Finally! In our third attempt at eating at a downtown restaurant, we finally had a pleasurable experience. Last week at the BWL Chili Cook-Off, we grabbed a $5-off coupon from The Firm’s booth. It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve been grocery shopping, so there’s not a whole lot of food left in our cupboards. Instead of shopping this morning, we decided to just head out for dinner. When I got in my truck, I noticed the coupon still sitting in the console, so that’s where we went.
The Firm is located on Washington Sq in downtown Lansing. We stopped in on a Monday night for dinner. The place was deserted. There was a sign that said wait to be seated. The bartender noticed us and seated us at a booth in the dining room. The dining room is a pretty good size with a row of u-shaped booths along the walls with tables in the middle. There’s a cut-out in the wall that lets you see into the bar. I spent most of the meal watching the two LCD TV’s above the bar that were showing the College World Series.
The Firm’s decor is more upscale and the menu is simple. There’s not a large selection, but the choices are more than enough to satisfy any pallet. I went with the French Dip which came with fries and a pickle spear. One thing I need to make clear, French Dip’s are not the same as Italian Beef. They’re close, but different. The French dip came on a plate piled with fresh cut french fries. The sandwich itself was sliced beef that had been cooked in au jus with melted provolone and served on a toasted french bun. The au jus had a strong oniony taste, but that didn’t stop me from dipping every bite. By the end, there wasn’t a whole lot of au jus left. There were a lot of fries….a lot. The fries still had skin on, so I assume those to be fresh cut, but they were cut thin and fried crispy. I hadn’t eaten a lot all day and this meal was enough to leave me loosening my belt.
My girlfriend ordered the Club Chicken Salad. The salad greens were topped with bite size chicken tenders, bacon, and avacado with ranch dressing. She passed one of the chicken tenders over to me and I would almost swear they were home made chicken tenders. If not, they found a really good one with a delicious breading. The chicken tenders were small enough that each bite was crunchy which is something she made sure to point out to me. The salad also came with a couple slices of toasted bread. She seemed genuinely happy with her selection.
The Firm is an interesting place. On one side, it’s a nice little bar with a great custom pool table. My girlfriend said it looked like a table you’d find in someone’s basement, and that’s a compliment. With the $5 off, our bill was only $17. The waiter/bartender was great and always right on time. The food was really good and the atmosphere is intimate and cozy. I’m glad I didn’t give up on the downtown restaurants after our first two experiences and I’m glad I noticed that coupon at the Chili Cook-Off.
Mid-Michigan Dining 
[…] downtown place. After two bad experiences, we finally had a good one with The Firm (review HERE), so why not try again. From City Hall, I could see the sign for Troppo and that’s been on […]