Bricks Kitchen & Pub — Restaurant in Blaine

Everytime we go.. It gets worse. Update: 9/15/2022. Lack of servers.. Though service was ok .. had the Bartender coming out to wait on us. He was very good. Food for gf was ok. Sometimes they say fries in dedicated fryer.. Sometimes not. Ended up with cheesy grits for side to burger. . Just gross. More like jelly... Not much taste. Yuck. Gf bun not well prepared so it all fell off and crumbled. Couldn't eat it. Had to run around the place to get some ketchup. Burger pretty tasteless otherwise. Manager was busy telling us that she wasn't sure where were could sit... When it was mostly empty from what we could see. But they only had in two servers. So we were open to be where they wanted us. Everyone was running around like crazy. I mean things were getting done but it was a frenzied atmosphere and not real comfortable. May not go back. Maybe just bad timing.

Update 5.28.2022: Was good today. Haven't been for a long time. Burger was very good. Stuffed mashed potatoes were not good. But I went for a gluten free burger and thats what I got. Yummy. Improvement!

Used to be a weekly thing. Downgrading because the catering to gluten free folks has declined. I like to go to have a good gluten free burger on a GF bun. They switched the buns to a soggy mushy bun with little poppy seeds all over it. You can't even eat it without peeling the gross bun off first. Now I could eat it with no bun... But that is not what I go there for. I have complained about the bun switch a few times but they don't go back to the better ones. They also took their delightful nachos made with grated cheese.. Baked so it it's hot when they bring it to nachos that are drowning in cold cheese sauce. So disappointing. So now we only go to Bricks on occasion to see if anything has improved. But no longer is it a place we go to..a couple times a week. Too bad. We were loyal customers. Know the staff by name... But can no longer...

Great beer selection, long open bar area, nice to eat at the bar, or in the restaurant, which spills outside in the summer (and probably fall, as each outdoor table has a little space heater underneath you can turn on individually! How nice is that on a cool or breezy day?) A large outdoor fireplace completes this "outdoor room".

Food is your classic American comfort, but definitely up a notch. For example, deviled eggs as an appetizer? Yes! They were great, with microgreens for bitter and on a thin slice of cucumber for crunch and a bit of vinaigrette for zing. All those flavors. Nothing like those bland eggs swimming on the picnic table at the last 4th of July block party.

Anyway, go light with their Bricks salad (photo). Or try their Reuben sandwich -- made of their own roast pastrami, their own slaw, on the perfect bread for it. (Photo) Again: the flavors you know, but up a notch.

I'll be back!

My only feedback: I hope they blanch the roasted brussel sprouts just a minute longer: each night they were too crunchy. To me, that's a cooked vegetable dish: it should be firm, but not crunchy. Maybe a minute longer in the fire? I don't know.

I agree with the other lackluster review of one of the burgers: my elk burger indeed tasted like elk, but just needed something more. Put lettuce, tomato, maybe some of that home-made slaw all on the side of the plate, so I can add them to the burger if I want? That could fix it up. But the drunken hunter burger is meh right now.

But I'll be back.

Let's see if there's parking! I have no idea how they and the new hotel next door are going to share the few parking spaces I saw, when that hotel opens......

At a high level, Bricks is a somewhat upper end 'gastro-pub' with consistent food and service. It's worth dining at if you're looking for something a little higher end. It satisfies the nearby areas lack of a nicer restaurant.

I've had good experiences with the service at Bricks. Admittedly they have dropped the ball one time; but more importantly they owned up to the mistake. Every other visit (5+) the service has been okay, no complaints.

The food at Bricks is limited, sometimes in a way that feels constraining. However on the other hand I would much rather find a more limited menu that kitchen can consistently produce well than a slew of options where quality is sacrificed. As for the dishes that are available, they are served in a 'gastro pub' fashion. They are well rounded, dressed up nicely and usually served with more than enough to eat.

Bricks also has an eclectic selection of domestic beers from across the country. You'll usually find the big names like Lagunitas but also some limited release stuff. All good choices indeed.

The restaurant itself is quite large, with a patio overlooking the sports fields across the street. It has higher end decor throughout. The restaurant might even be too open, as rowdy patrons can sometimes be too noisy for my taste. Overall it's a nice place to be.

I give Bricks 4 / 5 stars for a well rounded and...