BrickTop's — Restaurant in Frontenac

May 24, 2025 - Friday night - we ate on the patio which is quieter. The food seems to be getting better and more generous. Two appetizers - deviled eggs + bacon and artichokes were fun to eat and tasty. The baked potatoes were mountainous and the mashed potatoes were delicious. We shared one carrot cake between the 5 of us as it is very sweet. Others loved their filet, while I had the chicken which was excellent. We had to bag our own leftovers which is a change from the past when it was done for us.

Sept. 1, 2024 - Sunday Brunch - waffles are more like dessert - delicious. Two added extras - we mentioned we were celebrating a birthday and they came out with a birthday card signed by all the servers. Also when they topped off our tea, they brought an extra glass of ice. Nice touches to make the experience even more pleasant.

July 11, 2024 - Wow - what a nice lunch. Even the iced tea and bread was good. Cost $28.25/person, but it was delicious. They even bag up your leftovers for you and put it in a nice paper bag. I got the salmon, a nice sized piece and substituted the twice baked potato for the broccoli. My wife had a lunch salad with blackened shrimp. The other friends had the Cobb salad and the Palm salad.

We had the meatloaf, parmesan chicken and caesar salad with blackened shrimp. All were tasty. Interesting that they don't put out the usual basket of bread. (2nd visit - They now ask you if you want bread.) When we left about 1 pm, the place was packed and quite noisy. We got there close to 11am. (2nd visit - a booth against the wall is quieter.) If you're looking for a quiet eating experience, this is not the place. The char-grilled broccolini was tasty, but the stems were too hard to eat. (2nd visit - broccolini was still hard) They need to cook the broccolini one extra minute. I'm changing my ranking from 4 to 5 stars since this meal was almost perfect. Another visit on Sunday was only serving a brunch menu. I noticed that they did offer a hamburger so I asked if they had a vegan burger - they do. It's not your typical Impossible burger, but is a mixture of grains. They gave the burger a nice crust which made it taste great. If you're ok with a grain based burger, then you will like it. They also substituted thin fries (terrific) instead of eggs. The rest of my family had the typical brunch fair and...

Well, this was not the kind of "explosive" lunch experience I was hoping for. Attended a city of Clayton event at this Frontec location and decided to try the Deviled Eggs & Millionaire's Bacon appetizer. Those deviled eggs were definitely plotting something sinister.

Exactly one hour after eating, my digestive system staged a full revolt. Made three emergency trips to their restroom in that first hour - and let me tell you, the toilet bowl ended up the same bright yellow color as those cursed deviled eggs. At least there was consistency in the experience from start to finish.

The millionaire's bacon just added insult to injury, literally. Here I am representing Clayton at this fancy Frontec establishment (because apparently Frontec considers itself the more upscale neighbor), and I am spending quality time examining their plumbing instead of networking.

My colleague also fell victim to the same deviled eggs and had to bail early afterwards. Poor guy could not even make it to work the next day. Nothing quite says "professional development" like food poisoning at an inter-city meeting.

The restaurant has that posh Frontec atmosphere they probably think impresses us Clayton folks, but fancy decor means nothing when you are conducting urgent yellow business in their bathroom every twenty minutes. I was too preoccupied to inform the staff about our colorful situation.

More like "Brick-bottoms" after those eggs hit. Those particular deviled eggs turned our diplomatic lunch into a gastrointestinal disaster. Maybe next time we should just meet at a Clayton...

This was my second time dining at Bricktops. The restaurant was busy, almost too busy. Our server, Matt, was so occupied that he couldn't effectively serve us. He didn't introduce himself, explain the menu, or stay still long enough to listen to anyone. Initially, I excused his behavior because of the busyness, but it became increasingly frustrating. I mentioned it was my dad's birthday and requested a dessert, but that request was overlooked. I observed similar issues elsewhere in the restaurant.

My check alone totaled $363.00, and there were two more checks at our table. Bricktops is located in Frontenac, an area not frequently visited by African Americans. This led me to wonder if, due to the stereotype of African Americans being poor tippers, we didn't receive the great service that should accompany expensive food.

The food itself was good, but not outstanding. Everyone enjoyed their salmon, and the Brussels sprouts were delicious. The prickly pear margarita was a highlight. The ambiance was pleasant, but the lighting was too dim.

I want to clarify that I'm not trying to discourage anyone from visiting. You'll be fine if you do. I'm just noting that the experience wasn't as exceptional as some may suggest. The menu lacks creativity, offering good comfort food.

Overall, while seeking a great atmosphere, perhaps that's the allure. I would recommend watching "The Bear" to understand how patrons...