I've dined at BrickTop's a couple of times now, both for lunch and dinner. The first time I went, my server was a former classmate of mine, so we of course had fantastic service. The food was excellent as well, a trend that continued on my second visit. Unfortunately, the service trended down.
My wife and I sat at the bar about 7:30 on a recent Friday night. We managed to get stools at the bar quite easily, and there remained stools open for most of our visit. Most people appeared to be having dinner. As I am a bartender, this tells me that the bar is filled with customers spending large amounts of money, but not requiring a large amount of work. All of the bartenders avoided eye contact when actually at the bar surface; they congregated around the well area and computers, like they were former servers and were afraid to interact with their guests. I've heard a few rumors that BrickTop's had turned over most of their bar staff; it appears the rumors are true. There were several times that bartenders stocked beer or grabbed something for the well while standing directly in front of me, but didn't acknowledge my very tall, very empty beer and water glasses placed on the inside edge of the bar.
Though the service had its issues, the food really is fantastic. It's expensive, so it had better be. The deviled eggs with sugared bacon appetizer is an absolute must-order. The eggs alone are far too creamy and savory, but the sugar bacon is the perfect foil; the result is positively delicious.
My wife thoroughly enjoyed her French dip; the few bites I had were excellent. The beef was thin-sliced, piled high, and very tender. The sandwich is gi-freaking-normous, so if you want to make it to dessert, plan accordingly. Trust me, you want to make it to dessert.
My fish tacos were pretty good; they are prepared with the blackened fish of the day, which happened to be mahi. The fish was cooked perfectly; it was still quite moist and subtly spicy. The tortillas were flour (boo), and were topped with some rice, guacamole, and then the fish. A few diced onions, cilantro and some cheese (yuck) finished it off. I picked off the cheese (my fault, I should've asked) added some of the sweet and spicy habanero sauce they put out (it was really good on the deviled egg appetizer too!) and went to town.
The two desserts I've had, the Key lime pie and the skillet chocolate chip cookie, were excellent as well. The Key lime pie was a wonderful balance of sweet and tart, light and perfect for a lunchtime indulgence. The cookie was absolutely divine. It was so rich I swear it was made with an entire stick of butter and I didn't care at all. The vanilla ice cream on top was the best complement, it helped to temper the rich chocolate of the cookie. The tempering was further aided by a rather nice 20 year old tawny port they had on special for $9 (Taylor if I remember correctly). I wholeheartedly recommend the pairing.
In short, the food is good to great, albeit expensive. The service can be hit or miss. I can't recommend sitting at the bar for a few months, until their new bar staff has a chance to cut their teeth and come out of their shells (two platitudes in one sentence, yikes!). Two stars for running an upscale, almost bar-centered concept with unseasoned bartenders afraid to interact with their guests. read more