applewood Smoked Bacon)

The bread was such a great start. It was crunchy and sweet and held us over until the rest of our food arrived. The entrees were perfect portions for brunch time and left us a little room for dessert.

The pork crepes were described by the waitress as "rich" but would have been more accurately described as heavy. They had loads of pork and gooey cheese. I'm not sure my fellow bruncher needed to order bacon as a side dish, but she did and it was yummy.

The scallops were exquisitely cooked and seasoned. They were delightfully paired with the salad that had some fun elements. The greens tasted freshly picked and the strawberries were beautiful (and tasty.) The cucumber didn't add or subtract anything, but its pale green looked sweet next to the bright red berries.

The sausage patties had a good spiciness and while small, were worth the high price. The potatoes were standard, but I like home fries for brunch and would order them again.

The beignets were a grand conclusion to the meal. Light, crispy, sweet and chewy. If I had to guess, I'd say the honey in the sauce was lavender honey because it couldn't have been ordinary clover. The ice cream was creamy and flavorful but didn't overwhelm the beignets.

My one complaint was that the descriptions on the seasonal menu didn't quite match the meals we were served. For example, the scallop entree was supposed to have pistachios, which it didn't, but there appeared to be dabs of créme fraîche on the plate that were not in the description. I appreciate that fire tries to use local ingredients and meals are subject to change, but that's not exactly a one-for-one swap. It was scrumptious nonetheless, but a word or two from the waitress would have been nice. Also something crunchy on the plate would have added a new textural element.

Thanks to my dining companion for the excellent pictures. I'm extremely jealous of her camera's "food" setting.