Firehouse BBQ & Blues
400 N. 8th Street
Richmond Indiana
On my recent vacation I was able to take a stop at the Firehouse BBQ in Richmond Indiana. It was a nice vacation, but it lacked BBQ. I really ate BBQ only twice, on the first and last day of the trip. We had stopped in Richmond on the trip out, and had tried valiantly to find the White River Gorge Trail, and failed utterly. On the trip home it worked that we were passing again through Richmond at a time when it would be nice to get out of the car, so we tried again to find the trail. This time we were successful. After a nice, though relatively short ride we went in search of a lunch meal. We were actually in search of a cafe that the GPS said was close by, when we ran across the Firehouse. It was an immediate decision to change plans, and to eat there. The Firehouse was an interesting place, an older building re-purposed. It was tastefully decorated. It had a large bandstand on the main floor, and I am sure has some good music. It was certainly a nice upscale BBQ. It had a nice comfortable atmosphere.
I had the usual BBQ brisket sandwich. It was interesting that the menu listed the sandwich only as a "lunch" option. The regular option was a plate with two sides. That is an option that I normally take, but I was being prudent, so opted for the smaller portion of the sandwich. When I made this choice in the recent past, I was very disappointed, but not this time. It was a good sized sandwich, a solid bun. The Firehouse followed the lead of many restaurants that have decided not to offer fries as an option, always a disappointment. Instead they offered cheese potatoes, served in a nice little glass dish. They were superb! The coleslaw was also very nice, fresh and crisp. The brisket was more of a pulled brisket, though it was in larger pieces than the term "pulled" normally brings to mind. It came with sauce applied. It was moist and the quantity was good. Taste was good, but not exceptional. I guess I am always suspicious that brisket served this was is cooked in a roaster rather than smoked over coals. My wife had the pulled pork on a baked potato, and I think got more meat than I got on my bun! She liked the flavor. It was a more traditional "pulled" pork.
The service was very nice, and food was delivered quickly. I would recommend the Firehouse if you are in the area!
