Firehouse Restaurant & Lounge
Where: 923 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; bar open until late, starting at 11 a.m. daily
Call: 321-327-7919
Other: The bar is old-fashioned and friendly, as captured by a recent Zap Squad.
Black tablecloths and professional service greet diners at Firehouse Restaurant & Lounge, the elegant yet friendly new steakhouse in downtown Melbourne.
In the old Austin’s location, Firehouse resembles a historic northeast eatery, with an old-fashioned bar and multiple dining rooms. Where we were seated, the red walls and ceiling, as daylight faded, made it seem a bit as if we were eating inside an enormous heart. The feeling was warm, however, as we were presented with the classic steakhouse menu and the servers brought out a tray with large slabs of raw meat that elicited, at least from me, an involuntary moo. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The steaks are good, but for us, they were really just a small part of the overall experience.
A 337 Cabernet was a pleasing choice for starters. Then came the rolls, served with cups of an olive mix and chopped tomatoes with basil, offering the flavors of tapenade or bruschetta. The real appetizers followed. Our friends ordered the decadently creamy lobster bisque, while we opted for the ceviche ($9), a martini glass filled with tangy nuggets of fresh seafood, and the trio of crab cakes ($10). These are the best crab cakes I’ve had in Brevard County, consisting mostly of big chunks of crab meat, lightly seasoned and sauced. They’re delicious. The nice house salad was dished up at the table, and then came the steaks.
The largest cut on the menu is a 56-ounce porterhouse; I opted for the small 8-ounce filet ($24). It was tender, flavorful and filling, even without the topping, which in my case was generous bitefuls of gorgonzola cheese. Part of the fun of ordering steaks here is choosing a topping (for an additional charge); friends got the prettily purple burgundy mushrooms, and a lovely crab meat and asparagus mixture that, like the crab cakes, featured huge chunks of crab. My husband opted for the skirt steak special ($24) with a zingy chimichurri sauce.
Sides are a la carte and serve two, like the rich and addictive creamed spinach and the huge baked potato ($5). The latter also offers tableside entertainment, as your server brings a tray of colorful toppings and fixes it up in front of you, making it hard to say no to the extras.
Big portions are epitomized in the chocolate cake ($10), one of the dessert choices. The four of us — who were admittedly already pretty full — couldn’t finish it, but it’s a crowd-pleaser. It’s imported from out of town.
Firehouse is a welcome fine-dining option, especially for those with a hankering for an old-fashioned, high-quality steak dinner with all the fixings.
Contact Kridler at 321-242-3633 or ckridler@floridatoday.com.
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