Brickyard brings the eats

I've been to Brickyard Gastropub a couple of times for drinks only, but when the bro and NR were looking for a place to share some pre-concert food and beverages, I suggested we try the Brickyard eats.

So try we did. It was a rainy and bleak evening, and after a quick visit to Holey Cream across the street, I joined NR and the bro with my cup of ice cream in tow. While they contemplated the menu, I tucked into Holey Cream's signature fat free chocolate and peanut butter frozen yogurt. Boy howdy. And while admittedly BYOIC is a little unorthodox, our server actually volunteered to bring me a real metal spoon with which to eat my treat. Um, YES PLEASE-- now that's how you earn yourself a tip!

Perfectly packed with the utmost care

While we sipped beers (them) and wine (me), the food began to arrive. The bro went rogue with their daily special, a crab bisque, after the soup received raves from our server (well, hearsay raves-- apparently she's allergic to shellfish). Yes, it was a gamble ordering shellfish bisque from a bar right before drinking a lot and jumping around at a concert, but the bro pronounced the bisque an "eight out of ten." And despite the fact that it kind of looked like vomit in its original state, apparently it stayed down throughout the course of the night. Score!

Bisque in a square bowl

Both boys went for the Brickyard Club as their main meal. And let me say, it looked spectacular. It was a huge sandwich that packed turkey, avocado, bacon, goat cheese, lettuce, and tomato onto thick, toasted bread. Back in my youth, I used to love the chicken club sandwich from a restaurant near our home, and this brought me back-- I started to crave it pretty intensely (bad, bad vegetarian me). All the ingredients were fresh, and the portion was huge, rendering the $13 plate a pretty good value. Oh, and the fries, of which I nicked a few, were pretty darn spectacular as well.

Huge, honkin' sando

Overall: a solid performance, Brickyard. Each time I go, I like the place a bit more. That bodes well for a happy and harmonious future.

Brickyard Gastropub
785 Ninth Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets
212-767-0077

Investigating Brickyard Gastropub

Brickyard Gastropub is a new addition to the Hell's Kitchen dining and drinking scene-- I reported on the progress of Brickyard Gastropub as it was being built, and it's been open to the public for a few weeks now. Last weekend, JR and I stopped in to check it out.

It's actually really nice inside (emphasis on the "gastro" part of gastropub, I suppose). There are tables and upscale furnishings and people eating a nice meal in the dining room in the back. But there's also a bar (with really comfortable bar stools with backs, extra extra points), a lot of flat-screens, and one of the best bar soundtracks I've had the pleasure of listening to in a while (minus one foray into Phil Collins, which a hostess hastily explained to us was by request from the heavily inebriated table in the corner). The robust beer list focuses on regional beers, so JR and I both ordered from that. A dark beer (Ommegang?) for him, a cider (Crispin) for me. And so we whiled the evening away.

Beer on beermat

Huge cider. With ice. Okay?

I liked Brickyard. It was a nice place to be; the people were friendly, it wasn't too crowded, the drinks were cold, and the AC was on. I'll be back.

Brickyard Gastropub
785 Ninth Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets
212-767-0077

Brickyard Gastropub open for business

Tuesday afternoon, Ninth Avenue. Spectacular summer-like weather. A curious sight. What was it? The windows to the brand-new Brickyard Gastropub, thrown wide open. TVs on, people perched at the bar inside. This baby is OPEN, and she looks like a beauty.

Looks like comfortable bar chairs! Oh joy!

Worth noting-- signs on the door said their food program would be starting soon, so for the moment it looks like drinks only. Still, we'll be attacking this place soon.

A new gastropub in town...

Walking up Ninth Avenue this afternoon, I noticed a major transformation going on in the space that was once Lasagna. There's significant gutting going on inside, and a brick arch has been erected around the door where Lasagna's obnoxious awning used to be. Most importantly, signs in the windows announce it's going to become "Brickyard Gastropub." Could it be the next Spotted Pig? We'll see. Looking forward to welcoming it to the 'hood.

With real gen-u-ine bricks