Fireside: La Grange's Newest Pizza Joint Opens Today

If you're looking to put the flame back in your relationship, you might want to try doing it with a wood burning brick oven this Valentine's Day. They do say after all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, is the opening of , located at 18 W. Harris Ave. in downtown La Grange. Fireside officially opens for business today, and they're expecting a big turnout.

The restaurant is a fast casual concept, which means there's a table if you want to bring the family in for dinner, but there's no server. It also means you wont have to wait long for your food. Fireside can cook up a pizza in two minutes in their 700-degree oven, imported from Italy. 

Fireside specializes in whole pizza pies (no slices here), salads and sandwiches that are big on flavor, but wont break the bank. A typical pizza here, a one size fits all 12 inches, costs about $12. Most sandwiches and salads run about $7. 

The pizzas are thin, but soft, and are terrifically browned in the oven. You can get most anything on your pizza that you can get anywhere else, but Fireside offers a number of specialty options that range from traditional Italian ingredients to oven roasted chicken with gouda and a barbeque-marinara sauce. 

The fast service, good food and decent price make a nice option for those running out for a quick lunch and those who want to take the family out to dinner, owner Greg Gron said.

"We want it to be family oriented," Gron said. 

Which is also a reason why they decided to open in La Grange.

"We did a lot of research," Gron said. "When we came to La Grange everyone was very friendly and [families] were out together in the downtown."

The restaurant itself is a family affair. Gron co-owns Fireside with his son and the whole family helps out to run it. 

If you're looking for a recommendation, Gron suggests the Stromboli sandwich: Italian break topped with Italian sausage, homemade sauce, onions, peppers and mozzarella and then baked in the oven until it's toasty.

Sounds good to me!