Should probably give it 1 star, but will round up based on the food being pretty good, but not great. First, we had to seek out a host in the kitchen to get a table because there wasn't an employee in sight. Second, the wait time for drinks was ridiculous. Third, the restrooms were DISGUSTING and there wasn't any soap in the woman's restroom, so I wonder how the waitresses washed their hands. YUCK! The restrooms were so bad that we almost left just because of that, but before we could make up our minds our drinks had arrived. So we stayed and ordered food. It was pretty good, but definitely not worth the $20-$25 price tag for each entree.
At the current state of this restaurant, I would not suggest it to anyone.
I came in for a quiet dinner with a friend on Sunday night. We sat outside on the patio. Lovely view, but the music was just a touch too loud.
We each had salads. I checked the menu online, but it seems like they need to update because the in-house menu was different.
I had a Caesar salad with salmon. Pretty good meal, albeit not the largest I've ever had. It is listed as a side salad, which I was expecting the option of a full-size. The salmon was very good - cooked properly and seasoned correctly - had a slight sweetness which made me think it had touched a honey- or teriyaki- based glaze or pan.
Overall, not bad. I'd probably come back to try something else on the menu. Their salads are all based off the Firewater Salad - goat cheese, apples, and greens - and then add one or two other ingredients. So not a huge variety.
This space has so much possibility. Â They are in a great location, with a beautiful outdoor patio. Â The interior of the restaurant has potential, but it needs some TLC. Â Chipped paint and scuff marks on the walls. Â The bar area is very nice and has the high ceilings, as I said, with some tasteful and thoughtful decor and a fresh coat of paint would really make me take this place seriously as an upscale dining choice. Â However, a fresh coat of paint and cohesive, updated decor can not make up for the below par food. Â The menu also needs some updating-again- identity crisis- what does Firewater want to be? Â An upscale, overpriced version of Chili's, Applebee's, Fridays, or an excellent unique gem in University City? Â I dined at Firewater on Friday. Â The hostess who seated me acted as if she were doing me a favor and gave me a lot of attitude when I asked if I could be seated far away from the very large speaker on the patio. (there was apparently a private party later that night)
My waitress was very personable, friendly and efficient. Â I ordered the Ribeye Pork Chops and the grilled seasonal vegetables on the side. Â The meal was bland, and nothing I couldn't make at home-better. Â For dessert, I ordered the Creme Brulee. Â This is by far one of my favorite desserts, but not at Firewater. Â It was cold through and through, which means that the top, carmelized crust, the "Brulee" was actually done hours earlier and then just served cold. Â I understand that each dessert cannot be made to order, but while 98% of the dessert is made in advance, the Brulee needs to be done right before serving. Â
I would go back for drinks on the patio, but one last comment on Firewater's ongoing identity crisis. Â After 9, 10 pm on weekend nights, the bar area turns into a rather uninviting Ghetto nightclub? Â Very strange/confusing- definitely cheapens the place and undermines any credibility as an upscale dining venue.
Mediocre-to-below-mediocre.
I stopped in for a dinner after not being impressed by the look of anything in the lake location. Â The waitress was attentive, sweet, relatively quick, but used every single pet name (sweetie, honey, etc, etc) known to mankind. Â The menu was in one of those plastic sleeve things and was somewhat sticky.
I know this shouldn't be a big deal, but for some reason a week later it sticks out, not even in a draft I'd penned: the glassware seemed outdated. I never notice things like glassware, but its just etched in my mind. Anyway....
Had an order of the wings, hot. Â They were somewhat bland in flavor but had a good crisp to them. Â The carrots served with them were bendy in the "they've been sitting a while somewhere humid" way. Â
Shrimp tacos were next, they were served on flour tortillas with coconut rice. I found them a bit slimy, and overly sauced. The coconut rice was very, very sweet, and dry.
If I come back to Charlotte, I'll skip this place.
Clean from what I saw, but only visited the bar area. Heard live music as I walked by another night.
I just came here for a drink on a Friday night when the Wine Vault had a mediocre folk singer out front. It's not a bad bar, attractive in a trendy kind of way. I actually didn't even realize there was a restaurant back there, from the way it's set up. A little loud, a little flashy, lots of big TVs in case you don't feel like talking to your date. They set me up with a tasty Hendricks G&T which was all I really needed.
Review Source:I'm not certain, but I'm fairly positive Firewater is Lava reincarnated, but with a new name. Now, I never made it to Lava but even trying Firewater was a stretch. I don't why, but the exterior just doesn't appeal to me.
Once inside....much of the same story... The decor is um..odd. Kinda contemporary American, with what I can only describe as miss-moshed Italian flair. Food was eh, just okay. Penne was used for the mac n cheese............................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â..................................................Â............The ribeye was a low, I mean "looooooooooow down dirty shame" low grade cut. I guess, at $16 or $18 whatever it was, I should have known. $16 isn't cheap by any means, but for a ribeye..that's criminal. Can we say USDA grade D?
Now to the good stuff.
The NY strip:
Now this is a steak. Far from Del Frisco's, but great cut and what a steak should look like.
The drinks: As the name implies, they seem to specialize in cocktails..Martinis.
$8 Dirty Martini:
Yea buddy. This price might be the cheapest in town.
Had my first meal here, and it's quite dark in here. My co-worker had a mini flashlight and used that to look at the menu!
The restaurant looks cozy and sleek when you walk in, but their food is not overly expensive. They have this 6 oz sirloin deal that comes with a salad and white cheddar mashed potatoes for only $14! what a steal! I went with the firewater salad as a starter, which was mixed greens, strawberries, pineapples, candied pecans, goat cheese and balsamic vinegarette. It was decent, but the pineapples were canned I believe. For my entree, I went with the healthier option of the Sesame Tuna, which was a sesame crusted rare tuna, which also came with a soy vinagerette, coconut rice, and sauteed vegetables. The dish was pretty darn tasty, although the coconut rice was very overpowering.
All in all, a decent meal, but not the greatest I've had.
New menu- with lots of old faves! Beautiful outdoor patio, cigar friendly ( love smell which reminds me of husband who occasionally smokes)
Was here solo for a conference at local hotel. Chase took good care of me, the weather was fab! Saturday there is a pianist.
Now to the food: their secret balsamic  dressing recipe needs to be whispered in my ear-- wow!! Had steak which was cooked to temperature & tender. Pimento cheese hash was off the hook!!! Give me a shovel, hello!!!
Everyone was attentive and friendly. The inside  atmosphere is lively and classy but not too stuffy or loud. Tv in bar for basketball fans on this important evening!!
Will return next year for my annual conference-- can't wait to see predictable quality with some fun, creative additions!!
So far I have been to this restaurant twice in the last couple of weeks, which were last Thursday for dinner and today for lunch. I decided to document each experience separately so that I do not confuse anyone.
On 9/27, I came for dinner with some friends from out of town who were staying at the Hilton. We were seated quickly and our waiter was charming. He gave some guidance regarding what menu items were most popular and raved about the tuna and the fact that they get it from water to restaurant in about two days as well as how yummy the sweet potato wedges were. It was the lamb burger that caught my eye on the menu, my friends ordered the salmon with coconut rice, as well as the shrimp tacos. We all loved our food. The only thing that was a bit of a downer was that they were out of sweet potato fries. My lamb burger was juicy, well seasoned, and perfectly cooked but it was so SMALL! Â We did stay to have dessert and elected to go with the flourless chocolate cake and the creme brulee cheesecake which was suprisingly light and not overly sweet.
Today, I went for lunch with a group of ladies that I lunch with once a month.  Our waiter came over took our drink and food order and then went on about his day. The restaurant had a total of 8 customers in it and we made up 5 of the 8 customers. Our wait for food was WAY long and the waiter did not even come over to update us. So, we inquired about it and low and behold our food finally arrived. After inquiring about the tuna, which they were out of, Five of us ordered the lamb burger and  one ordered the fish tacos. The best part was that the sweet potato fries were back so we ordered them as our side dish with the burgers. The burger it was just as juicy and well seasoned as I remembered, but it was even SMALLER than I remembered last week. It was as if they took the burger used for the lamb sliders and put it on a regular bun. Ok, it was slightly more meat than that, but not by much!  Everyone enjoyed the taste of the burger, but all agreed that it could have been bigger.
FireWater has the bones to be a great place, but it seems like they are still working out all of the kinks of being a new restaurant. Â
Good: Food ("beef" up those lamb burgers!), outside seating, entertainment in evening
Bad: fruit flies/gnats, slow service, service charge on bill (what is that???)
Went on their "3$ vodka Wednesday.. Not only was it advertised on their website, but it was also on their facebook page. I even wrote a review"Well , this isn't exactly true is it? Came here last night for e special. ..Manager/Bartender completely uninformed and dint honor specials. Knew nothing about it. Family used to come here a few times a month- never again. Customer service-=horrid service". What I didn't add to the Facebook page was that the manager said he would "take care of us", which I can only assume meant ignore us the entire time and do nothing for the bill and then take down my post off of Facebook later. YES they removed my comments later and reported me as spam. I definitely will not return. The food is not that great , nor was the service
Review Source:I visited this place for the first time tonight. I must say that even though I was only at the bar area, the venue was nice and the drink menu had a full, creative list of martini's. After a while, the bartender even offered up a complimentary "Red Velvet Cake" dessert shot! The only food i snacked on was some french fries -- which for only $3 you get a plate full. I'd like to go back and actually have dinner. Give this place a try.
Review Source:Really enjoyed our dinner here. Â Great atmosphere. Minor downside: Our waitress was a little "cool" but I don't think she was getting my husband's humor or was maybe just having a bad day. She wasn't rude but not what I expect of a higher end waitstaff. Â On the other hand, the hostess (even though new) was super friendly and cheerful as was the bartender.
Now, onto the highlights - LOVED the food here...Apps: Was looking forward to the tuna tacos from the website instead they had Grilled Tuna Tacos. Â Yum - quite a bit of kick and very tasty, nice presentation. Small portion so I'm glad we ordered some other apps for the table. Â Drunken Mussels - really good. Â My hubby isn't a mussel fan but he was scarfing them up. Â Lamb Sliders - very flavorful, nice presentation too. Â I think I could easily come here and just do tapas for dinner. Â I had the Shrimp and Risotto (twist on Shrimp and Grits). Â It was awesome. Â I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the dish. Our friends had a steak and the grilled salmon. They both thoroughly enjoyed their meals. Â My husband got the rack of lamb and he also raved about how good it was and prepared perfectly.
Since my stepson will be attending UNCC in the fall, we'll be back in this area and I suspect we will be making this one of our frequent stops when in town.
The dinner group ended up in the University area last night at Firewater. Â The place used to be Lava Bistro and the inside of the place really hasn't changed much except for maybe a paint job. Â
There were 10 of us for dinner and we were assigned to the Lake Room was in the back of the restaurant with a view of, yes, you guessed it, the lake at University Place. Â
Anyway, the service here was exceptional. Â Our waiter was spot on efficient and for one of the people at our table was great to recommend higher end vodkas. Â
It appeared that everyone at the table ordered a different entree and all of them had wonderful presentations. Â I ordered the Black and Blue meatloaf which was a slightly over salted meatloaf with blue cheese sauce over roasted potatoes and topped with broccolini. Â My two complaints here are the over salting as previous mentioned and the fact that the portion was a bit small. Â Normally when you get meatloaf in the south, you get a good plateful. Â But still the price was decent at $14.95.
For dessert we were given the options of a chocolate mousse torte, cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, bread pudding, Kahlua creme brulee and maybe another choice. Â I went with the cheesecake. Â It was delicious but you can't go wrong with cheesecakes from the Cheesecake Factory........unless....when you get your bill you find out that the cheesecake here costs more than it does if you would buy it at the Cheesecake Factory. Â For $9.95, I would have expected cheesecake of monstrous proportions but this was just an average sized piece. Â
So generally the food is excellent, the service is exceptional but the portion sizes are lacking and definitely stay away from the desserts. Â I have never had a dessert cost me more than my glass of wine!
Service was nice but food just okay. Â Presentation was a bit off -- I ordered a dinner salad and it was packed into a small bowl. Â I wished I had a spare plate to move some food out. Â I ordered dessert of creme brulee which did not have the sugar on top carmelized so it was sweet like cotton candy.
Not a lot of dinner options in the area for groups so might go back again.
I used the voucher from living social and was pleased to find the service was very pleasant and the food was quite nice (delicious sirloin steak and very tasty tuna blt) but watch out with the drinks, I found them over the top. The least expensive glass of red wine (the house wine!) was $9 and my husband beer (dunkel) was $6, coffee and tea $3.
Review Source:The seafood bisque and the shrimp and grits were awesome (even if I had to wolf it town in 10 minutes to get on a conference call that was postponed anyway...) BUT the service was SLLLOOOOWWWW... The wait-staff wasn't very well trained to take orders for drinks, appetizers, and meals at appropriate times... *shrug*
Review Source:We went here for dinner last night after purchasing a Groupon for the restaurant. It's a nice and clean restaurant with some friendly staff. I was a bit nervous because when we walked in at 6pm with a reservation I was shocked to see that there were only two other tables sat, and two more came in while we ate. The place is plenty big but just didn't draw a crowd by the time we left at a little after 7. Despite the quietness of the place, the food was excellent and the service was decent. Oh, and the best thing about going then was that Saturday's are 1/2 price bottle of wine nights, so we got a bottle for a little more than the price of one glass.
Our waitress was either new or having an off-night. We had to ask her if there were any specials and we also had to confirm that it was 1/2 price bottle of wine night. The other waitress serving some of the other tables did a much better job of informing the customers of what the restaurant offered. However, our waitress was very attentive and checked on us multiple times throughout the course of our dinner.
For an appetizer we had the salmon flatbread ($8). I was expecting a crispy, cheesy appetizer but it was four huge sandwich wedges of the smoked salmon and cold, mushy pita with cream cheese. The salmon tasted wonderful but I think I was anticipating a crunch that just wasn't meant to be.
For dinner I had the 12oz ribeye ($24) that was served with hand-cut fries. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was extremely tender. It was also one of the leanest ribeyes I had ever ordered at a restaurant. Sadly, the fries were a bit soggy and oily, but at least they were fresh and not frozen. The miss' got the seafood pasta ($16) which contained fresh, homemade pasta mixed with shrimp and scallops. The homemade pasta was awesome and the scallops were cooked perfectly.
All in all, it was a great night. The half-priced bottle of wine, the steak and the seafood pasta were all delicious. I wasn't ecstatic with our appetizer but that wouldn't stop me from going back and trying something else. I would definitely go back to Firewater again, especially on a Saturday night!
This review has more to do with the staff and food, than the restaurant itself...as I did not actually have the time to visit.
While staying at the adjacent Hilton, I had the pleasure to meet the Executive Sous Chef, who was hosting the evening's happy hour in the hotel's "Executive Lounge". I found him to be amiable; and more importantly, the food was outstanding. They had prepared a buffet of "small plate" type food...foie gras with a tart apple compote-type-thing (I don't know the proper culinary term, sorry) and baked brie. There were also these pot-roast "cones", which were also delicious. All-in-all, some of the best fare I've had during my week long visit to the Charlotte area.
They had also put out some menus for us to peruse, and although only 1 Â of the items we tasted (baked brie) was actually on the restaurant menu, I am very confident that an evening here would be well spent. They only get 4 instead of 5 because, although very very good, the food I tried was still in a buffet format...and nothing that isn't made to order and delivered direct to your awaiting palette will be perfect.
Being that the only other "high end" restaurant anywhere  near here is The Melting Pot (blah), I'm pretty certain this is probably the best restaurant in town...or at least in North Charlotte.
I look forward to visiting the actual restaurant the next time I am in the area, and hopefully upgrading to 5 stars then.
Cheers.
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