It sounded great in theory: Take a visiting friend out to a
wine bar for fine service, superior libations and first-rate dining.
Thus did we find ourselves, on a relatively slow weeknight, at Bricks
Restaurant and Wine Bar, located just north of the corner of Plumb and
Virginia—across from a Bank of America. The symbolism of the
nearby bank wasn’t lost on us when we paid the bill and assessed
the overall value of our experience.
A friendly hostess ushered us into the large dining area. The
décor is classy—elegant white tablecloths, simple but
pretty art and furnishings, and a service staff dressed like royalty.
We were tenderly greeted by our server in his immaculate vest and white
dress shirt—apparently just off the set while serving as a stunt
double for Johnny Depp in Public Enemies. Bread and a flawless
disquisition of wine options were swiftly and politely provided by our
Dillinger doppelganger.
My husband was delighted by his Napa Sauvignon Blanc, while our
friend Dave and I crassly ordered gin and tonics for our pre-dining
libation. Our drinks, including wine by the glass, ranged between $8
and $12. They were fine, if a little watery for $10. While Dave and my
husband resumed their annual bickering about global warming and Sept.
11 conspiracy theories, we ordered the special Hudson Bay mussels
appetizer, which came with a delicious Thai-style coconut broth. It was
a guilty pleasure to take the fresh bread and soak up the broth that
accompanied each succulently prepared mussel. This was by far the best
dish of the evening.
Somewhere between the atmospheric concentration of CO2 and the Enron
documents lost in the Twin Towers our entrées arrived. My
husband’s diver scallops risotto—wild mushroom-crusted
scallops served over mascarpone cheese risotto ($27)—was made
with a well-textured and flavored cheese sauce to go with the
reasonably well seared, if not particularly fresh, scallops. But of all
things to get wrong the risotto—the
risotto—wasn’t completely done. It was like a
football team engineering a solid touchdown-scoring drive and then
missing the extra point.
My own fettuccine pescatore, Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops
tossed with fettuccine in a light parmesan cream sauce ($26), simply
must have been errantly constructed because although the seafood was
properly cooked, the dish was overpoweringly salty. It might have been
just an excess of parmesan—it clung to my fork in chunks even as
I pulled it from my mouth—but it seemed like something in
addition was going wrong there. I ate a quarter of it and sent it on
its way.
On a positive note, Dave’s Chilean sea bass, baked with
crushed macadamia nuts and served with brown rice and fresh vegetables
($28), was terrific. The fish was done perfectly and nothing was too
salty.
Maybe you just need to order the right thing, but at $20-$30 per
entrée, should the customer’s satisfaction be left to the
whims of chance? The final bill was a whopper. At the end of the day, I
frankly thought we took a bath.
So go to Bricks to enjoy great wine and service, and maybe even an
appetizer. But think twice before committing to dinner. It might make
you a lot happier when you cross the street to check your account
balance at B of A.