1509 Brunswick — Restaurant in Brunswick

I moved here a few weeks ago and have been exploring the local food scene. After a couple terrible choices I think I've finally found a good place to have dinner. We've been living internationally for the past decade and travelled in close to 50 countries, Through all that we've developed quite sophisticated palates. I need flavor. I need spice. I need my meat cooked properly. 1509 checked all of those boxes. We love Indian food so we were thrilled to notice an Indian influence on the menu. Overall our experience was fantastic. The butter chicken was full of flavor! It was clearly made for a Southern palate so not very spicy but the chef still found a way to make it delicious. The veggies on the catch of the day had just the right amount of sauce. Overall the service was good. There were only three small negatives which I'll tell you about but I will absolutely be going back soon. The first and smallest issue: it was a special event so we were moving around to take pictures and we went to the designated sitting area but the couches were all dirty. I had to clean a cushion off myself before anyone could sit on it. Number two: I wasn't served a dessert spoon and it took a ridiculous amount of time for me to get anyone's attention to ask for one, the three of us just sat there staring longingly at the melting ice cream while politely waiting until we all three could eat. Number three, and most disappointing, we weren't even going to have dessert. I know! The sacrilege! How unAmerican! But we don't really do sweets too often...but then...the server said creme brulee...and oh! How I love creme brulee. S'mores creme brulee with a homemade marshmallow on top? How ridiculously Southern!! How could I say no? I was excited to try it especially after everything else had been so good. After I finally got my dessert spoon I tapped the top of my creme brulee to crack through the caramelized sugar but to my surprise the spoon just fell through. It was as if someone maybe ran a flame over it for one second but no longer. It was not caramelized. There was no hard top to break through. Then there was the consistency of the custard itself. It was not custard as creme brulee should be, it was pudding. The consistency wasn't right. My heart broke a little. It still tasted great, it just wasn't what I had expected. Had the server told me they had S'mores pudding I probably would not have ordered it but S'mores creme brulee? It's that extra thickening that makes all the difference to me. It was the very same heartbreak as when I order eggs benedict somewhere, cut into it expecting the yolk to pour out over my plate then nothing happens because the egg was cooked too long and they actually served me soft boiled eggs not a poached eggs. It still tastes good but it's not what I ordered. Stick to the chocolate chip cookie dessert. It was heavenly. It was really nice to be in a place with a dress code. One of the things that's getting me the most with the culture shock of returning to the US after a decade abroad is how everyone dresses like bums all the time. No offense meant to homeless people here but I can't tell the difference in homed people and homeless people when I'm walking down the street. Everyone looks like a bum to me. It's quite shocking. So it was really nice to go to a place that said nope, you wanna eat here you're gonna at least not look like a bum. My everyday-wear for the rest of the world makes me look like I'm dressed to go to a fancy event in the US. The interior design is nice and the...

First time visit to this new restaurant that opened downtown so here is my unbiased review.

To begin with, it's kinda tricky to find and frustrating to access. GPS will put you right in front of the Kress Building downtown, which is currently partially blocked off for construction and remodeling, so this parts starts the aggravation. If you do find a spot to park on that half of the block and walk to that side of the street, it's then you realize that the entrance is actually on the side park on the side of the building. I recommend going into the alleyway next to the Red Carpet lounge (cringe), and then go down half the block and start looking for parking spots there first. But No matter which area you choose to park it's going to be a challenge with Zooks Bar, the Kress Hotel, Arty's Pizza and Fox's Pizza all having customers at the same time, parking is going to be hard to find for sure. Expect to have a short walk no matter what. The only handicapped spot I saw on Newcastle St was actually furthest from the 1509 Main Entrance.

Once at the main entrance (aka the side door from the alley) you are greeted at a podium and then directed to the elevator. Up to the 3rd floor, you exit to another host waiting to seat you. The restaurant is small inside for seating, outside has more seating, just depends if you are up for the humidity and sunset views or not. Either way, I recommend you have reservations as business seems to be good.

One seated, water was offered but no bread, which surprised me as I kinda expected that from a place of this caliber and expense. The cocktail menu was cute and had some delicious choices, all started at $12 and up I believe. The menu options were very nice and offered different versions with different flair of multiple favorites. (I've included a picture of the menu as well in my photos). Our waitress was new, only her second day on, so we were patient with her and she was able to answer all our questions about the menu.

We opted for the Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps and the Roasted Brussels for appetizers. Both were delicious but don't expect the wraps to be like PF Chang's, as this version was very different. The Brussels were some of the besty wife said she ever had, so kudos is due there. My entree was the House Special Sea Scallops and my wife had their Salmon. Neither dish comes with any sides, just small amounts of various veggies for garnishment. The sides are a la carte as displayed on the menu.

My wife and I both agreed that the Salmon was an excellent choice and easily ranked in the top 3 Salmon dishes either of us have ever had, so big props for that. The Sea Scallops were undercooked tho, possibly rushed, as the outside wasn't seared enough which resulted in the middle being too medium rare. I mentioned to the Manager and he passed it on to the chef. Dessert was homemade banana pudding that was delicious as well.

Not a cheap place to eat, so expect to spend over $50 a person before any alcohol costs. But all in all, with the views, the atmosphere, the ambiance, live music when we were there on a Saturday, and the excellent service were all enjoyable and outweighed the trouble of finding a parking spot and locating...

We visited Brunswick for a week as a family. We had heard and read good things about this new spot. It is set back from the street so finding it takes a few minutes, but once we did, it was fine. Maybe an easel sign outside the door will help. We were greeted on the ground floor and then directed to the elevator. Once we arrived at the top, we were greeted again. All of the staff we encountered was very kind. Our reservation was for inside, but we thought we might want to sit outside. It turned out to be a little bit too humid, but it was lovely out there in terms of the view. We returned to our seats inside our server, whose name I believe is Brianne, was very sweet. And attentive. It is small inside. The majority of the tables and seating is outside. There is also a bar with seating. The service was fast, however, the food and drink were not at all as good as we expected. We actually ended up sending one plate back because the protein was not cooked through. We did not want another dish, but the man who I believe was the manager, came to the table and asked that we try again after he spoke with the chef. Which we agreed to do. All of the food was either not seasoned or over seasoned (pork chop, salmon, walleye). Though, the burger was near perfect. Hands down the best option at our table. We were also given complementary desserts for the protein mishap, which was a nice touch. The drinks were not great at all. The first 2 drinks we ordered were not available. I believe the head bartender was out. It showed. They should offer bottled water. What we had tasted like the ocean. We did go up to the cigar area. Which is really just an open area above the restaurant. Nothing special, but again, a nice view. The restaurant has only been open about three months so I am hopeful that as time goes by and they work out the glitches, this will become a really great spot for food drink...