Mississauga’s Most Anticipated BBQ Restaurant Opens
Published June 16, 2016 at 6:40 pm
One of Mississauga’s highly anticipated new restaurants is finally opening today! Fired Up! Woodfire Barbeque Company is Mississauga’s first BBQ restaurant that boasts an open concept, street-side cookery right in the heart of Port Credit.
The aroma of smoky barbecued meat lingers along the main strip in Port Credit and it’s guaranteed to activate your salivary glands. It’s an impressive restaurant-front that exposes Executive Chef Luis Vultao and his team of grillardins who are literally on street-side display, encircled with fire from the woodfire grills where they display their craft. Everyone else outside of a grill master would probably feel as though they are literally submerged in an inferno.
Rocco Giovannelli (formerly at Goodfellas Pizza) is the founder and co-owner of Fired Up! – his initiative is based on years of experience in the industry and inspired by his love of entertaining at home with his wife and his travels around the globe.
Fired Up! is a new school BBQ restaurant bringing a new take on grilled meats and seafood in the city.
“Everything on the menu is based on comfort foods cooked on a woodfire grill”, says Rocco.
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You will find everything from game meats such as venison, Australian lamb from Opal Valley, ostrich, pork belly, wild boar, and seafood such as ahi tuna, swordfish, octopus and prawns, burgers, poutine’s and a variety of salads on the menu. Coming soon are extravagant house-made gelato milk shakes which you can spike with the alcohol of your choice. Also coming are house-made Belgian waffles and gelato sponge cake rolls.
The menu isn’t fusion per se, but a collaboration of different spices paired with the dishes on the menu to create meals that work. Rocco believes in having the freedom to be inventive with his menu — which will change seasonally (and some dishes will change on a weekly basis).
“All ethnicities have comfort food and what I love about Fired Up! is that there really isn’t a path that needs to be followed in creating good comfort food. It’s about what works and our menu will reflect that”, says Rocco.
Rocco explains that all of their dry rubs are made in-house. They have blends using a variety of Asian and Middle Eastern spices from all around the world which pair well will wild game and seafood. Corn bread, fresh cut fries, sauces, gelato and desserts are all made in-house.
Rocco spent a lot of time in areas like SoHo (NYC) Atlanta and Texas in his 20’s in a completely different industry and had the opportunity to dine at some fine restaurants. He would take mental notes on those beautiful places.
“These restaurants were so ahead of their time then”.
He remembers a restaurant in Atlanta that was long and narrow and half of the space was an open concept kitchen and thought “this is gorgeous.”
“When I remember these places, I remember the way it looked and felt and took inspiration in the design of my restaurant,” says Rocco.
The 1,500 square foot space (formerly a Gino’s Pizza) was completely gutted and is surprisingly more spacious than the corner unit appears to be. The resto design is masculine but cozy and filled with reclaimed Canadian wood such as hemlock and maple, plus 250 year old barn boards. A brick wall is the backdrop of the restaurant, which is mainly filled with cozy tufted booth seating. Parts of the ceiling are exposed, giving the space a semi-industrial feel with game adornments such as ornamental animal head accessories extending throughout the space.
Entertaining at home and creating recipes on the fly were a common occurrence at Rocco’s home before he entered the resto business. BBQ, seafood and game meat themed nights were some of the events Rocco and his wife would host and his friends would constantly encourage him to open up his own restaurant, “it’s always been a passion of mine and this [Fired Up!] is an extension of my home and everything we create will have that wow factor.”
The Menu
I tried the Mediterranean lamb burger made with Australian lamb and a house-blend of spices, served with spinach, red onions, fresh tomato, homemade tapenade and feta-blue cheese on a toasted brioche bun. The feta-blue cheese paired well with the juicy lamb.
I also tried the grilled meats platter which includes a rack of Australian lamb, bison, pork ribs, chorizo, Italian and fennel sausages and venison. Every bite had the smokiness from the woodfire grill and each piece of meat was cooked to the appropriate doneness. This is the dish for you if you are a meat lover especially for your protein fix after a workout.
The unassuming chilli is transformed at Fired Up! into a rich wild boar and lamb dish that’s well seasoned and topped with melted cheese and a dollop of sour cream. This dish will change weekly.
The killer seafood platter includes a chorizo-corn salsa with cilantro, prawns, octopus, calamari, ahi tuna and swordfish all grilled on an open fire.
The cheese steak poutine is a meal and a half and it includes pieces of grilled sirloin steak tips, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and cheddar cheese over home-cut fries and topped with a house-made gravy and horseradish mayo. This is not your average poutine.
Drink Menu: The drink menu will predominantly feature wines from Chile, Argentina and California that pair well with the menu. It will also include sangria, mojitos, Fired Up! Ceasar and beer.
What’s Up and Coming? Five locations in next two to three years.
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