What an interesting thing this bar tour reboot is. On round one, Jen and I skipped Bricks on the grounds that we had both been here multiple times, didn't care for it, and generally knew its clientele. One thing we have learned so far, in going to every bar, is that bars can change. Bricks to us was more about the drink specials and bodies in the door than it was about...well...anything else. We were here on Christmas Day Eve, after the hubbub of the holidays had died down. The place was dead, expected for Christmas, but none-the-less gave us an opportunity to reevaluate the bar. The bartender hopped over to our table and gave us a menu, and took our drink order. Off to the right start, we love drinks. He then asked if we wanted to see a beer menu. I have seen these before...but not in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That's another positive. I ask for a suggestion for a beer, he makes a good one based on what I like, I try it...not bad. Local brewery from the Quad Cities that I didn't know existed. He tells us they are under new ownership and they are changing the menu, and that the beer selection is bound to grow. I am sold. I am sure Bricks will still cater to its late night crowd, and it still falls into the downtown bar category in my head, but the fact that they are trying to set themselves apart, and offer more than just the bar experience is great to me. We tried the nachos, and they were huge, but as good as nachos could be. I think they are really trying to change the image from a bar destination, to a restaurant/beer/wine destination, and so far, I'm digging it. I think we will return sometime and have a meal and see what that new menu is all about. So glad we returned to this place!
The Grades:
Atmosphere: 6
Not a ton of seating, and small, but generally welcoming, and fairly clean.
Service: 9
Blame it on being slow, but the bartender was top notch that night!
Food: N/A
We only had nachos, hard to screw it up, will evaluate later.
