Sunday, April 30, 2017

Restaurant Review for Brixx by: Stacy Q

Over all I like Brix but it needs some work living up to its appearance. I'll start with the pros, but please read on for the cons...

My favorite aspect is not their food, or the Newport Vineyard wine they serve....it's the atmosphere. Rustic, charming, warm, inviting and elegant but not at all pretentious. High ceilings with dark wooden beams, eclectic lighting fixtures, a beautiful fireplace and leather sofa sitting area and windows over looking the winery. While we did have one waitress who left something to be desired in the 4+ times I've been there, overall the service is top notch. The servers have been very attentive and go out of their way to make you feel welcome and answer any question/request you may have.

Another plus...in the winter (at least in January and February) they offer a Winter Warmer menu for $29.95 which includes any soup or salad on their menu (not just a plain house or Cesar!), any entree (steak entree is +$5) and a glass of wine or draft beer. Quite a deal when a couple of their salads are $12 each! I personally tend not to order a salad before dinner, especially if they're $8-$12, but man were they good! I got the Beet + Arugula Salad and my boyfriend got the Vintner's Field Green Salad. Perfectly dressed and seasoned....YUM!

Now for some negatives...
With the winter warmer menu, following my awesome salad I got the Allagash White Ale Braised Short Ribs. It was good...but not great and the beef was very obviously pot roast...not at all short ribs. It was tender and tasty and I can understand trying to cut costs, especially with the special they're running but I personally find it insulting to think I wouldn't notice the swap and it's false advertising. It was also served with acorn squash disc which was aesthetically pleasing, but it was almost all skin and only a few bites were edible. That same week we went back after an event at the winery I got the Duck Confit Pizza and there was a BONE in it. I was understanding and brought it up to the waitress thinking they'd either bring me a new dish, comp the pizza, or at least offer a drink or dessert on the house....nope. She just seemed flustered and apologized and walked away. In my opinion a duck bone on a pizza is a pretty dangerous thing and thankfully I did not swallow it.

Overall, for an establishment that seems to want to be upscale and for the prices they charge....they're falling short. It's worth checking out, if only for a few drinks and the atmosphere, but don't expect a fine dining experience like I feel they are trying to sell.

Source: https://www.yelp.com/biz/brix-restaurant-middletown-2

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