July 15, 2011

In the Neighborhood: Burgers and Pizza and Beer (Oh My!) in Silver Spring

Bar food (and even restaurant-within-a-bar food) tends to have a bad reputation, and often for good reason.  The food is usually fryer-focused and predominantly meat-, carb-, and dairy-based.  Last night, I went to Fire Station One Restaurant & Brewing Co. up in Silver Spring, and it really defied the bar food odds. 

The restaurant is located within an old fire station, and the interior is beautiful.  There are several floors, but they are stepped such that it is very open inside.  The restaurant really does give equal billing to food and drinks.  Two bars mean that there is plenty of access to the liquid half of the equation.  The drink menu is fairly extensive, without being overwhelming, and even features some local beers and wines.  I tried a local beer called They Made Me Do It, and it was delicious. 

Food gets some serious attention, too.  I had a veggie pizza that was topped with the freshest vegetables I have ever seen grace the top of a pie.  The crust was NOT super thin, which was fantastic since that meant the toppings did not go spilling all over the place when I picked up a piece.  My dining companions got a portobello burger (which sounded FANTASTIC and I seriously considered ordering) and a crab cake, which both were applauded. 

Service was incredibly friendly (and they seated me before anyone else arrived, which a lot of restaurants won't do), though there were a few snags.  Unfilled water glasses at our table got a few complaints, but otherwise I was really happy with the staff.  If you are a fan of live music, this is definitely the place to go, because they had it!  You'll probably want to be done with any chatting by the time it starts (it was pretty loud), but I can imagine this would be a great place to grab a drink (or dessert!) and listen to some music.

If you're in the Silver Spring area, I would definitely recommend stopping in for a bite.  Prices are very reasonable, and the menu offers plenty of options (some dishes can even be made vegan).  If you want to check it out, the website is http://firestation-1.com/.

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