George Martin's Grillfire - A Simple Twist of Taste

As Nassau County foodies already know, restaurateur George Martin cares. About food, decor, ambience and service.  All of these elements are in play at Grillfire, located prominently at 33 West Sunrise Highway in Merrick.

Decked out in a slightly retro pattern of burnt oranges, browns and yellows, Grillfire is warm, inviting and cozy.  The staff was equally as inviting - professional and courteous from wire to wire.

From a small but carefully chosen and nicely chalkboarded wine list, a glass of Rothschild Pinot Noir ($8.00) was velvety smooth and met at the table by the first of several small surprises.  In place of a standard bread basket, a unique presentation of warm, soft pretzels and honey mustard.  Simple, down home and unique - just a cool little...er...twist.

Not far behind that, the second little touch that separates Martin's restaurants from the pack.  A warm plate of spinach and artichoke dip ($10) with light, cripsy multi-colored tortilla chips that were served in a mini fry basket with newspaper wrapping.  Really fun, really fresh, really tasty.

Our server did an excellent job of getting the hungry little ones fed straight away.  Homemade mac-n-cheese ($6.95) came warm, thick and full of comfort done with white cheddar as opposed to yellow.  Chicken fingers ($6.95) were home breaded, crispy on the exterior, perfectly moist on the inside.

A small Caesar salad (one of Martin's biggest strengths at his self-named, highly regarded Rockville Centre location) was played safe and standard. Romaine hearts fresh and crispy; dressing light, evenly tossed.  If it ain't broke...

The Pan Roasted North Atlantic Salmon Filet ($18) was dressed up with an almond chive crust and a dijon lemon butter sauce.  The fish itself was perfectly prepared, a carmelized crusted outside that gave way to a buttery, flaky center. The dish was presented with a side of steamed broccoli florets which held their temperature and texture throughout the meal (no easy feat).  The dish was healthy and enjoyable, the type of simple experience that your palate thanks you for after the fact.

The seared tuna wrap ($15) featured rare Ahi tuna stuffed into an oversized whole wheat wrap with salsa, black beans, avocado, baby greens and a wasabi mayo alongside.  The tuna was pink and vibrant, blending nicely with the remainder of the wrap. The only misgiving - the side of cripsy battered fries that accompanied the wrap were flat out cold and simply too salty.  A minor misstep.

As dinner wound down, the last, giddy little twist revealed itself.  Martin features the "cupcake of the day" ($4) on Grillfire's menu. Choices this day included the "red velvet" and the "cookies and cream."  We opted for the latter, which was moist and delectable - the perfect final touch.  We all left smiling.

And as we did, we noticed the crowd had started to file in, despite lousy weather.  An inspiring and encouraging mix of young professionals, dating couples, late happy hour stalwarts and Long Island families. 

This should be Grillfire's (and Martin's)  highest compliment - the ability to keep it simple and strong while throwing a few fun curveballs, all in the success of appealing to diners across multiple demographics.