Richmond, Indiana and Great Barbecue....Firehouse BBQ & Blues

REAL BBQ, REAL FIREFIGHTERS in a REAL 1860 FIREHOUSE

Courtesy of Firehouse BBQ

 You know that Father's Day in my family means I need to procure a hunk of meat for my man! This year did not disappoint! We traveled north just a bit to a new BBQ restaurant called Firehouse BBQ & Blues.

A half chicken- my husbands pick of the night! He could not stop talking about how tender and juicy it was on the way home. Really. And the jalapeno cornbread...Awesome!

The Firehouse BBQ & Blues opened for business earlier this year after nearly two years spent renovating the Civil War-era building that served as a firehouse for more than seven decades. Owners Tom Broyles and Rick Bolen have been firefighters in Richmond for more than a decade. Both say their interest in the historic building served as the igniter for the project, plus the love for good BBQ and blues music.

 We got a behind the scenes tour from one of the owners and the manager.
It was really neat to hear the history and to see the beautiful renovations they have done to the upstairs living area. What a beautifully restored gem!

Not only does the inside have beautiful murals, but the outside does too!

The most popular items on the menu are hickory smoked pulled pork, ribs, brisket and a sandwich called The Smokin’ Hog - smoke sausage toped with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, onions and cheese served on a hoagie bun. Their sides are served in small mason jars and include macaroni and cheese, slaw, green beans, baked beans and potato casserole. All are homemade. The made from scratch BBQ sauce is sweet, yet spicy.  I loved the sauce.  It had heat, but not too much, sweet, yet not too sweet.  A perfect balance if you ask me!

Weekends offer up soul satisfying blues music, hosting bands from Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and other Midwestern cities.  Murals adorn the interior and exterior of the firehouse restaurant, all with a firefighting theme.  The mural behind the stage depicts an old steam fire wagon and horses racing to put out a fire. The building actually had a steam fire engine and three horse stalls. The firehouse is the oldest existing firehouse in Richmond.  We got to see the fire pole that is still there.  The firemen in residence when it was built constructed a closet around the pole to block out the smell of the horses in the stall below. I can certainly understand, who wants to smell that while sleeping and eating upstairs?

Our meal was made complete by the addition of a few desserts! I loved the presentation, as they were served in Ball jars as well. I also like desserts served this way, keeps the portion size in check!

 Cherry Cheesecake! Real house made cheesecake, juicy cherries and a creamy topping! A winner to my 9 year old :)

 My oldest son got the triple chocolate dessert.  My favorite line of the night came from him when he ordered this.
Noah: Um...what is in the triple chocolate dessert?
Super Awesome Waitress: Really? Three kinds of chocolate of course!
She handled his lame-o question well!
Topped with a Hershey's Kiss it was a great finish to a great night!

I could not get him to be serious for one picture!

Stroll around downtown Richmond and you will fall in love with it's historical charm.  I myself was eyeing a storefront that was for rent.  My husband and I spent about 5 minutes daydreaming as we peeked through the windows.  We do that a lot when strolling around the small towns in Indiana.  We are always scouting locations for our future business venture.  Someday....

 

Firehouse BBQ & Blues is open 7 days a week. 11-10 weekdays; 11 a.m. – midnight on weekends.

400 N. 8^th Street (in the Historic Depot District)

Richmond, IN  47374

http://firehousebbqandblues.com

Thank you to Nancy Sartain  of the Richmond~Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau for the first and last images in this post and to Tom Broyles for being such a gracious host for my family and I!