Brick House like a typical sports bar, only classier
Some women don't mind going to a bar where the waitresses wear hot pants. Others, not so much.
Brick House Tavern and Tap, which recently opened in Downers Grove in the location formerly housing Joe's Crab Shack, is going for the demographic of men who might enjoy hot pants, but when it comes to their bar experience, they want something a little classier. And women are more than welcome to join them.
Motif: When you enter Brick House, it becomes apparent that this is a sports bar. But something is different. There are no neon signs adorning the walls, nor is there tacky sports memorabilia strewed throughout the place. In the middle of the room sits a large fireplace; around the room there are many tables, booths, chairs and couch-like benches for people to sit on. There are seats around the well-stocked three-sided bar, as well. The large back wall is made of brick, no surprise. Adorning the wall is the phrase, "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time. Booyah!"
You have to give props to any bar willing to write out the word "Booyah!" in large letters on the wall. Of course, I should mention that there are plenty of televisions throughout the room - we men need our sports, you know.
To the left of the bar sits the Rec Room. There are four televisions, and each television is fronted by four leather chairs. The Rec Room is bringing the comfort of your designated sports-viewing outpost to you, with possibly a few more leather chairs.
In the back right of the bar, there is the Cave, an enclosed room that would be perfect for some manly parties. And don't forget about the patio, which, unless the weather has another mood swing, will be useless for a while.
Service: Brick House's service might be some people's main draw to the place. The waitresses all wear the same outfit: black low-buttoned, midriff-exposing polo shirts, jean skirts and black Nikes.
Sure, the waitresses are attractive, but that can only go so far. Thankfully, my hyper waitress, who was jacked-up on caffeine and ironically had the same name as my mom (albeit different spelling), got the job done, too.
Maybe she was a little less flirty seeing how I was with my parents, but she still came off as quite friendly. I noticed other waitresses doing the sitting-with-the-table-of-guys trick, but there was no cozying up with my party. Did I mention I brought my parents?
Crowd: Brick House is geared toward dudes. Dudes who like beer, chicks, sports and meat. But Brick House is a little bit classier than that. Though the majority of the patrons at Brick House were guys, I saw plenty of women, both with guys and with other women. Heck, I brought my parents, remember?
Food: The menu selection at Brick House is man-focused. As I said before, expect meat, and it's meat with manly names, like the black-and-bleu burger and the gun-show burger. Also check out the double-wide sloppy Joe, double your pleasure b. l. t, big boy prime rib sandwich, rib eye steak, chargrilled T-bone and other manly meats. Appetizers are also on the menu with selections such as deviled eggs, white meat chicken bites and the big onion stack. Oh, and there are salads, but I dare you to order the good-girl Caesar salad.
Liquid consumption: Brick House has a surprisingly large selection of brews. There are many domestic and import bottles to choose from, such as Carlsberg, Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Red Stripe, Pete's Wicked Ale, Allagash White and of course the standard domestic bottles. Brick House also has a great draft selection with such choices as Sam Adams, Two Brothers Domaine Dupage, Stella Artois, Long Hammer IPA and others. And while you're at it, why not get a table tapper full of one of those beers, or as Brick House refers to it, a beer bong. Somewhat false advertising, if you ask me. And if a "beer bong" is not classy enough for you, Brick House has 40-ounce bottles of Miller Lite, MGD, High Life, Bud and Bud Light. The menu says 40s serve two people, but that's not manly to share!
Sounds: The sound system at Brick House churned out radio-friendly rock and/or roll throughout my visit with such mainstays as Coldplay, U2 and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Throw up the horns, dudes.
Parking: There are plenty of parking spots in Brick House's own parking lot, and I suppose if the lot is ever full, you could attempt to park at the now-closed Bakers Square next door.
Overall: Brick House is a manly man's type of bar, one that females (and parents) will enjoy, too. It may be a sports bar, but it is so in the most upscale sense. Brick House slightly reminds you of another man-geared sports-bar franchise, but this one is not the least bit tacky. You could even call it classy. Regardless, Brick House is a worthy new entry to the suburban bar scene, even without the hot pants.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Brick House Tavern and Tap </p> <p class="News"><b>Location:</b> 1461 Butterfield Road, Downers Grove</p> <p class="News"><b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday </p> <p class="News">Info: <a href="http://www.brickhousetavernandtap.com" target="new">www.brickhousetavernandtap.com</a> </p>