The sleek and stylish main dinning room at Firebox.
(Credit: Dave Moran)
Firebox brings an upscale, metropolitan vibe to an area of Connecticut’s capitol city not normally known for sophisticated dining or a cosmopolitan after-hours scene.
Food: The restaurant’s originality comes through in its daring dishes. Lobster perogis, sweet corn and shrimp risotto and flounder filet with stewed fennel and leeks. The menu is “ever changing and evolving” with the seasons, taking advantage of the bold, distinctive flavors of Connecticut-grown produce, meats and seafood.
Booze: At the front of the restaurant is a warmly lit and extremely inviting lounge where you can soak in the pleasing ambiance over an expertly mixed drink, or two. Try “The Hemingway,” it’s a mojito made the way Hemingway use to drink them, with Bacardi white rum, a hint of key lime, a splash of simple syrup and a sprig of fresh mint. There are usually six beers on tap, all either imports or microbrews, and they rotate regularly. Firebox also has an extensive list of wine and after dinner liqueurs.
Digs: It’s beautiful inside, and totally unlike anything else you’ll find in this part of town. Exposed brick walls, large arched windows, clean lines and a 30-foot vaulted ceiling give this place a style as fresh as the food.
Insider Tips: Firebox hosts a farmers market next door at Billings Forge (559 Broad St.) every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., where many of the area farms and vendors that supply the restaurant come and make their goods available to the public.
Bottom Line: Really the only thing that stands in the way of Firebox becoming one of Hartford’s premiere dining locations is the fact that it’s located in an area of the city not typically known for premier dining. But exacting or adventurous diners shouldn’t let that stand in their way, particularly since there’s plenty of free parking on site.
Firebox
539 Broad St., Hartford
860-246-1222
Mon.-Thu., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
