I want to thank reader and commenter, Gary, for contributing this review of Fireworks. It's one of the few places in Lincoln at which I've never dined. Just the description of the Xclerator hand dryer makes me want to go there.
Had supper at Fireworks Friday night. We followed supper with a stroll around the Haymarket, listening to music and enjoying the atmosphere. Friday nights in December are a great time to stop by the Haymarket.
We started with the flatbread appetizer, served with a red pepper mayo dipping sauce. The bread, topped with garlic and parmesan cheese, is good enough to eat by itself but the red pepper mayo is awesome, so be sure to try it.
A friend ordered the Ceylon Chicken, a cinnamon-marinated chicken breast brushed with an orange-cherry bbq sauce.
The marinade/glaze was incredibly dynamic. The sweet glaze combined with the cinnamon marinade was a complex combination of tastes that worked surprisingly well together. It was a great combination that I never would have considered trying.
Served with sautéed vegetables and roasted potatoes, this looks like a meal I will try next time I'm there. It looked like the chicken breast was a little small, but it may be that my view is skewed by the usually-too-large portions most restaurants serve.
I had the Rotisserie Chicken, which I absolutely love. It's more food than most people should be able to eat but I was in a particularly gluttonous mood, so I polished off the whole thing myself.
I love the seasonings they put on the chicken, which combine with the wood fired rotisserie to make this a delectable dish. My sides included a baked potato, which was good – not overcooked and not too big – and macaroni and cheese, which was also good, possibly the most ordinary dish on the menu.
The rotisserie chicken is a “whole half-chicken.” I don’t know what that means, but it’s a breast, wing, leg and thigh. Two pieces if I remember correctly. The meat was tender and well cooked not dry, not underdone. I suspect a good rotisserie chicken starts with a good piece of meat, so Fireworks’ supplier should get a nod here, too.
The service at Fireworks is much like Lazlo’s, a team approach. We had excellent service from our waiter, who took our order and checked on us from time to time. We also had a variety of people checking on our beverages and bringing us our food.
Fireworks is a great restaurant that has an excellent atmosphere. And the Xcelerator hand dryers in the restrooms are worth checking out. These things are like jet engines to dry your hands – very cool.
I have tried a variety of menu items at Fireworks over the years and rotisserie chicken is by far the best I’ve found. I hear their steaks are very good but I have only had one and it was fine but the red wine sauce was a little too strong.
Someday when I’m feeling particularly flush with cash I will try another steak. New York Strip isn’t my favorite steak, but I like the sound of Fireworks’ NY Strip with Gorgonzola Butter.
After posting this review in comments way, way back Gary sent me this addendum: "I forgot to mention that at Fireworks my friend tried their carrot jalapeno soup. Not bad, although I think pumpkin or squash may have had a more bold flavor than carrot."
True, although roasting the carrots might add bolder flavor to the soup that is enough to both complement and stand up to the jalapeño.
