Flickers of innovation

Firefly Bistro’s setting is both charming and unusual. Two dining areas, at the front and rear of the building, are both “al fresco” canopied spaces, with the interior used solely as a kitchen. It was originally called Nick’s, but Nick eventually vanished and, instead of folding his tent, left it to the new owners, who reopened its (conceptual) doors for business, rechristened it and put together a carefully selected wine list and a set of seasonal menus that are eclectic and blessedly — in an age of ubiquitous seared ahi and beef with gorgonzola variants — playful and inventive.

For instance: lobster pot pie, with leeks, fennel, purple potatoes and fresh thyme ($26.50), and a New York strip steak ($28.50) saved from cliché by a chili rub and a tomatillo-veal reduction. Or a tapas plate appetizer ($14.50), consisting of hunks of cheese, spiced nuts, marinated veggies, tempura white anchovies and grilled bread. Even something as simple as miso soup with soba noodles ($4.50) includes unusual red chili tofu wonton.

There are a number of Mediterranean dishes that circulate: e.g., garlic roasted chicken with dried mushroom polenta, garlic confit, black olives and arrugula ($18.50), and a smattering of Asian-derived recipes such as teriyaki rack of lamb ($28.50) or duck adobo with vegetable lumpia ($22). And some of the most appealing food at Firefly is Southern-based: e.g., cornbread-stuffed grilled trout with red-chili avocado, green bean-fennel salad and sweet onion–white wine vinegar drizzle ($22). Some newer menu additions seem to indicate a shift in the kitchen from Southeast to Southwest. For instance, the French toast they used to serve for Sunday brunch was cornmeal-crusted, topped with caramelized bananas and served with vanilla bean–orange syrup. Firefly’s latest riff substitutes a flour tortilla for the bread, keeps the bananas (and some pecans) and tops it with cajeta (a Mexican caramelized milk syrup) for $9.50. And, instead of scrambled eggs, Smithfield ham and peas with crispy sweet potatoes, there’s a huevos dish with a dollop of lime crema ($10.50).

Desserts (all $7.50) are mostly a delight. Churros come filled with chocolate, rolled in cinnamon-sugar and served with cafe con leche ice cream. An autumn sweet is apple and dried cranberry pie with vanilla ice cream and dried cranberry compote. Another is Spanish blue cheese soufflé cake with grilled farmer’s market fruit, port figs, honeyed hazelnuts and hazelnut cream; and pumpkin and mascarpone empanada with candied ginger crème anglaise, fresh pomegranate and crispy pumpkin curls.

Conceptually, Firefly’s multiple menus definitely deserve an A+.  So it’s disappointing that the finished product occasionally misses the mark; overall execution grade — B.  Here’s an example: the potato and lentil samosas ($8.50) on the appetizer list last time we went (a couple of weeks back), served with masala tomato chutney, spiced crispy chickpeas and gingered yogurt. Check, check, check — all there, all delicious. But the turnovers were doughy enough that even a half (four of us shared an order of two) is more than enough. On the other hand, the warm sheep’s milk brie with caramelized shallots, charred jalapeno, rosemary oil, red pepper jam and grilled bread ($9.50) is a real winner. The four of us wanted more — way more. Ditto for the spicy butternut squash doughnuts with toasted walnut–Madras curry dip and oregano honey ($8.25). These are doughy as well; but, hey, that’s why they’re called doughnuts. And the pan-seared mushrooms with grilled asparagus tips, herbed crème fraîche and chili-balsamic reduction ($8.25) — perfection.

My mate orders the pecan-coated catfish over sweet potato-andouille hash with collard greens and mustard pan sauce ($17.50). To be honest, we do a similar catfish at home which turns out oven-crisp. This concoction is piled impressively high; the hash is super, the collards down-home, but the catfish is drunk — drowned in the tasty gravy. Why bother with pecans if they’re going to be soggy?

My shrimp with tasso ham, crimini mushrooms, herbsaint and tarragon over Parmesan-Tabasco grits (also $17.50) is reminiscent of a dish I had two years ago at Emeril in New Orleans. BAM! Here the kitchen is right on target. The shrimp are tender and all flavors blend harmoniously — nothing’s lost, but there’s no fighting for dominance.

Our friend orders a grilled pork chop with tomato-molasses glaze, bacon-wrapped asparagus, tarragon apple slaw and corn-sage pudding ($22.50). The glaze is good, the asparagus good, the slaw and pudding great. The pork chop (a big sucker) is, according to him, “just a pork chop.” Too bad.

His wife wants the sweet potato gnocchi with fresh peas, roasted shallots, charred radicchio, basil and roasted ricotta salata ($17.50). Unfortunately, they don’t have it. (They also don’t have our first choice of wines.) She makes do with Balinese roasted eggplant with curried potatoes, shallot-lime sambal and green papaya salad ($16.50). It’s a hit. Not bad for a second choice.

We only try one dessert: ginger peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream and sweet black-pepper biscuit ($7.50). We can’t taste the ginger; ditto the black pepper. The biscuit is as doughy as the samosa. We want it to be flaky and spicy. It’s a disappointment. So, all in all, we leave full but not as completely satisfied as on other visits.

Fireflies (or lightning bugs, as we used to call them back home in Maryland) are a fleeting phenomenon, their twinkling presence lasting only a single short summer. This Firefly, however, has defied the odds of tiny, sparkling insects and small, sparkling restaurants, both of which tend to die young. Unlike its namesake, Firefly Bistro is perfectly comfortable even on a cold winter night.

And, after seven years, its bright food and atmosphere continue to attract diners looking for something a little different
and a lot better. An occasional disappointment is a small price to pay for reasonable prices, pleasant surroundings and, in particular, the creativity behind the cooking at Firefly Bistro.