For those of you who have frequented the Washington D.C area, you know about a place called Potomac Mills. It’s an outlet mall that’s more the size of a small village. Everyone in WDC goes to Potomac Mills to get good deals on anything and everything.

It’s in a town called Woodbridge, which, is clearly overshadowed by Potomac Mills. So much so that, around the corner form Potomac Mills is another shopping area called Potomac Town Center that nobody knows about. New, modern and much more upscale.

I ended up there because I had to take a detour and I came across a pleasant surprise… A restaurant called Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.

Atmosphere: Very comforting but modern. Lots of wood and leather, but, not like a steakhouse. More like a night club. The booths were very large and the tables well positioned so as not to be on top of one another. It is a dimly lit space, but, intimate dining anytime of day tends to be more relaxing. This was very relaxing…

Food: I had the steak au poivre in a peppercorn brandy sauce with parmesan mashed potatoes. The steak was sliced in strips and cooked medium rare. I got a side of seasoned fries too. You know how much I eat so don’t even ask…

It was probably one of the best steak dishes I’ve ever had. Sometimes it’s too much steak or the mashed potatoes are just average and so are the fries. The combinations the chef chose for all of these items is spot-on. And to finish, I had the creme brulee cheesecake. Creme brulee and cheesecake? Brilliant!

Service: The hostess was friendly and pleasant and the server was very polite and very attentive. So much so that he kept apologizing for interrupting our conversation. No matter, those are the kinds of interruption you want when you’re fine dining.

The final word on Firebirds Wood Fired Grill: A+. To think I had to go 30 miles south of what is one of the most cosmopolitan metropolitan areas in the USA to get the perfect combination of steak and potatoes? More of an extremely pleasant surprise that turns out to be a chain – there are more out there.

I will return for an encore at some point and if there’s one near you, enjoy yourself… I know I did…