FOODIE

When Takeout Calls, Fireside Answers
By Peter & Rosie / foodie@longislandernews.com

Plans change. When injury sidelined one of the Foodies this week, the restaurant visit we’d been planning – and really looking forward to – had to be postponed. The mishap that caused us to cancel our plans also compromised home cooking efforts.

For just such situations, there’s Fireside, or as they officially call themselves, “The Original Fireside Caterers.” A familiar stop for the Foodies on Jericho Turnpike in East Northport, just west of Larkfield Road, the rotisserie is always burning at Fireside. And with the Jets’ final playoff game happening on the day of our visit, the rotisserie was working overtime.

Fireside’s delicatessen roots are evident in the deli counter where, on any given day, sandwiches, wraps and salads literally fly out the door. The operation is efficient even at peak hours, so a stop at Fireside doesn’t eat up the better part of your lunch hour. It won’t break the bank either, with sandwich prices ranging from the $4.25 egg salad, to the specialty heroes at $6.99. The All-American ($6.99) is built with – you guessd it – roast beef, turkey breast, ham, American cheese, lettuce and tomato. The Chicken Supreme ($6.99) features a cutlet with mozzarella, bacon, lettuce and tomato; or try Mussolini’s Revenge ($6.99), an Italian hero with ham cappy, genoa salami, pepperoni, provolone, lettuce and tomato, with oil and vinegar. Healthy Choice keeps it simple with grilled chicken, lettuce and tomato with a light honey mustard dressing.

Fireside’s wraps are generously built to order. An occasional indulgence is the Buffalo Chicken wrap ($6.99), with its spicy wing sauce. The menu lists 10 wraps, all at $6.99 save for the Grilled Chicken BLT ($7.49).

Where Fireside shines, however, is with its selection of family take-out dinners. The menu lists a dozen choices, featuring rostisserie chicken, Southern fried chicken, fried shrimp, fish and the Fireside house specialty, barbecued ribs, along with any of more than a dozen sides. Inevitably, we stared at the menu boards trying to choose, and end up ordering the same chicken and ribs combo. The rotisserie chicken is always a winner at Fireside. Slow roasted, it’s fall-off-the-bone tender with a smoky flavor. Whether your dinner plan includes a half or full chicken, it’s always cut for convenience so there’s no carving to be done at home. The ribs also fall into the fall-off-the-bone category, but a bit of time under the broiler gives it a little edge and carmelizes the sweet-and-sour barbecue sauce. If your dinner includes ribs, grab plenty of napkins.

Some favorite family combos include the basic Southern Chicken ($18.95) with a dozen pieces of crispy fried chicken and three large sides to feed four-to-five; the Giant Barbecue Basket ($29.95), with three rotisserie chickens and four large sides; and the Shrimp and Rib Combo ($34.95), an awesome pound of fried shrimp, large barbecued ribs and four sides to serve four to five people.

Regarding the side dishes, orders in our household always include the mac-and-cheese. It’s creamy and rich, just waiting for some fresh ground pepper. Ours usually include mashed potatoes and, just to keep things reasonably healthy, steamed vegetables. At any given time, you’ll also find kernel corn, jazzed up with minced red peppers, creamed spinach, roast potatoes and a selection of slaws and salads.

Fireside offers a selection of pies, cookies and other desserts, though as long as we’re throwing cholesterol counts out the window, we’d just as soon fill up on ribs. Because one of the Foodies was on the injury list, our most recent Fireside visit included a stop at the neighborhood florist. Plates instead of paper, real silver instead of plastic and a bunch of flowers on the table made it the next best thing to dining out. Well, except that there were some dishes to be done.

The Original Fireside Caterers

4097 Jericho Tpke., East Northport
631-462-0900
www.firesidecaterers.net

Cuisine: deli style sandwiches, wraps and salads;
family take out, hot dinners

Atmosphere: fast-moving takeout

Price range: inexpensive

Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mon.-Sat.;
10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun.

Main Menu