Desert Fire

After reading some public documents on the city of Redmond’s website, it appears this dump of a restaurant will be completely demolished and built in it’s place will be a brand new 7,500 sq. ft. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse.
I’m not sure of the reason as to why Desert Fire is going under, but whatever the reason may be, they did it to themselves. Horrible establishment. Good riddance!

This place has ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR in the bar! It’s like they made a restaurant with me in mind.
I had dinner here the other night with two others and all agreed this place is a gem.
I agree with some of the other reviews that the kitchen wasn’t the fastest but you get chips and salsa while you’re waiting, plus they deliver a plate full of refried beans for dipping — delicious! Also, the bartender was fantastic. We sat in the bar, I’d do that since it’s always happy hour.
I can recommend the fajitas as they were great. We also ordered the Adovo Chicken Pasta and the Pollo Fundido. All we splendid.
This spot also has themed promotions for every night of the week. I can’t wait to check out «man cave Monday» as they have $ 6 pitchers of any draft beer — they have Manny’s Pale Ale and Mac & Jack’s to name a few.
I’m also super pumped to check out the Sunday brunch which features $ 1 mimosas.

Very slow service. My Flautas were meh. $ 9 margarita was not exactly filled to the top, looked like someone took a huge sip out of it before they brought it to me.
Maybe I was just hot and cranky, but I wasn’t too jazzed about this place. They had a $ 10 check in deal that I completely forgot to use, and I’m kicking myself because I don’t necessarily plan to go back.
Also, the happy hour prices are only good in the bar. Same drinks, same time, just a different location. We wanted to sit outside and catch up in the sunshine, so I had to pay $ 3 for the same drink for the waiter to walk my drink 50 feet away from the bar. Bummer.

This place has really gone downhill. Three of us went for lunch on a weekday, it was not very busy at all (that says something). None of us were happy with the food, and I couldn’t believe how dingy and dirty the ceiling fans were on the outdoor patio (I mean, so much dust was hanging off the edges that it seemed like one wind gust would send it falling right down into our food!). If owners don’t care to keep their place clean, then I don’t care to frequent their establishment.
This visit truly merits the «Eek! Methinks not.» definition of 1-​star rating.

My salmon dish was very salty.

I’ve been here twice with a friend, both of us being teenagers, and both times have left full, happy, and with a box of leftovers.
I’ll keep the review short and sweet– I went to the Sunday brunch one time, and the food was just okay. However we could stay as long as we like and we loved having access to the fruit and snack bar. There were plenty of pastries and we certainly felt like we got our moneysworth.
Another time, we went for dinner. We thought the service treated us very well (rare for us, being teenagers) and we felt respected. The food again was okay, but their bean dip and chips before the meal was fantastic. The food they gave us was so much, we both left with full boxes of leftovers. Again, we felt like we got our moneysworth.
If you’re looking for a TexMex food fix for lunch and maybe dinner, come here. The prices are average but they give you enough food to last at least another meal. I loved the service, the food was okay, and I felt like for the money I paid, I received more than enough food.

I went there for happy hour and it was special — as in i’ve had better service.
I went with bf and sat at the bar, thinking it’d be faster to get my meal and drink. It took the staff a long time to bring us our food and i can hear the bartender making negative comments about the couple that was sitting next to us.
Not the best restaurant to know that the staff is being loudly negative.

The food here is so-​so. I was a little bit disappointed that they had placed my party of two in the public dining room after calling in beforehand and placing a reservation. I ordered a shrimp quesadilla, feeling somewhat let down when I found that there wasn’t much shrimp in the quesadilla, and I was expecting a little more kick and spunk from a southwestern restaurant, but in all pretty tasty. I can’t say the prices are worth what they dish out in terms of menu selection though. Also they play really festive fiesta music in the bathroom really loud. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
On the other hand, service is great, they share a parking lot with Redmond TC, so rarely will it ever be too difficult to find parking… and who doesn’t love quaint and safe Redmond?

This place is really hit or miss with the food. I can say that I’ve always gotten really great service. The servers have a good sense of humor and flip it right back when you dish it to them. That has very little to do with actual service, but I enjoy it.
I ordered a chicken breast stuffed with spinach and other things, on a bed of mashed sweet potato. REALLY. FREAKING. DELICIOUS. The flavor was just right. I love foods that still taste like the food, so the sweet potatoes tasted like sweet potatoes should and not like an overzealous amateur chef had at it with too much salt or masking with tomatoes or something random.
I passed bites around the table and most everyone else wished they’d ordered what I ordered. On the other hand, one of my companion ordered something that was like taquitos with cheese melted over it. the cheese… was. American processed cheese that clearly came in pre-​packaged and wrapped slices. Think Kraft. I don’t know about Tex-​Mex, but any restaurant that calls itself a restaurant shouldn’t serve Kraft. PRETTY WEIRD.
Hit or miss. Eat at your own risk.

I was really hungry so it took me a little longer to decide what to get. I was a bit surprised of how «Mexican» the menu was. I had remembered more of a southwestern fare.
Maybe that is what led me to think about the ribs. They sure did look good on another patron’s plate. But in the end I picked Mole Rojo en Pollo, I really like mole. The mole in this dish did not disappoint, nor the standard rice and beans. The chicken did however, or more rather the dryness, it was over cooked. But the sauce was fantastic!
I would go back as I have been over the last several years. On a cold rainy day or evening, its nice to sit by the fire.

We came here after seeing a movie at Gold Class Cinemas. I really wish we hadn’t.
The service was mediocre to begin with, but ended up getting better over the time we were there. I wouldn’t say it was great, but it ended up being okay.
The food was ridiculously terrible for what it was trying to be. I had the Tour de Mexico: The carne asada lacked anything resembling flavor. It really didn’t taste like much of anything. The chile relleno was okay, but nothing to write home about. The signature enchilada was the absolute worst representation of an enchilada I’ve ever had the horror of bearing witness to. It was drier than the desert, didn’t taste very good, and was completely unappetizing. The salsa that came with the chips wasn’t good. About the only thing I had here that was okay were the refried beans.
If you’re looking for anything resembling mexican food, southwestern, or Tex-​Mex, this place will only hurt your feelings. It certainly did mine. I grew up in Austin, TX and can guarantee you that this place doesn’t have anything resembling Tex-​Mex cuisine.

Went here after seeing a movie at the Fancy Movie Place there at Redmond Town Center and was seriously disappointed. It is hard to disappoint went it comes to Mexican food because I love it in all shapes and forms, but it managed to do so.
The menu was way to long, like 4 pages, and the pictures in the menu didn’t even make the food look appealing. Isn’t that the whole point of pictures in a menu???
My friend notices that on the «special of the day» board that was written in Spanish that it was missing the «the» so it was just special day. And the deco is 1990’s Southwestern. This doesn’t bode well for how the food is going to go.
I should have stuck to my instincts and just left because the food wasn’t good. I got the fajita tacos and the meat tasted like charcoal briquettes, the tortillas from the grocery store. I picked at one of the two tacos, and had the waiter take it away 80% untouched. So not worth the 11 bucks. I have made better at home, and I am a gringa.

Had a wedding dinner here recently with a large group. For group events I would rate this place a 5 star place. The staff really went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect and we were able to help set up decorations, etc.
Food wise I’m a bit picky and found the steak fajitas to be on the chewy side and the cinnamon apple dessert was tasty but needed more apples, the cookie ice cream dessert was good but would have preffered chewy cookies to the crunchy ones in the dessert.
Overall a fun time was had by all and everyone enjoyed their meals.

About three years ago, I wrote a review on another site that went like this:
«Comfort food, Southwestern style… never had a bad meal… food is interesting and tasty, familiar with surprising twists… one of our favorites since it opened and we can’t wait to go back… great breadsticks.»
What has happened to you, Desert Fire? Where are the delicious breadsticks with yummy garlic butter? Where are the interesting menu choices that pulled from not Mexican, but Southwest, Asian, and Northwest influences?
Last night we found an overly long, garish menu filled with standard Mexican fare, plus a few salads and sandwiches. While we waited for our food (service was a bit slow with only two waiters for the entire room), we munched on generic tortilla chips and salsa and some sort of bean dip. My glass of red wine was a very short pour.
I chose the Fire Grilled Tuna because it promised to be different. It was, but it was not up to par. The tuna steak that was supposed to be grilled medium came in two pieces — one medium-​well, one medium-​rare. They did have a nice crust and the spices and flavor were OK. But they rode into town on a bed of tasteless, mushy rice mixed with a heap of chopped carrots and squash masquerading as a side of vegetables. The whole thing had some sort of sauce drizzled over the top that must have only been for appearance, because I didn’t taste it.
Her Rodeo Stuffed Chicken was cooked through and moist looking, but likewise flavorless. It was covered in sauteed spinach leaves and surrounded by an unappealing mash of sweet potatoes and papaya sauce.
In other words, no more comfort food. None of our favorites are here anymore. We did not enjoy our meal and we don’t plan to be back. We can get better and more interesting Mexican food closer to home.

GiBrian, Tony, and Helen. Best group of bar tenders! And one dollar mimosa sundays!
… had to add the two others, Matt and Cory!

I’m not a fan for Mexican food, but I came back to this place after 1 year. To be honest, this is the best place I have eaten mexican food. Luv the salsa and the salads. I took my friend to celebrate and she was pleased so i’m pleased.
BTW, We went on Tuesday and they have happy hr all day at the bar and Tacos Tuesday all you can eat for less than $ 5… I didnt try it but worth to try

Everything about this place is rather mediocre to sub-​par. We had a reservation for 4 at 5:30, got seated at 5:35. The chips came with refried bean dip and red salsa; all three were quite forgettable, and I’m not entirely convinced any of it was fresh.
We ordered a 4-​person appetizer/​sampler that really had no outstanding items. Pre-​entrée service was alright, but the server wasn’t very well spoken or experienced. I ordered the «grande #2» combination platter, choosing the beef chimichanga and the chile relleno. The meal came on an awkwardly large plate. I was initially pleased to see that the chimichanga was not saturated in sauces as they often are, but the beef inside was basically indistinguishable from manwich meat. Don’t get me wrong, I like sloppy joes as much as the next guy, just not in my chimichangas. The chile relleno was filled with this liquidy cheese that never really solidified like you would expect cheese to do. This was a 12 dollar meal.
Basically, this place charges restaurant prices for taco bell quality food. If you absolutely must eat here, I recommend that you order entrees that consist of a solid piece of meat. This way, you can at least ensure your meal didn’t come out of a can. My meal was barely edible, if the service had been worse, this would be a one-​star review.

I love their food! It’s not super authentic, but it delicious and I like the ambiance!

It’s TexMex done right, with an cool atmosphere.
The central gas fireplace is a nice touch, although it can get pretty hot on your back while you’re eating.
I don’t think I’ve ever been able to eat my entire entrée there, although it’s been a wile, so I’m definitely due to try again.

Microsoft Prime 2009 – 2010
Ambiance: 4
Food: 4
Value: 5
Great good; great value; awesome place to eat
Desert Fire is located in Redmond Town Center parking lot, next to Claim Jumpers and across from Matt’s and Spazzo’s. This is one of my favorite dinning places (even before they started accepting the prime card) for several reasons:
1. A great place to watch a football game
2. Really good value on food and drinks
3. Excellent setting
4. Great staff
The owner is a Saints fan, and he knows what fans like. The TVs show games in HD; the two big flat screens situated at both ends of the bar are at the right height for you to be able to enjoy games without straining. They actually have sound too, unlike many other places (they know that fans want the sound too, take a hint everyone else). There’s also a dining room that shows the game as well; very considerate. Oh yea, it’s happy hour all day Sunday!
Even before the Prime Card, this place was good value. Happy hour (which is now all day everyday) has Bud Light for $ 1.95, the cheapest in town, all other drafts are $ 2.95. They have pitchers, margaritas, and other drink specials (like Coronitas for $ 1) as well. The happy hour food is really nice. They offer multiple offerings are different price levels. Some of the best deals include a huge nacho platter for $ 4, and some really tasty wings for the same price. During the weekends, they have brunch: all you can eat fruit and pastries with the purchase of an entrée (the Desert Fire Waffles with strawberries, chocolate, whip cream, chipotle butter, and syrup was awesome); mimosas for $ 1 (awesomeness). Tuesday is all you can eat Taco night.
The bar is cozy; there’s free WiFi. If sit down dining is your liking, there’s a sunken dining area with a fire pit in the middle; very cool. There’s a covered outdoor area that’s open in the summer.
The owner wore his Saints Reggie Bush jersey today. The staff is super nice. Amanda is a dead ringer for Marisa Tome