Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant, brew and barbecue in downtown Merced

During a Christmas visit to my hometown of Merced, CA, on December 24, 2005, I had a chance to eat at the Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant, with my brothers Michael and Paul, sample some of their fine, in-house-brewed beer from their microbrewery, and eat a fine pulled-pork barbecue sandwich. Our visit to the Firehouse was quite interesting, as some aspects were outstanding, and other aspects were so-so. I had a hard time writing this article, as I prefer to write about a good dining experience, but with our dining experience at the Firehouse, I just had to write what we experienced. Please keep in mind that this article only reflects that personal observations and tastes of the author, and his brothers.

Left: Firehouse is located at 18th and M Streets, in downtown Merced, CA. Right: Michael carries our lunch back to our table, as the table service was nearly non-existant.

Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant is located in a building that served as Merced's Central Fire Station, from 1953 until 1997, when a new central fire station was constructed, several blocks away. The building sat unused for four years, until The Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant opened in 2001, featuring a micro-brewery, and a menu of food, that showcased a varied menu, but was heavily tilted toward California-style bistro cuisine. The restaurant closed in 2002, but re-opened again in August of 2004, to mixed reviews. I first had the opportunity to sample Firehouse's cuisine in August of 2005, and I was very impressed by the fine micro brews that they brewed in-house, and the fine, vegetarian Ortega burger that I ordered from their California bistro/barbecue menu.

However, during our repeat visit to the Firehouse, on December 24, 2005, the menu had completely changed, and the delicious vegetarian Ortega burger that I had enjoyed, just mere months ago, was nowhere to be found on the menu. Please note that the author is NOT a vegetarian, but since the Ortega burger was so good, that I wanted to enjoy it again. Alas, it wasn't to happen.

Left: Oh yes, a full-service bar! You can see its Christmas, as there is a Christmas tree next to the bar, which is a nice touch. Right: Michael and Paul wait at the table for me to finish snapping the photo, as our rounds of beer await us, not to mention a pulled pork sandwich.

When we walked into Firehouse, we noticed that it was unusually empty, even for 12:30 on Christmas Eve, which is a normally slow time. We walked into the restaurant, and just sort of looked around at the empty tables and just sort of seated ourselves. Looking around, we noticed an awesome full-service bar to our right, complete with big screen TV monitors playing the Dallas Cowboys football game in progress, and to our rear, we could see their kitchen, complete with shiny stainless steel grill, griddle, and just about everything that you could wish for in a restaurant kitchen. Behind the bar, the microbrewery equipment appeared, squeaky-clean and beckoning like a beacon to micorbrewery enthusiasts. Firehouse has booths and tables placed stategically in the dining room, but there were few patrons. Although everything looked "perfect," we just didn't get the fun, friendly vibes that we'd experienced during our prior visit, the previous August. Employees were very scarce, as there only appeared to be a bartender/cashier, cook, and a guy that appeared to be a jack-of-all-trades, Johnny-on-the-spot kind of guy.

We finally flagged down Summer, the pretty and friendly bartender who on this day doubled as the cashier, and asked her for a menu, which she promptly produced, after profuse apologies concerning the fact that they were understaffed, and that management had "issues," and other talk such as that. Paul wasn't hungry, and neither Michael or weren't very hungry, but we decided to order a grilled, pulled-pork sandwich and fries from their menu, and a sampler each of the brews that they created from their in-house microbrewery. You can't go wrong with in-house beer!

Left: Firehouse serves huge samples of the in-house brewed beer, as you see, we're ready to enjoy this round. Right: Michael and I split this pulled pork sandwich, as we were here more for the beer than the sandwich.

When it comes to the "sampler," Firehouse does it right, as you're served six, eight-ounce glasses of their beer, that made at their in-house microbrewery. Yes Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore as that's 48 ounces of delicious beer! They feature dark beers, lagers and a lemon beer that I can't say that I cared for, but what a taste sensation! The beer sampler presents a lot of "bang" for the buck, and if you're a fan of moiré, then you must order their "Microbrew Sampler" when you visit the Firehouse.

The pulled pork barbecue sandwich and fries were "ok," not bad, not great, and totally uninspired, and the service was almost non-existent. Since Paul was our designated driver, I felt like ordering another round of samplers for Michael and myself, and I actually had to trot over to the bar, and flag Summer down to serve us. I actually helped her carry an order of beer to our booth, as there was nobody to help her out, and there were folks waiting at the register. If Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant wants to attract customers, they should seriously consider hiring more employees to serve their patrons, or adopt a self-service format, on the likes of McDonald's.

Left: Rick and his helper attend to their shiny kitchen, near the rear of the restaurant. Right: Grinning Rick, as I snap his photo as he's about ready to grill our pulled pork sandwich.

The atmosphere was not particularly fun and friendly, as the decor, the awesome bar, and the sports bar-like bigscreen TVs suggested, but sort of "stuffy" and "tense." As I took photos in the restaurant, I was question by one patron why I was taking photos, and he accused me of taking illicit photos of his young daughter, who was running around the restaurant, playing with siblings. I always attempt to be respectful of people, but I would not even consider taking a photo of a child, in an inappropriate manner. I showed the guy the photos that I'd taken, and he apologized and was ok with what I had done, yet the incident didn't exactly project a fun atmosphere at the Firehouse. However, I can't fault Firehouse's staff or management, as the matter was simply instigated by my fellow dining patron.

The friendly cook manning the grill, Rick, and his helper did get a chance to show me around their large grill, griddle, and kitchen, combined together in the rear of the restaurant. Rick told me that they actually grill using propane for heat, but they use hickory chunks soaked in wood to provide the smoky taste to their entrées. I really can't fault the pulled-pork sandwich that we ordered, but the whole dining experience enjoyed at Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant seemed a bit on the tepid side.

Left: Rick, the master of his domain, the kitchen at Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant. Right: Our friendly bartender/cashier, Summer, grins for my digital camera, as we pay for our order. Get this: Two rounds of sample beers, a pulled-pork sandwich, and a softdrink for Paul, our driver, only came to $28.03; not a bad price!

After powering-down, or should I say... sampling? ...two rounds of their sampler micro-brew menu, for a total of 96 ounces of beer, Michael and left the place very happy, and without much to care about in the world. Thank goodness that Paul had volunteered to be our designated driver, without Paul, Michael and I would have been taxi material!

The bottom line about the Firehouse? Outstanding beer! Great taste, great variety at a very reasonable price. Food: Good, not great. Food is served tepid, and lukewarm, and lacks, well, "something." Service... Almost non-existent, but friendly when you get it. Atnosphere? Strained, weird... Is this a brewpub, a restaurant, or a sports bar? Firehouse Brewpub Restaurant seems to suffer from an identity crisis, in attempting to decide what it wants to be.

Will I visit Firehouse again? Maybe, but probably only for the beer.