The Brick is in the old Mini's. And having frequented Mini's, let me say, there is nothing remaining of Mini's but the parking lot. Amazed by the transformation. This is a beautiful venue. Two dining areas, plenty of tv's, few games, dartboards, but nothing over done. You can tell that the owner put a great deal of thought into this. Know how you go to some bar/grills and the waitresses have to come up to the bar to pick up drinks, between the seated customers? Nope, they have a separate spot, away from customers for this.
I have to chuckle that they got my favorite bartender from the Silver Spring House!! That's a plus. But Nate who was bar tending last night was very pleasant. We just had a couple beers. You could tell the waitstaff/bartenders/owners knew many customers but not in that way that as a new customer you are annoyed that they are preoccupied with their friends/buddies.
Now to the food. The menu was full of options from burgers, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads, and build your own pasta. We both opted for a cup of soup and build your own grilled cheese, cuz that is my favorite and I do judge a place on their grilled cheese (see one of my last reviews!) so you get your choice of 2 cheeses (pepper jack, cheddar, Swiss, & ?)and 2 toppings (tomato, bacon, avocado, & ?) clearly I knew what I wanted immediately since I can't recall the other selections. Came with choice of side, veggie, shoe string fries, tarot tots. Fries n tots were okay, nothing that jumped off my plate bite served their purpose. You can upgrade for additional cost. The sandwich was great! You could tell it was grilled. Loved it! The soup was delicious! Cup of soup, sandwich, 2 beers, about $24 with tip(20%). Well worth it!
Service-the owner stopped by and asked how things were, and we could see him in the kitchen helping getting plates out. The cook/chef came thru twice and asked how things were. Nate was very pleasant. And when Tyler came on (yep the bartender from down the street) he also asked how things were. Now this was not In an annoying sort of way at all. We were seated at the bar so it was nice.
The Brick was pretty busy but we still received great service and good food. Newly opened but you could see the enthusiasm on the owner's and the staffs' faces... I look forward to my next visit. Exactly what Glendale needed!! Very fresh!
11/28/15
Well I eagerly looked forward to my second visit, and to bring my BF. Well, sadly, I can not say it was worthy of the original five stars. Just average.
The waitress was sweet, not overly outgoing and definitely not intrusive. She did get our first drink order mixed up, brought a High Life instead of GD, not a big deal. She accommodated moving us up to the bar when seats opened.
Very long wait for our meal. I ordered the grilled cheese again, and though I'd like more cheese, it was good. BF ordered the Billy, medium well. Unfortunately he was unable to eat all of it. Was cooked well done and thought that maybe it was just a really bad cut of meat, said he couldn't even bite into the center part of the sandwich. Our waitress didn't check back with us until we were nearly finished for additional drinks. This time she brought me a soda instead of a Miller Lite. She probably should have double checked what I had. Also, not a big deal.
As we sat at the bar eating our meal, the bartender spoke to us once. The owner however did check in with us.
Not a horrible dining experience, just not worthy of the original 5 stars.
Also, I was aware that there were dart boards in the bar area and thought we might be able to shoot a few games. Unfortunately, they now have a table set up in such a way to shoot darts is impossible, that disappointed.
I think there will need to be additional tweaking. I do believe a positive is that the owner appears very engaged in running the establishment and less interested in sitting drinking with the patrons. This will go a long way towards the success.
12/1/15
The Brick just added a star because the owners followed up and responded to my review. To me, concerned establishment owners seeking more information on how to better their business deserves an additional star and another visit. And no, this is not a case of free dinner. It's that the owners respect their patrons. I look forward to a return.
8/5/16
After helping a friend move, she took me to lunch. We both had the French Onion Soup which was delicious! I ordered my standard grilled cheese with pepper jack and Swiss, with avocado and bacon. I have to say this was great. A perfect blend/amount of cheese and toppings! My friend had the Brick Burger. She stated that it was a perfectly flavored/cooked burger. And it was huge!!!!!!! So, I definitely felt better about the food! Our waitress was very sweet and pleasant. And the atmosphere was terrific.
(And to Ray, the cook, my apologies! My friend was determined, and you were at work. But great smile! I truly was embarrassed for us both! read more