Firehouse Bar & Restaurant

A Hot Item In Sandy Hook

When Rich Barillari, Sr and Jr, took over the Firehouse Bar & Restaurant at 75 Glen Road, April 1, 2004, they were not fooling around. The firehouse-themed space reopened with a remodeled kitchen and dining room, an expanded bar, and a revamped menu for the bar and dining room, putting the focus on preparing great food with the freshest ingredients. They also created an inviting environment where business people, individuals, couples, and families know that they will be greeted with a genuinely warm welcome.

Nor will clientele feel “hosed” by high prices, guarantee the owners. Plentiful portions and prices to match the economic times make the Firehouse Bar & Restaurant a top choice in the area.

Inside the Italianate-style former factory, now known as Rocky Glen Mill, customers enter the bar area from the spacious parking lot. There they can enjoy seating for 15 at the oak-trimmed bar (with room for more), three 42-inch plasma TVs, and an online jukebox, as they engage in convivial conversation and enjoy the plethora of firehouse mementos that make up the bulk of the décor.

The 1,942-square-foot Firehouse Bar & Restaurant is chock full of memorabilia from several firehouses, including the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company. Arm patches from fire departments all across the country, donated by members of those companies, are displayed in five frames lining the wall leading into the dining room. Firefighters’ heavy yellow jackets hang from hooks on the walls, and helmets of red, yellow, black, and white representing companies from all around the United States, perch on shelves and adorn the walls, as well. Like the patches, many are the gifts of visiting firefighters.

In the dining room is yet another salute to the country’s EMS workers. The Flag of Heroes, listing the names of the EMS workers lost on 9/11, dominates the wall above one table. Upholstered booths about the perimeter of the room provide comfort and privacy, or patrons can choose a table with a window view offering a glimpse of the waterfall on the nearby Pootatuck River.

The extensive lunch and dinner menu is available both in the dining room and in the bar, where Rich Barillari, Jr, said the wings specials are a “hot item” with Firehouse customers.

Developed by the Firehouse kitchen staff, boneless or bone-in wings hang on to the firehouse theme with tongue-tingling flavors like the “Hosed Off” mild Buffalo-style wings, or the “Blazin’ Hot” wings. Sweet Jack Daniels sauce is another Firehouse Bar & Restaurant specialty that has customers aflame.

Customers can put out the fire from the 50-cent wings featured on Monday evenings, from 6 to 9 pm, with $2.50 pint specials. The Monday night specials are available for extended hours during the football season. There are always six beers on tap, and a large selection of other beers by the bottle. Firehouse Bar & Restaurant is the only bar in Connecticut to carry Firehouse Ale from the Magic Hat Brewery out of Burlington, Vt. Mr Barillari described it as a light-colored, full-bodied ale with a crisp, smooth, and refreshing finish.

Tuesday through Thursday, from 3 to 6 pm, all appetizers are half price, with draft specials of $2.50. Red and white wines from California, Italy, Australia, and Germany make up the wine list, with several available by the glass.

More than 20 appetizers for the bar or dining room include three styles of nachos loaded onto platters, coconut shrimp, jalapeno poppers, and fried calamari.

Enjoy a brew and an appetizer while surfing the Web — the Firehouse offers free Wi-Fi anywhere in the restaurant.

Pizzas, available with thin, regular, or Sicilian-style crust, come with buttery garlic knots formed from the same homemade dough used in the pizza crusts. Choose from classic toppings, or one of eight specialty pies. Honey Barbeque features thinly sliced roast beef and cheddar cheese; Shepherd’s Pie “pie” is an extravaganza of mashed potatoes, corn, cheese, and ground beef; or try the Loaded Mashed Potato pizza, with mashed potatoes, bacon, green onion, and cheddar. If it is too late to get breakfast at home, but too early for dinner, dig into the Breakfast Pie, with eggs, ham, onion, peppers, and American cheese piled on high.

The menu includes 30 dinners ranging from pasta with red or white clam sauce to chicken Francaise or oak barrel steak. All entrees come with fresh baked bread and a house salad. Some include pasta; others mashed or baked potatoes, and a vegetable. Huge calzones, big enough to satisfy three appetites, and a children’s menu round out the entrees. The addition of veal and shrimp dishes to the Firehouse Bar & Restaurant menu, as well as the daily specials, have attracted diners who give them high marks, said Mr Barillari. Firehouse fish ‘n’ chips and the seafood fra diavlo are favorites of regular customers, as is the prime rib offered Friday and Saturday nights.

The Firehouse also has a large selection of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and salads for lunch and dinner, with the steak & cheese on a hard roll or wrap getting rave reviews.

The restaurant can accommodate private parties of up to 85. Catering is available, on and off site.

“Consistency is probably the most important thing in the restaurant business,” Mr Barillari said. “Serve good, fresh food, and be consistent. That is our number one goal.”

The Firehouse Bar & Restaurant, 75 Glen Road, is just one mile from Sandy Hook Center. Kitchen hours are Sunday, 4 to 9 pm; Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 9 pm; Friday, 11 am to 10 pm; Saturday, 4 pm to 10 pm. The bar remains open until “last call,” which is 1 am on weeknights and 2 am on weekends. All major credit cards are accepted. Reservations for parties of six or more are recommended. Gift certificates are also available for any occasion. For more information or to reserve the space for private parties, call 203-426-4441.