Firebird is music fans’ playground

By Alice Hunt
Poughkeepsie Journal

Innovation and adaptation are two key qualities for a successful career in the food biz, and the owners of the Firebird Grill & Lounge in Rhinebeck understand this concept well.

Husband and wife duo Matthew and Cheri Fraiman renovated their restaurant into a bar and grill to fill a niche not yet occupied in the restaurant-laden Rhinebeck area.

‘‘When we went out, we wanted to listen to good music and play pool,’’ Cheri Fraiman said. So instead of traveling to bars in Woodstock as they had been doing, the couple decided to create the perfect bar and grill themselves.

The result is a place for grownups to play.

Mid-evening (before midnight), men and women in their 30s grab their beers and fancy cocktails (Firebird has a long list of specialized martinis), their sweet potato fries and wings before staking a claim in one of the grill’s many seating areas.

Women chat while sitting on leather ottomans pushed together to form a low sofa as a group of friends crowd around a table at the other end of the room. The red pool table and Foosball table are rarely unattended.

The DJ spins from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Friday night, and the music here is always a little funky and fabulous. On this particular Friday the DJ was spinning Grandmaster Flash and the Black Eyed Peas with a hint of disco, which really got the crowd moving on the dance floor.

Friday is also Ladies Night, featuring drink specials that change weekly.
Elliot Landy photographs of Woodstock in the rock ’n’ roll 1960s line the walls, giving an art-house chic to the lounge. It also reflects Firebird’s dedication to music. Live acts play from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays, with music ranging from a bluegrass/rock hybrid to reggae to jam band. Thursdays features karaoke for the amateur stars.

Happy hour is 5 to 7 p.m., but the bar rarely empties out before the legally required 4 a.m. As the night wanes into early morning, the crowd shifts from people in their 30s to a late-20s grouping, many of whom work in the Rhinebeck restaurants that have closed by 2 a.m.

Firebird Grill & Lounge is playful yet adult, rock ’n’ roll yet sophisticated. It’s a little bit Rhinebeck, a little bit Woodstock, and is all good.

Last call — Closed Tuesdays. Open 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Wednesday to Monday.
99 bottles — Five beers on tap; Magic Hat #9, Keegan Ales Old Capital and Guinness are standard. One other tap rotates the other Keegan Ale beers, and the last is either Sam Adams Seasonal or Sam Adams Boston Lager, depending on availability. There are 18 beer brands by the bottle.

Cover me — No cover.

The ‘in’ crowd — 25-35 years old.

Homeward bound — Will call cabs upon request or if deemed necessary by staff.

Surfin’ online — E-mail firebirdlounge@yahoo.com

Alice Hunt writes about the club scene for the Poughkeepsie Journal. Write her c/o Poughkeepsie Journal, P.O. Box 1231, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602, call 845-437-4800, or e-mail hunta@poughkeepsiejournal.com.