Copyright 2000 Boston Herald Inc.
The Boston Herald
November 24, 2000
SECTION: SCE; Pg. S09
LENGTH: 779 words
HEADLINE: Dining Review' Quantity wins over quality at Fire+Ice; Fire+Ice is just lukewarm
BYLINE: By MAT SCHAFFER
Fire+Ice 205 Berkeley St., Boston; (617) 482-3473
One and a half stars (out of four)

My friend Greg - a body-building personal trainer with moretattoos than Popeye - loves Fire+Ice. The big galoot can chow to his heart's content at this self-described "improvisational grill." Is there any other restaurant around that offers all-you-can-eat stir-fries you compose yourself to suit your fancy? For $ 14.95? Yes, all you can eat! Yes, $ 14.95!

Greg's idea of cooking is a can opener and protein powder. But his eyes light up when he describes mixing and matching ingredients at Fire+Ice. It inspires the chef within.

The fast-growing chain opened its third location in the Back Bay (there are outlets in Harvard Square and Providence) this past summer. It's a whimsically designed, industrial chic Pee-wee's Playhouse decorated in Froot Loop colors and burnished metals, glass, woods and textiles. It's smoky and loud but it's fun.

Here's the skinny. Diners choose from a variety of raw poultry, meat, fish and vegetables plus a slew of sauces. Bring your picks over to a giant, 8-foot diameter, circular steel grill where a trio of chefs, armed with spatulas, happily flip, flip, flip your meal together. Servers deliver the finished dishes to your table along with white rice and a stack of warmed flour tortillas.

So what's your culinary strategy? Do the ingredients predicate the sauce or vice versa? Do you fill your plate with lots of different things or be more minimalist and discriminating? Do you go for one humongous serving or opt for smaller portions so you can go back for seconds or (like Greg) thirds, thus maximizing the experience?

The choice, dear reader, is yours. You are Emeril.

Peruse the "market" buffet with its appetizing display of fresh foodstuffs that can include chicken, turkey, pork, sirloin and andouille sausage - the assortment rotates daily. Are you in the mood for shrimp, mussels, shark, swordfish, salmon or calamari? Vegans seeking a protein fix can have tempeh or tofu or (of course) both.

Kick it up a notch with veggies: Red onions, scallions, bell peppers, jalapenos, assorted mushrooms, bean sprouts, bok choy, snow peas, broccoli, squash, carrots, bay corn, artichoke hearts, green beans, plum and sun-dried tomatoes. You'll find pasta, udon and soba noodles, mandarin oranges and pineapple.

Bam! Hit the sauce carousel! There's Creole, "zesty" pomodoro, Thai basil and red Thai curry. Or try Dijon scallion cream, "Ginsburg's" teriyaki, ginger-sesame mushroom or orange sesame seed. If that isn't confusing enough, you can also have Tahitian honey glaze, mushroom Marsala, chipotle BBQ, hoisin BBQ, mango habanero and even Caribbean jerk.

A word of caution: The Fire+Ice sauces are aggressively flavored and a little goes a long way. Most people I observed went heavy on the sauce - and regretted it later. Use half the sauce you think you need and then halve that amount - really. Attention chili heads: The one-, two- and three-blaze "hotness" indicator on each sauce is useless, three-blaze sauce is not particularly incendiary.

So how do I review a restaurant where dinner depends on your druthers? I tell you that the three dressings for the salad greens are too sugary. I point out that the wine list is embarrassingly bad. I disclose that when the dining room is busy, the buffet turns chaotic.

I make mention that there's one weekly dessert ($ 8.95 but it feeds an army) and that a recent chocolate raspberry cake was forgettable. I report that the young wait staff is enthusiastic and amiable. I dutifully inform you that the smell of all that grilling under one roof will linger on your clothing.

And I share with you some combinations my companions and I concocted over two visits. Pork, andouille sausage, tomatoes, peppers, onions, jalapenos and chipotle BBQ. Chicken, shrimp, broccoli, straw mushrooms and Thai red curry. Shrimp, peppers, onions, mushrooms and zesty pomodoro over pasta. Udon noodles topped with sirloin, tofu, sprouts, snow peas, bok choy and ginger-sesame-mushroom. Turkey, scallions, summer squash and Caribbean jerk. Pork, olives, onions, plum tomatoes, roasted eggplant and Creole. Salmon, ginger, shiitakes, leeks and Dijon scallion cream. Sirloin, roasted garlic, bean sprouts, onion, pea pods and Ginsburg's teriyaki.

Though not great, they were all good. And perhaps that's all they needed to be. Fire+Ice delivers what it promises - tons of food in a hip atmosphere at one heck of a price. It will suffice.

Hours: Sun.-Thu., 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri. & Sat., 11 a.m.-midnight.
Liquor: Full
Credit: All
Accessibility: Accessible
Parking: On street, nearby lots

© 2004 Roundgrille, Inc.