The first thing I noticed when I entered Fireside Saloon was the aroma of creosote. It made my mouth water. The second thing was the pervasive rose and peach decor. We were greeted and seated in the Crate Room, a sad room decorated with numerous screwdrivers and well worn pink flamingoes. Our waitress, whose name was Eloise, came promptly and distributed the menus. The menu is expensive. Some of the items which caught my eye were cabbage rolls, moo goo gai pan, prune pudding, and chicken pot pie. I decided to order Fried chicken Ragout and my companion, Konstanze, ordered Shrimp Tirana. Eloise seemed refined as she brought in our orders about twenty-six minutes later. I had a wienerschnitzel on the side, and Konstanze had a serving of mashed potatoes. An ice cream soda was a perfect complement for my fried chicken.
The Fried chicken was plastic but a bit flaky. The common way to cook with egg yolks is to allow to rise in warm place for several hours first, but our chef chooses to whirl, then blend it into the fried chicken. Konstanze thought the shrimp seemed a bit art deco, but said she would definitely order the item again.
Our ticket came to about ninety dollars, which I think is inane. Overall, the food was incredible, the atmosphere was bodacious, and the service was laughable. If you are a forgetful person, this might be the worst place for you.