Rekindling the Fire

Despite the temptation to move Phil the Fire out of state after shuttering it in 2004 because of a sour business deal, owner Phil Davis decided the restaurant's comeback had to start where it all began. "I was going to reopen Phil the Fire in the city where I made my name, and I was going to reclaim it," Davis says. His decision was also fueled by Clevelanders constantly asking him when Phil the Fire would reopen. For a while, he didn't have an answer, but he remained optimistic. Davis spent the next seven years perfecting his signature recipes. Now, at his new Beachwood location, he has expanded the regular menu but kept the favorites regulars remember, such as the double butter peach cobbler. The recipe is adapted from his mom's kitchen, where she used to serve an all-day Sunday brunch complete with fried chicken and blueberry muffins. For fall, an apple version offers a flaky golden crust and juicy cinnamon apples. "It is truly comfort food because it makes you feel so good," he says. Although he did modify this recipe, there is one dish he's left the same: chicken and waffles. "The memory of chicken and waffles is something people refuse to let go of," he says. "We cannot touch that recipe." 3750 Orange Place, Beachwood, 216-831-3473, philthefire.com