New Casual Place in Silver Spring - Fire Station 1

So I've become obsessed with restaurants within a few mile radius of our home in Silver Spring. There are tons of good ones that have been here forever, but are new to me. And we seem to have a wave of new openings going on as well. I'm all for it - convenience and supporting my neighborhood. Both good things.

Continuing the trend, I almost jumped off the couch in excitement when I read a local blog that said Fire Station 1 had opened for business on Friday night. It took a little convincing to get the husband to go to a place that had only been open for three hours, but it turned out to be very worth it.

I'll start with the downsides, since they were limited and not really a big deal for me. It seemed like they had rushed opening a bit. The beer taps don't work yet, the full menu isn't available, etc.

Now on to the good.

It's a casual, comfortable place. Very important for us. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Smiles and jokes all around about the hiccups going on during the first few hours of business, but the staff managed to keep us with full glasses in front of us. The owners were walking around, introducing themselves to folks, and helping behind the bar. It felt like we were all hanging out at someones house. This is key for ensuring we go back to a place.

The menu will be just our style once it is fully in place.  Good variety of standard bar/american fare. Pizzas that looked delicious. A unique take on boneless chicken wings. And a lobster blt that sounds like it will be quite tasty. All for very reasonable prices.

The decor is just interesting enough for me. They've taken advantage of the historic building, with soaring ceilings and exposed rafters. Modern flairs have been added, like the lighting and what we heard will be an impressive stairwell (not installed yet). And there's a ton of outdoor seating (too hot on Friday to check it out). It's a good balance.

We'll be back. A lot.