Review: Brick House Tap and Tavern on 290

"Dispensing Happiness to the Common Man" is the motto on the entrance to The Brick House Tavern and Tap.  From the exterior of the place, it reminds me a bit of a few brew pubs I've been to in the past, and has a bit of a biker bar feel with its patio.  Going inside, it's a mixture of a high end eatery like Cactus Club Café, a very nice man cave and a sports bar.  It's also classier than a Hooter's (no offense intended), but yet has many of the man trappings that Barney Stinson from "How I Met Your Mother would find "Legen... wait for it... dary!!!"  In fact, even though it's non-smoking, I was able to smell fine tobacco cigar smoke wafting towards me as I walked past the patio towards the entrance.  As Barney would say in a high pitched voice "IT'S  AAAAAAAAWESOME!!!"

A few facts about The Brick House.  First of all it is the brainchild of the Ignite Restaurant Group, affiliated with the Pappas chain.  Founded in 2008, it's headquartered in Houston off of Westpark Drive.  There are 17 locations around Texas, Illinois, Florida and other places--which make it a limited run, high end chain.  Per their facts, Brick House Tavern + Tap is the ultimate retreat. This neighborhood gathering spot offers 70+ beers, leather recliners, upscale American classics and service with a smile. Brick House is a salute to the common man with extra touches like 40-ounce bottles of beer, beer bongs, and favorite brews from both local and international breweries.

Much like the ultimate Man Cave, Brick House features:

• 20 + HD Flat Screen TVs ensuring no one misses a moment of the big game
• Indoor/outdoor bar, covered outdoor fire pit and patio making eating and drinking an all-seasons sport
• Soft leather recliners with built-in beer glass holders and TV trays for dining
• Favorite all-American dishes including Sloppy Joes and the Gun Show Burgers
• Free wireless internet access to help keep track of fantasy scores

Also, a menu featuring signature dishes such as a Kobe Beef Burger,  Chicken and Waffles, a Beefed up Steak Salad and even Soft Pretzel appetizers, and casked beer on top of that, it's a great place to go to watch sports, enjoy good food and a fine craft beer.  I grabbed a seat in the "Rec Room" area that had the leather media room recliners that included cup holders and a tray that went across the armrests.  I seriously think Barney Stinson had a hand in designing it.  Can a get one up top?  (Virtual High-Five!!!).


As a self-declared Burger Afficianado who loves Kobe Wagyu beef, I went with their Kobe Burger.  Overall I was impressed with it.  So without further jibber-jabber, here is your burger blueprint:

The Kobe Burger:
Hand molded Wagyu beef patty
Sautéed onions
Roasted tomatoes
Spring greens mix
Brie cheese
Roasted red pepper aioli
On a brioche bun
Served with Fries

For a first burger of 2012, this was AAAWESOME!!!  Sweet, buttery Kobe Beef, cooked to juicy medium perfection, seasoned well with salt, pepper and a few other hard to identify yet savoury seasonings.  The sauteed onions tasted like sweet Texas Yellow onions--thoroughly cooked, not raw, but not overcooked either.  The fresh greens and roasted tomato had nice flavour.  The Brie cheese was thoroughly melted and had a mild smooth bite to it.  The brioche bun kept the ingredients all together with a little bit of ooze.  The french fries were crispy and lightly salted.  I spread the roasted red pepper aioli on the burger and also dipped the fries in it and in ranch dressing, made in house.  (I do not use Ketchup.  EVER! I let my kids use it... but once they're 13 no more!!!)

I had iced tea with my burger, but after I was done, I went for their hand-pulled cask beer.  Per their menu:

Hand-pulled from our beer engine, this tremendous beverage is carbonated in the Firkin by live yeast during a secondary fermentation step to create a true English experience.  

Casking beer softens the beverage and also gives it a bit of a boost in the booze content.  I ordered the current Casked beer, which was St. Arnold's Elissa India Pale Ale this season.  I love craft beer---beer has to have flavour, bite, and a good finish.  American Macrobrews like Budweiser and Miller Genuine Draft, have their place, but not on my table or in my pint glass.  I've had the Elissa IPA in the bottle before, but I will say that the Casking process softens the edge to the beer, and makes what is already a great IPA even more drinkable.  The beer is full of citrus notes, is slightly bitter, cloudy like many Pale Ales are, but after the casking treatment, is much softer in texture than prior to casking.  The beer has almost no aftertaste--a very clean finish in the way it is served at The Brick House.  My only not so great comment I can make is that my server did not know which beer was Hand Casked beer and could not tell me which brand it was beyond it being an India Pale Ale.  Usually you'd expect a place with a long tap list would better educate the servers on this. Not a big deal, but something to think about.

The Foodie Professor's Report Card for The Brick House:


Kobe Burger:  A
French Fries:  A
Service: 
     Speed:  B+
     Friendliness: A-
Cleanliness: A
Atmosphere: A


Overall Grade:  A-


There are Three Locations of The Brick House in Houston.  I went to the location at:

12910 Northwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77040
(713) 462-0576

And remember:
Eat Happier in 2012!!!
Zao an, Y'all!!!