Translation from English

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Firebird Russian Restaurant ( Restaurant Row)

This place looks swank and delightful but then most of the places on restaurant row look pretty damn good

I wonder what Yelper's think..well, decidedly mixed. I had hoped for better


Firebird Restaurant

3.0 star rating
174 reviews Rating Details
Categories: Russian, French  [Edit]
365 W 46th St
(between 9th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Midtown West, Theater District
(212) 586-0244
Make a Reservation
$44.95 for Dinner Pre-Fixe
$44.95 3 Course Pre-Fixe Dinner Available 5pm to close Sunday - Thursday and 5pm to 7pm Friday and Saturday
Nearest Transit Station:
42 St. - Bryant Pk (B, D, F, M)
Times Sq - 42 St. (S)
5 Ave. (7, 7X)
Hours:
Mon-Tue 12 pm - 9 pm
Wed-Fri 12 pm - 11 pm
Sat 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 11 am - 9 pm
Parking:
Street
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Price Range:
$$$$
Attire:
Dressy
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
No
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
No
Good For:
Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Noise Level:
Quiet
Ambience:
Classy
Has TV:
No
Caters:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Dogs Allowed:
No

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "Chicken Kiev - Perfectly coccooned in a flaky crust." In 34 reviews
  • "We also had the pleasure of trying their honey infused vodka." In 14 reviews
  • "Make sure to try one their caviar dish from their menu." In 36 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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174 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 3 reviews
    Newark, NJ
    4/27/2013
    The ambient is cozy and friendly.  People are great and very attention.  The food was amazing, i love it.
  • Review from

    • 22 friends
    • 49 reviews
    Bayside, NY
    9/20/2013
    Came here before a Broadway show.  Decent Russian fare, ok service, nice surroundings.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 9 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    8/9/2013
    I went to Firebird for restaurant week lunch. I've eaten dinner here. The vodka and caviar was lovely. The end. The lunch was inedible. I spent $45 for a small bowl of ok soup and a drink. There was nothing Russian about the menu. A HAMBURGER! Really? I ordered what sounded like some sort of Russian chicken breast with a mushroom sauce and...mashed potatoes (very Russian). There was a tiny, I mean tiny thigh and the smallest piece of breast I've ever seen and it tasted AWFUL. I will never go back. I suggest you steer clear...
  • Review from

    • 436 friends
    • 400 reviews
    Somerville, MA
    3/14/2013 1 check-in here
    Opulence.  I has it.

    Seriously, this place is the epitome of Russian opulence to the point of absurdity. . . but It's kind of charming.  I arrived late on  a Sunday for brunch and was promptly greeted and asked if I had a reservation.

    "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no [interior monologue: "oh shit"]"
    "Ah, well that's ok, we can find a space for you"
    *phew*

    I was promptly lead into a dining room FULL of golf and pretty Russian things.  But not people.  Two other tables were currently taken.  I had to giggle a bit under my breath.

    The menu was fun, but I settled on a Georgian omelette.  I mean really, how can I go wrong with lamb chunks in an freakin omelette.  And the tea!  It was in really really real glass Russian team mugs!  The bread was fantastic, the lamb was quite good, and the experience was very Russian.

    Quite enjoyable, just enjoy the opulence with a subdued smile.  I can tell they really pride themselves on it.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    1/25/2013 Seated via OpenTable
    Came here with the groupon for the seafood tower and two glasses of champagne or vodka. A lot of other Yelpers seem to be hating on this place and this deal a bit, but I thought it was kind of just average...

    My friend and I both thought the seafood tower was passable, especially considering that this isn't a place necessarily known for having 'amazing' seafood options (it's a Russian restaurant!). What we thought was stranger is that we came here on a weekend afternoon, around 2 (so still at a reasonable time for lunch), and the place was absolutely empty. We were the only table, literally. I think if nothing else that's a pretty bad sign for the health of the restaurant...
  • Review from

    Jacksonville, FL
    6/22/2013 1 photo
    I love trying different cuisines, and was uber hyped up about spending the week before christmas in NYC, even more so when I found this place! Go here dressed to the nines and prepared to take in an old world mother Russia feeling. Try a flight of vodka from their EXTENSIVE list, or try the honey vodka.  I hear the lamb was lovely, the borscht is great and the  beef stroganoff isn't too bad. Very rich food, culture and tab...but when a tourist in NYC, give in and splurge a bit. Remember to say spasiba as you leave;)
    • Store front from street during Christmas week
  • Review from

    • 47 friends
    • 174 reviews
    Boston, MA
    2/25/2013
    Pretty cool and unique place to find in NYC, but the food is only so-so.  My Aunt brought me here for a celebration and I felt bad that she paid so much for my Beef Stroganoff that really tasted like something from a can.  Everything is very well presented, though.  The clientele are generally old white people, but the place itself is pretty cool with old Russian decoration - reminds me of one of those Comcast commercials with the guy and his tiny giraffe.

    Make sure to make a trip upstairs, even if it's closed, to see the giant glass bear.
  • Review from

    • 44 friends
    • 211 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    12/20/2012 1 photo
    This was pretty bad.

    For starter we had the seafood platter. What is mentioned by other reviewers is true- this is simply atrocious. I was afraid of food poisoning so did not touch any of the oysters/clams.... Gross, pre-frozen, etc.

    For the meal we had the wild boar and rabbit stew. The stew was much to be desired, very salty, unidentifiable meat floating around in mystery sauce. Terrible. The boar was undercooked and rare inside, too rare to eat. My friend was less than impressed with the meal.

    For dessert we got chocolate cake and cappuccinos. The cappuccinos were not great, and the cake was nothing special.

    The decor is not great- the place looks great from the outside, fails to impress inside. Service is spotty - they accidentally bought us 2 chocolate cakes, took it away once we mentioned it. Water was not refilled very often.

    Save your money- it's pricy. For the same price, you can get MUCH better value elsewhere. Fast food can be better than this. As I write this, I fear food poisoning.
    • buyer beware
  • Review from

    • 33 friends
    • 193 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    1/6/2013
    Came here in the past, but my rating stands based on the reviews. I don't think restaurants get it. I am a patron, when I have $$$ to spend, and am spending it at your establishment, do not give me attitude, because you will get it tenfold, and do not give me a poor meal, especially for the lavish price on the menu.

    Um, everything here is the opposite of scrumptious, including the cold, miserable faces of the waiters. Look, we get it, communism was hard, I know. Stalin was a monster, you want Putin back. You're still miserable because of all the flower and color revolutions, especially the Orange revolution. Like I said, we get it. However, you're serving food and not politics.

    So when that beef straganoff that is supposed to smell delightful, even to a vegetarian looks like slop, it's time to hang your hat up and quit the business.

    Anyone looking for some Russian food, head over to Brighton Beach. Glechik, is a great alternative.
  • Review from

    • 11 friends
    • 27 reviews
    New York, NY
    11/16/2012
    More like Crime & Punishment: Firebird should learn that a "Seafood Tower" is not supposed to be just the top of the tower! There is a rack for a second tier that is supposed to hold seafood too!. I've had many seafood towers in my day and have never had anything so skimpy, dry,and frozen (not fresh tasting).(Look at Docks' review to see what a seafood tower is supposed to look like: 3 times the size). I felt like it was an authentic Russian experience, albeit 1991 Russia, when there were bread lines! They didn't even serve any bread with the measly seafood plate.

    My client took me here to reward me for a job well done, but it felt like a punishment! Not only have I been up for the last 2 hours with stomach cramps, but it was a really miserable experience. Granted, he used a Groupon, but a restaurant should take advantage of the Groupon to wow it's customers, not try to "take advantage" of them. The term "you get what you pay for" would apply in this case, if we got anywhere near what we paid for. The seafood tower that we got was not enough for one person, let alone two (but we couldn't force oursleve to eat more than 1/2 of it). I would say it was worth less than half of what he paid with his Groupon.

    Even if I don't die from the food, serving dried out seaford like I had should be criminal! If we had gotten the same plate at Red Lobster, we would have returned it and complained to the Board of Health, but my client was trying to save face. No doubt why the restauant was virtually empty at 6:45pm and all customers had glum looks on their faces like they had been "had".

    P.S My glass of Proseco was dirty. Judging from the number of fingerprints on it, I wonder how often the staff wash their hands. All in all, it lives up to the name of the neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen!
  • Review from

    Queens, NY
    12/4/2012 1 check-in here
    A great Russian restaurant I have been to. Our waitstaff was very nice and helpful. I was here for a deal I purchased on Groupon, and he knew what I was going to order. However, he was still nice to us and all.

    I also love the interior of this restaurant. The room I was in was very cozy, but there are different rooms with different decorations. Next time I will try the 2nd floor. :)

    What I loved the most was the banana split! The waiter who cooked it in front of us was entertaining, and he was kind enough to tell us how to make it at home. I haven't tried to make it yet, but soon I will! Honey infused vodka was amazing too!

    Then why just 4 stars? I love the food here but this is an expensive place. :P
  • Review from

    • 22 friends
    • 18 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    10/8/2012
    THIS PLACE WAS TERRIBLE!!! First of all why the fuck are you up on groupon if you're going to be treating people with groupons so rude! It happened to us and it happened to a couple next to us. Once they knew we were part of the groupon thing whaaaaaaat! The waiter was like Fuxk these people. After being seated to our table they came 20 minutes later. The waiter, I don't know who the hell it was, was so rude.

    The place looked like it was straight up from the titanic. The glass of liquor my friend and I had got us tipsy. The seafood tower was deadass a plate held up by metal things. Tower my ass.

    Again why sign up to be a participant of groupon when you are most definitely gonna suck MAYJA balls. You knooooooow this place was bad when it brought me back from my yelp hiatus.
  • Review from

    • 157 friends
    • 93 reviews
    New York, NY
    12/31/2012
    The decor is very old school, as are the waiter's uniforms.

    The good: Flaming bananas foster (they make it at your table) and honey vodka really is quite good

    Other: the seafood tower is not very fresh.

    Beef stroganoff noodles were very hard. But the sauce is pretty rich.
  • Review from

    • 151 friends
    • 68 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    11/3/2012
    An evening fit for a tsar.

    From some of the reviews, only expected a so-so experience, but the dinner far exceeded my expectations, especially in terms of the service.  Went with a Groupon and had a fantastic evening.

    First, the setting is spectacular.  I felt like I was in an elegant  St. Petersburg restaurant.

    The restaurant was not very busy.  We were seated at a large round corner table.  Perfect for a romantic evening.  Would be a great place to drop the question or just have a fabulous date.

    The service was professional, efficient and very friendly.  

    We started with the Lobster Versasia (Avocado Butter, Lemon Citronade, Harissa, Micro Herb Salad), which was excellent. The Vareniki (Potato, Confit Onion, Almond, Farmers Cheese, Dill Chive Yogurt Sour Cream) was a bit bland, but still good.

    The sliced dark bread was tasty with a slightly salty taste to it, good but not exceptional.

    The preparation of the appetizers and all of the courses was superb.

    After the appetizer Chef Paul came out to say hello to us and to ask us how the meal was, which was very a very nice touch. I just wish he came after the entree or the dessert so we could share our delight at the wonderful meal.

    For the entrees we had the Armenian Lamb Rack & Filet Duo (small supplement) (Potato Lardon Cake, Fenugreek, Madeira Reduction) and the Wild Black Bass
    (Grilled Prawn, Savory Bread Pudding, Tomato Fricassee, Caviar Beurre Blanc).
    The presentation of both was beautiful.  The tsar would be proud.  The bass was tender and flavorful.  The lamb and fillet duo was also very good.  I ordered it rare to medium rare and it came just about right, although one piece was more medium, which normally I would not like, but my wife prefers it that way so it was all for the best.

    As part of the Groupon, we were entitled to two vodkas.  Since we both do not like to drink vodka, we asked if we could substitute decaf and tea instead, which was graciously allowed.  It did show up on the bill (the first waiter had left by the time we were ready to leave), but we mentioned that and it was taken off immediately and graciously and  without question.

    For dessert we went with an excellent Chocolate Raspberry Cake and the Molten Chocolate Cake with Espresso Ice Cream. The chocolate raspberry cake was fairly dense and very rich and chocolaty.  Definitely a winner.  The Molten Chocolate was very good.  Not as oozing with chocolate as I might like, but definitely a good choice. Very good espresso ice cream.

    The decaf coffee was good and they left small pots on the table for me, which is a nice touch and appreciated.

    Our dinner lasted over two hours and was just wonderful.  This place is a winner, although if you do not have a Groupon, it will take more than a few rubles, but it is worth it to feel like a tsar for an evening.

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