The Fireside—

For The Big Event Or The Cozy Night Out

The Fireside Inn on South Main Street has a long history in Newtown, beginning as a log cabin in the early 1900s and growing to a restaurant and then adding a banquet facility that can accommodate 600 people. The restaurant serves as the meeting place for several local fraternal and professional organizations, including the Lions Club, Rotary, and the Working Women’s Forum (formerly Newtown Business and Professional Women’s Club). For the last 17 years the Fireside Inn has been owned and operated by the related Pulieri and Ricciardi families.

The cozy family restaurant is open for dinner seven days a week and for lunch on the weekends.  Hours are 4 to 10 pm Monday through Friday, 11:30 am to 10 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The varied menu features Italian American food ranging from fresh seafood, veal, and gourmet pizza to porterhouse steaks and includes five daily specials. The large U-shaped bar adjacent to the 60-seat restaurant is a popular meeting place, offering weeknight “Happy Hungry Hour” from 4 to 7 pm and featuring beer on tap.

Josie Ricciardi calls the restaurant “Newtown’s best kept secret.” She explains due to the overall size of the facility, many passersby do not realize the smaller brick portion of the facility closest to the street is a self-contained restaurant, despite the “Catering & Restaurant” wording on the outside sign. “When people come in to plan their weddings or other events they often express surprise about our restaurant.”

To begin their meals, diners are offered a choice of appetizers –– ranging from calamari and mozzarella marinara to nachos and buffalo wings, priced from $5.95 to $7.95 — or French onion soup, soup du jour, chili, or bruchetta.

The moderately priced ($13.95–$18.95) dinner entrees feature chicken, veal, or fresh seafood and include a choice of mixed green or Caesar salad or soup du jour. Grill specialties –– center cut pork chops, New York sirloin, chicken, and the catch of the day –– are slightly higher, as are some of the “Fireside Favorites,” which include classic lasagna, eggplant parmesan, shrimp scampi, and lobster ravioli.

Those seeking lighter fare have a number of options, including grilled shrimp or chicken salad,  sirloin burgers, club sandwiches or grinders, and grilled fajita wraps, all less than $10.

And of course, there are the pizzas, from cheese to traditional toppings to specialty versions such as clams casino and BBQ chicken. Especially popular are “Two-for-Tuesdays,” when two pizzas sell for the price of one. “There are families in Newtown who do not cook on Tuesday nights,” Mrs Ricciardi noted with a laugh.

Whether a wedding, corporate function, or a special event, the Fireside Inn’s banquet facilities can accommodate crowds from 25 to 600. Full-service, off-premise catering is also available, and “food by the tray” can be ordered for private parties.

The Fireside Inn also draws 150–200 people for its buffet and dance sessions, which run from 7 to 11 pm twice a week. Wednesday evenings the draw is Social Ballroom dancing; Country & Western dancing is offered on Thursdays. The $15 admission includes a dance lesson, featuring a different dance each week, at 7, dancing beginning at 8, and a buffet dinner. A cash bar is also available.

The Fireside Inn is at 123 South Main Street. For information call 426-7001 or see www.firesideinn.net.