Firecracker Restaurant - I hope you do not need medical attention while dining here!
Written: Mar 15 '03 (Updated May 30 '03)
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Pros: Nice flames shooting from tiki torches on the exterior of the building
Cons: Poor service, poor food quality, poor response to dying diners
The Bottom Line: I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone. I wish I could because it's a great idea, unfortunately it is executed poorly.
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| jdhauer's Full Review: Firecracker |
Note: This is being reposted under the Restaurants category. This was originally posted under Tucson in Travel. That original Epinion has been deleted. Many thanks to megugrrrl for adding this to the database!.
My husband's grandparents wanted to treat us to dinner followed by a play one evening by the Arizona Theatre Company in Tucson, Arizona. They thought it would be nice for us to go to Firecracker located in the Plaza Palomino on North Swan and Fort Lowell. This was just up the street from where we were staying with my husband's parents.
Reservations were made for an early dinner so that we would be sure to get downtown before the curtain rose. We arrived about 10 minutes before our scheduled reservation and unfortunately, our dinner left much to be desired.
I'd driven past Firecracker dozens of times and I always admired the flames shooting out of the roof of the building in stylized tiki torches on each corner. When you see the restaurant, you can't help but pay attention.
We were seated almost immediately upon entering but we waited a very long time to be served. Each part of our meal took what seemed to be an eternity to be presented to us. The atmosphere inside seemed harried and loud. It was difficult to hear each other speak at the table because of the volume.
According to the menu, Firecracker boasted that "We prepare every dish to order with the finest ingredients to create a harmony of color, aroma, texture and taste." The food is Asian inspired but if you are expecting *hot* food (both in taste and in temperature) you will probably be disappointed.
Our order consisted of:
- 4 bowls of Vegetable Egg Drop Soup (included with our entrees)
- an order of Cashew Chicken (red and green bell peppers, water chestnuts, snow peas, scallions and roasted cashews) $11.00
- an order of Mongolian Beef (sliced tenderloin, carrots, snow peas, water chestnuts and garlic) $12.00
- an order of Wok Salmon Salad (fresh salmon seared with Pacific Rim spices, served with diakon sprouts, snow peas, julienne cucumbers and tomatoes over baby greens and topped with cilantro-ginger vinagrette) $10.50
- an order of Sesame Chicken Salad (snow peas, sesame seeds, crispy wontons and mandarin oranges, tossed in a ginger soy dressing) $9.50
Our supposedly hot meals were served at what could best be called a lukewarm temperature bordering on chilled. The soup was somewhat boring but was the highlight of the meal. Both the Cashew Chicken and the Mongolian Beef were quite bland in flavor and the meat in both dishes was tough and full of gristle. The cashews did not appear to be roasted but were just regular cashews out of a package. I didn't taste either of the salads but neither diner who ordered them was happy. The greens were soggy and wilted plus the salmon wasn't entirely cooked. Since we were running short on time when our meals finally arrived (despite allowing close to two hours for dinner), we just picked at our food and tried to find a waiter to bring us the bill. We had originally planned to order dessert but passed.
If good food is not important to you, other items on the menu include a very small selection of sushi (about five choices) and a selection of appetizers much like you would find at P.F. Chang's including Spicy Chicken in Lettuce Cups, Potstickers and Spring Rolls. There are the aforementioned salads and a few dishes that you'd tend to find at the local Chinese takeout joint such as Fried Rice, Beef Teriyaki and Lo Mein. The house "specialties" include a Wasabi Cream Stuffed Chicken Breast, Sake-Soy Marinated Breast of Duck and Filet Mignon Medallions. There are sandwiches on the menu for lunch. Desserts are simple with sorbets, coconut creme brulee, mango cheesecake and the ubiquitous flourless chocolate torte.
A Very Scary Experience
A very scary thing happened when a man at the table right behind us had a heart attack and fell off his chair, passing out! Everyone was just standing around not sure what to do and I couldn't remember my CPR because I was certified years ago. I have since rectified this by taking a refresher course. I did remember that the first thing you're supposed to do is to call 911 so I ran out to the waiter's station asking them to call for an ambulance and they didn't want to do it. They said that maybe the man would be okay! His granddaughter was at the table crying hysterically for someone to call for an ambulance. Thankfully, some other patrons had cellphones with them and were able to contact emergency services. By the time I got back to the table, the man had regained consciousness and was vomiting. We assisted by removing chairs from the immediate area so that the paramedics would have room to work and we left just as they arrived about 20 to 25 minutes after the heart attack. Since every minute counts in an emergency situation, I found the attitude of the wait staff to be absolutely inexcusable.
While I have had some very good dining experiences in other establishments owned by the Metro Restaurants chain, I cannot recommend Firecracker at all. The service was poor, the food was not prepared well and the way an emergency was handled was enough for me to pass on this restaurant in the future.
Metro Restaurants runs the following restaurants in the Tucson metropolitan area: McMahon's Prime Steakhouse, Metropolitan Grill, City Grill, The Tack Room, Old Pueblo Grille, Keaton's Arizona Grill, Metro Grill at Park Place and Firecracker.
Recommended:
No
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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Epinions.com ID:
jdhauer
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Location: Virginia
Reviews written: 722
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