Bookmark Saturday was put on hold last week so we could meet up with Tami and Greg D. and their Yelper in Training Jacob at Fireside Tavern. The Fireside Tavern is located inside the Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa Hotel ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=AWJ9aoQnYlrP0YqPXSNIrQ#_QRBZUiXzg7mUU9SeLEDaw ) on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa right next to the McDonald's. Visitor parking is available at the front of the hotel facing Bristol.
By the time we arrived (fashionably late), Tami and Greg had already grabbed a table and ordered drinks. We had to move from the table we were at because the AC vent was blowing cold air down on the table. Fortunately, the place was virtually empty, so finding a new table was not an issue. The décor is modern with a good looking bar area ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=AWJ9aoQnYlrP0YqPXSNIrQ#1twAUFH5jmuGGqpLZvop5Q ) and a comfortable patio ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=AWJ9aoQnYlrP0YqPXSNIrQ#LpriIhWO6fuxHqJMYF7cTQ ) area.
Once we were seated at our new table, our server informed us we were also fortunate to be catching the end of Happy Hour and gave us HH menus in addition to the regular menus. Actually we were a little past HH once we started ordering, most places have a firm cutoff, so it was nice we weren't rushed into ordering.
The Happy Hour menu consists of Snacks, Grilled Flatbreads and Sandwiches discounted between 2 and 4 dollars. In addition, Select Wines are $4, Draft Beers are $5 and $6 for Mules and Margaritas. The regular menu consists of Share Plates, Small Plates, Large Plates, Sides and Sweets.
Our server Kammy was very patient while decided what to order to drink and eat. We started with two of the snacks off the Happy Hour menu:
( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=MQIOQ961oojiEIZ057lhwA#MQIOQ961oojiEIZ057lhwA )
( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=MQIOQ961oojiEIZ057lhwA#VDHGqmhfcZOnlUa4GyDlgA )
( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=MQIOQ961oojiEIZ057lhwA#Bax8nf41eKZqIrwSm_pg9g )
We were also given some complimentary bread:
( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=MQIOQ961oojiEIZ057lhwA#N2V_EkeDaA4TLKrvStZ0vA )
The guacamole had a decent flavor, but I found the portion to be on the smaller side. The chips tasted like they were a generic version of market chips. It was nice we were able to get this snack at the Happy Hour prices, I would have been very unhappy paying full price. The flatbread had a good combination of flavors and there was a decent amount of toppings. The last of the three snacks was the Duck fries. There could have been a little more gravy and cheese, but there was excellent flavor from the gravy. I was happy with the portion of duck and fries, but the fries were nothing special.
After we finished most of the snacks, Tammy came back and took our entrée orders. My better half and Greg both went with the Proprietor's Burger (8 oz. Burger with Dolcelatte and Taleggio Cheese, Bacon, Tomato and Arugula on a Brioche Bun with Hand Cut Fries), Tami selected the Tavern Cobb Salad (Gem Lettuce, Nueske Bacon, Nueske Turkey, Avocado, Heirloom Tomatoes, Hard Cooked Egg, Point Reyes Bleu Cheese), Jacob chose the Kid's Mac 'N Cheese and I opted for the Chorizo Grilled Flatbread ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fireside-tavern-costa-mesa?select=MQIOQ961oojiEIZ057lhwA#E1PfKbH3yDIQX12afIc4hw ) with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Smoked Mozzarella and Arugula.
Our food came out in a reasonable amount of time and was a mixed bag. Tami seemed to really enjoy her salad and there seemed to be a good amount of ingredients. The Proprietor Burger were a big hit as well. My lovely wife had more burger than she could handle, so she happily gave me about half her burger. The burgers were cooked to the requested temperature and it was a pleasant surprise to see two cheese I have never seen on a burger before this visit. I felt this gave the burger an unique twist and a very good flavor. Jacob's Mac 'N Cheese was bland and it looked watery and not very cheesy, he barely touched the bowl.
Since there is all this talk about food porn on Yelp I have decided to use a sexual reference to describe my flatbread.
Rohlinism: Adapting to new trends keeps things fresh!
Think for a moment of the hottest sex scene you have ever seen and that would represent a "10" on the spicy scale. This chorizo and flatbread was the equivalent of walking in our your grandparents in mid stroke.
This analogy accomplishes two things: For those of you who say my reviews make you hungry ... I am not sure if this is a complaint ... but I bet you won't be hungry after reading this review. Secondly, I have now joined the world of food porn ... this does count as food porn doesn't it?
Overall, it was a surprisingly good experience for a bar inside a hotel. read more