By Dathan Kazsuk
If you have enjoyed the vibe, ambiance, and food at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in North Hills, and, of course, that dangerously easy-to-drink Double Black Diamond Martini, you’ll feel at home at the new Firebirds in Wake Forest.
The restaurant recently opened across from Wegmans, bringing another recognizable dining option to one of Wake Forest’s fastest-growing areas. And for those of us living in north Raleigh, it also means we no longer have to make the trek to North Hills when a craving for a wood-fired steak and pineapple-infused martini hits.
But there’s another reason to check out the new location, especially if you can sneak out of work a little early.
Firebirds recently introduced an Early Dining Menu, available Monday through Thursday from 3–5 p.m., featuring eight entrées for $19.95 each.
And $19.95 at Firebirds caught my attention.
Dining out with a family of four at a sit-down restaurant for around $100 has become something of a minor miracle. Here, four entrées come in at just under $80 before tax, tip, and drinks, giving families an opportunity to have an actual dinner without wondering whether they should have taken out a small loan first.
Granted, there are only two of us, but Jen and I were willing to take one for the team. And this special is indeed available at both Triangle locations.
Steak, Salmon, and That Firebirds Bread
Before even the drinks arrive, there’s the bread.
There’s just something about warm restaurant bread and whipped butter that makes you forget you’re supposed to save room for dinner. Firebirds understands this.
For my entrée, I ordered the 7-ounce sirloin with garlic butter and Parmesan mashed potatoes.
The steak was well seasoned and cooked nicely, but the garlic butter really pulled everything together. It added creamy richness without overpowering the beef, and the Parmesan mashed potatoes made it feel like much more than a stripped-down “value menu” meal. Although I could have used another veggie side, such as broccoli.
Jen went with the wood-grilled salmon, served with seasonal vegetables and rice pilaf loaded with red peppers, onions, and mushrooms—basically a little vegetable explosion alongside the fish.
I’ll admit I don’t make salmon very often at home, mainly because I can never seem to make it as well as restaurants do.
Firebirds did.
The salmon stayed tender and flaky, and the key lime butter added enough brightness and richness to complement the fish without overpowering it.
The Early Dining Menu isn’t limited to steak and salmon, either. Other choices include chicken pasta with a spicy Asiago cream sauce, baby back ribs with fries, jumbo shrimp, butcher’s meatloaf, and chicken tenders—because sometimes the kids aren’t interested in your culinary adventure. They want chicken tenders.
Of Course We Ordered Cocktails
Now, you could come here, order your $19.95 dinner, drink water, and congratulate yourself on being financially responsible.
That’s apparently not how I operate.
I paired my steak with Firebirds’ Charred Orange Margarita, made with Corazón Blanco Tequila infused with grilled orange, clove, and cinnamon, along with pressed lime. It’s poured tableside into a chilled glass, which adds a little presentation to the experience.
More importantly, it worked extremely well with the steak. The citrus and spice played nicely against the beef’s richness and the garlic butter.
Then there’s that Firebirds cocktail with its own cult following: the Double Black Diamond Martini.
Firebirds infuses Svedka Citron Vodka with fresh pineapple for 21 days, then serves it chilled with a pineapple slice.
It sounds ridiculously simple. It also works ridiculously well.
If you’ve had one at the North Hills location, don’t worry. Wake Forest isn’t messing with the formula.
A New Firebirds for Our Side of Town
As the area surrounding Wegmans continues to grow, Firebirds feels like a natural addition to this part of Wake Forest.
The restaurant has long had a following at North Hills, but this new location gives people in Wake Forest and northern Raleigh another option—and selfishly, that’s probably the part we’re happiest about.
Living in the Falls River/Bedford area, Wake Forest is an easy run for us. Add a nice outdoor patio, the familiar Firebirds atmosphere, and that bar, and I could easily see this becoming one of our regular stops.
But the Early Dining Menu might be the real surprise.
The catch?
You’ve got to eat between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Call it early dinner. Call it late lunch. Call it an excuse to tell your boss you have an extremely important 3:30 p.m. appointment involving garlic butter.
Whatever works.
For $19.95, we’ll allow it.
