Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats: FIREHOUSE GRILLE & PUB

Friday, April 27, 2012

FIREHOUSE GRILLE & PUB

The threat of a late spring snow is hovering as I write this, but it's spring nonetheless. Now's the time my husband Jack and I start looking for interesting daytrips to carry us through till the snow starts to fall again -- daytrips that always include a few good places to eat.

Again this season, we're looking forward to soaking up some history at Zoar Village. Located between Canton and New Philadelphia in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the village was founded in 1817 by the Society of Separatists of Zoar, a group of German religious dissenters. Eleven buildings have been restored and are open for public tours except in November and December, such as a tinshop, wagon shop, blacksmith and the very interesting Zoar Store. In season, costumed interpreters are on hand, and both guided and self-guided tours can be arranged.

One of my favorite places is the Historic Zoar Garden, a 2 1/2-acre mostly flower garden (we found some veggies in there as well) that's open all year with no admission charge. Go at the right time of the summer and you'll be dazzled by a vast array of hibiscus the size of dinner plates. Special events are held throughout the year including a biennial Civil War reenactment (the next will be Sept. 7 and 8, 2013), the Harvest Festival (Aug. 4 and 5) and Christmas in Zoar (Dec. 1 and 2).

Other structures are private residences, shops and restaurants. It is the latter, of course, that is sure to get our attention whenever we visit: The Firehouse Grille & Pub, a neat place that reminds me of a German pub (not that I've ever been in a real one, mind you). The decor is mostly weathered wood, from the floor to the walls to the tables and chairs. It's also said to be the "home of the $1 burger," although I admit we've never tried one of those.

Actually, on our most recent visit I did pick a burger, but with fresh cut fries my "Firestarter" burger cost $7.99. It was topped with mozzarella, crushed red peppers, jalapenos, Tabasco sauce shredded lettuce and tomato. I'm never a big fan of fries, but these are especially tasty; once I added some vinegar, I could have sworn they came from the old Idora Park in Youngstown.

The burger was great too - with all those peppers, it definitely had a kick. Truth is I've never met a jalapeno that I considered to be remotely hot, but these bit back a little, and the crushed reds and Tabasco jazzed it up even more. It wasn't so hot that Jack wouldn't have enjoyed a taste, but I guarantee he wouldn't have taken more than one.

Meanwhile, he ordered the Philly cheesesteak sandwich with homemade potato chips, also $7.99. Diners can choose chicken or beef (he picked the latter), chopped and blended with onions and mushrooms and topped with mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese sauce on a fresh hoagie bun. For the record, he said the sandwich is one of the best he's had anywhere - and he orders Philly steak a lot. In a rare move with such a large sandwich, he ate the whole thing - usually, he takes half of it home, further proof of how delicious this one was.

The fresh chips were excellent, too - much like packaged kettle chips. As for beer, which is mandatory at a pub, it's quite inexpensive here and notably cold. Since both Sam Adams Oktoberfest and Labbatt's were on tap at the time of our visit, we were especially happy campers.

If you go:

Firehouse Grille & Pub
162 Main St.
Zoar, Ohio 44697
(330) 874-2170

Open from noon to 2 p.m., 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to noon, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday; and noon to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. There's no restaurant website, but information about historic Zoar Village can be found at http://ohiohistory.org/zoar (Ohio Historical Society) and http://historiczoarvillage.com (Zoar Community Association).

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Why This Blog?

The Mahoning Valley region of Ohio is perhaps most often thought of as part of the so-called "Rust Belt" -- if it's thought of at all. Tucked up in the northeastern corner of the state about 15 miles from the Pennsylvania border, it's arguably best known for a former U.S. Representative who spent time in jail, the "Mob" and shuttered steel mills. I know that how? Because every single time we travel to another state -- any other state -- and tell folks we meet where we're from, it's guaranteed that we'll get a question about one or all of the above.

Add in a reputation for somewhat lousy weather, and it's enough to make a body wonder why anyone would want to visit, much less live here. But I don't see it that way. I've been in this part of Ohio for close to 50 years now, and while I'd love to see more sunny days, I firmly believe this is a great place to be. The cost of living is remarkably low compared with other parts of the country. It brings together the best of the city and country; cornfields and other amber waves of grain dot the landscape right along with interesting museums, shopping centers and parks.

Oh sure, the weather can be iffy -- if you don't like what you see, just wait 5 minutes, we're fond of saying. But on the other hand, it never gets boring, and not much compares to walking along a tree-lined path amid brilliantly colored foliage on a crisp fall day. Besides that, within an easy hour-or-so's drive we can be walking barefoot on a sandy beach, climbing an historic lighthouse or trolling for wildflowers in one of at least 15 state and national parks.

Then there's the food. My husband Jack and I travel as much as we can, and when we do, we love to eat. We've had dinner at some pretty well-known restaurants in quite a few states, and you know what? Every single time, we say to each other, "This is great, but there's nothing here that's better than what we can get back home every single day."

Of course, I can't discount the familiarity factor and learning to love what you're used to; there's a reason they call it Home Sweet Home. Still, we've always insisted that the Mahoning Valley's cuisine is pretty hard to beat. And just for the record, we include the Shenango Valley in that sweeping declaration; just over the Pennsylvania border are plenty of other fantastic restaurants and attractions just waiting to be discovered by me and you.

I do admit to one exception to my "home" rule, though: As seafood moves inland, it tends to lose ground. Not surprisingly, absolutely nothing compares to fresh-from-the-ocean "lobstah" at The Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, the huge, almost no-filler-added crabcakes from The Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland, or the steamed spiced shrimp at Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar on the North Carolina Outer Banks. That said, there seems to be a direct correlation between distance from water and how long fish is cooked; by the time you reach mid-Ohio, all too often it's barely recognizable. Sorry, Charlie, but the fish is dead. No need to kill it again (and again!) by leaving it on the grill or in the oven till it's tough and tasteless.

The reason for this blog is to showcase some of the eateries and other treasures our little part of the world has to offer. There's no set schedule for updates, but the plan is to add something new every couple of weeks. For the most part, what you'll see is what we get in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania. But once in a while -- especially since I'm an official "Ohio Ambassador" charged with promoting what the Buckeye State has to offer -- I'll stray into other parts of Ohio (and maybe even another state or two) to bring you a look at a special restaurant or attraction we've found.

If reading about these places entices you to come visit, that's wonderful -- y'all come on down (or up, or over as the case may be). And if you have questions about anything you see here or want to suggest a favorite restaurant of your own, zap me an e-mail. I'm always up for a new adventure!

Just for the record, I've had a bit of experience at not only eating and traveling, but writing about it as well. I wrote about local restaurants and travel for The Business Journal in Youngstown for several years (and Jack penned 100 "Dining Out" restaurant reviews for that newspaper over a period of four years). Besides that, I've posted similar "stuff" on a number of travel Web sites since then.

In the interests of full disclosure -- and the letter of the blog law -- I'll emphasize here that no one associated with any restaurant pays me, or gives me free meals, or in any way influences what I write here. As I mentioned before, I'm open to suggestions for places to visit -- but whether or not I go there or write about it is completely my choice. I'll also say, though, that while I don't mind pointing out a flaw or two here and there, my purpose is to showcase what's good about the region's restaurants and attractions. As such, I'll stick to what my mama always taught me: If you can't say something good about somebody, don't say anything at all.

I'll try to add something new here every couple of weeks, give or take, so check back often. If you want to be notified when a new entry is made, there's a place here to sign up for that as well. And finally, if you'd like to see some of my photos, you're invited to visit my galleries at Zenfolio. Enjoy!

Monnie Ryan

Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats

Friday, April 27, 2012

FIREHOUSE GRILLE & PUB

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