Brix Bistro — Restaurant in Florida

I'm not sure of why the hype of this place continues. Perhaps its because it's the only nicer restaurant around, but it's certainly not earned on merit. We have been there at least 8 or 9 times over the past 3 years. We used to live near by but still return with friends now and then. The past 5 or 6 visits have left me wondering why I return thinking it's going to be different. First, the wine selection is nothing fantastic. It's novel in that you have the dispensers, but beyond that, the selections range from grocery store to your typical roadside wine fare. It's doubtful you'll find anything really new or unheard of... at least that you'd want again. Overall, it's fine, but again, don't get too terribly excited.

The food is another story. There's always promising dishes on the wall and menu, but they are typically so poorly executed that they never meet the expectation. The South African Lobster tail pasta dish sounded amazing... a cheese cream sauce with pappardelle... was so poorly done. A gelatinous, grainy mess with overcooked lobster that had a very displeasing texture. They're on the brussel sprouts bandwagon like a lot of places, but again, cannot execute. Lazily sauteed with a few tiny cubes of pork belly, they were devoid of flavor and on top of it all looked as bland as they tasted. It would remind most people of the horrible boiled sprouts your mom forced you to eat when you were little. The veal osso bucco was mediocre. I'm not 100% it was even veal. It was the largest osso bucco I've ever seen... which turned out not to be a good thing. It's one of my favorite dishes that I've had far too many times to remember and at nice restaurants throughout the country. It was bland, looked bland, and just not what you'd expect.. at least compared to any other time I've had this dish. I could go on with the other dishes that were at our table... all met with some level of disappointment.

The problem is, Brix holds itself out to be finer dining. You don't offer $75 steaks if you want to be considered some causal endeavor. They're simply out of their depth at preparing meals to meet that level of expectation. While intrigued at the $75 tomahawk for instance... I learned from prior visits that steak is absolutely not their thing and thought... why would I pay that for this place? Even Capital Grill for instance or any of the well known higher steakhouses offer steaks at that price that rarely disappoint. I'm not doing it here.

The other issue is just the atmosphere It's a bit cramped, but okay. But when it's busy. the servers all looked hurried and overwhelmed all the time whenever the table are near full. It's ridiculously loud inside. I get it's designed to be a hip decor and I expect and don't necessarily mind the volume... until you add live music. The place is small, I'm going there for dinner, not a concert. There's no need for amplification in such a confined place. So inevitably, the music is too loud and distracting (although I have to say it was quite a nice performance... just not appropriate for the location) and of course people would actually like to speak to one another at the table, so everyone just talks louder and louder. Even our server was asking us to repeat things and shook her head a few times.

Overall, this place is completely average. There is nothing that stands out about Brix in any way. It's different and has some novelty to it, however, so it could be worth it to you. They benefit being the only game in town and it's a shame because it could actually be one of those gems. Go there, but just do so knowing it's not a fine dining experience and set your expectations accordingly. You'll pay finer dining prices mind you but you won't get that experience. This is a place that's far better suited to just having a burger and glass of wine at the bar before you go home of the day. For that, it's damn...

My first visit to Brix 33 was to attend a business seminar with dinner service. We were served top sirloin (coulotte steak). I was a little disappointed. When I saw the sauce covering the steak I thought that was a restaurant trick to make the steak taste better. I don't know how the chef did it, but the steak was excellent. Tender, properly seared, and served at the correct temperature. The sauce, a demi-glace, was also excellent. Rich and full of flavor. Fingerling potatoes were served with the steak, as well as a salad made with fresh greens. Everything was great. We were all very happy with the dinner, as well as the service. Upon exiting we engaged in conversation with the manager, Karla. I told her how much we enjoyed the dinner, and expressed our appreciation. When I asked her about the steak and the demi- glace, she asked if I’d like to meet the chef. The chef (Eli) explained that the steak was a high quality Hereford steak, procured locally. The demi glace requires a tremendous amount of preparation, as do many of Eli’s creations. Veal bones are roasted for days, and then rendered to release the fabulous, rich flavor that enhanced the steak so much. I love french onion soup, and although it was not served with my dinner, it looked very appetizing, as did a few other items on the menu. So we made a reservation and went back the next day. On the followup visit we were welcomed like family. We spoke to the manager, the servers, and eventually met the owners, Dillon and Monica, who are partners with another couple in the enterprise. We ordered the Hereford filet and the sea bass. As an appetizer we had the beef tips. Bite sized chunks of filet over a mound of creamy mashed potatoes. It was covered in the delicious demi-glace, described above. We also each had the french onion soup. Since we both love french onion soup (if made correctly) we were really looking forward to this, and it was perfect. The broth, the croutons, the authentic and correct gruyere cheese melted on top. No one else does this! But Eli is strictly a traditionalist. His food is as good as it can be or he doesn’t serve it. The Hereford filet was perfectly prepared. The sea bass was fresh and also perfectly prepared. Ordered a side of mushrooms which were delicious, sautéed with butter and red wine.

The restaurant business is difficult. It’s a lot of work. Its almost impossible logistically. This is a restaurant whose employees share the same goals as the owners. They are totally engaged, caring, and proud of the business. And they love the customers. When you get this level of commitment and ownership, it’s a winning combination. This establishment is a 5 star restaurant. The food and menu is a 5. The service is a 5. The management is a 5. The value is a 5. This business is located in a strip mall that may lead some to believe that it is less than an upscale, elegant, fine dining establishment. It is all of that. The parking can be a little challenging. If you want a great fine dining experience, an experience where you are immediately treated as family, an experience where you are surrounded by people who are dedicated to your total satisfaction, this is your new,...

We had a reservation at 5pm to celebrate our anniversary and were promptly seated by a very pleasant hostess, and then greeted by our server”Tina” I believe was her name, she brought menus and asked if we wanted water, when she returned she informed us of the specials and asked if we wanted a drink, in which my wife ordered a lemon drop and I a glass of wine, we also ordered escargot and French onion soup. We received our drinks and then put the order in for entre,wife ordered the lobster risotto and I the petite filet.my wife didn’t have a chance for her third sip of her lemon drop and the appetizer’s were there, not even five minutes after getting our drinks. My wife’s soup was very good she said, but my escargot was top loaded with a bacon garlic and I believe shallots mixture that was so overwhelming that I had to scrape this off the top. The puff pastry was very crisp and the snails were tasty other than the overwhelming garlic flavor. I was done with my appetizer and the server came over and asked if I was done and I said yes, she picked up my plate and without asking started to grab my wife’s soup “and my wife said I’m not done, the server said I’m sorry , and left. The entries were brought out the server left and my wife’s dish was steaming, my plate looked amazing, I then proceeded to try a bite of the carrot and to my surprise it was cool, not hot, I then signaled the server to come over, when she arrived I asked if the carrots were supposed to be hot, she said yes and I said they are not, she then stated as she grabbed my plate “the chef will remake the entire dish “ and she went off. She returned with what appeared to be a new plate and placed it in front of me and left, I tried the carrots and they were very hot, but now when I cut into the steak,it wasn’t medium rare like I ordered,and when I tried it, it was cool , not hot. I told my wife and she pleaded with me to just let it go, she ran numerous restaurants up north for the Cameron Mitchell group out of Columbus Ohio and just wanted to have a nice anniversary dinner. I did finish the food and we had her remaining risotto to go. Th e server said we are buying your dessert and that was appreciated. The things to take away from this experience are, We were the only ones seated for dinner why rush the serving? When drinks are served let the patrons enjoy their drink before serving food. 3.when asking a customer if you are done with your plate, ask all at table. 4.when serving a steak, why not ask patron to taste their steak and wait for their response. 5.when removing a plate that is wrong and remark about what will be re served,make it true. When stating that the dessert is on the house, in which we had to go, and we opened it at home, my wife laughed, the chocolate torte was maybe a taster size , 1.5 inches by 2.5 inches with 2 blueberries and 2 red raspberries, this isn’t what we expected. All in all we live in Trinity and chose to try Brixe 33 instead of going to The Black Pearl in Dunedin ,I think we should have gone...