BrickTops Isn't Tops in My Book

A constant dilemma that I have is finding decent places to eat where we can take Baby Steakhead. ElAzteca and Meehan’s get old, but getting a sitter could add 50% to the cost of the meal, which isn’t sustainable every weekend. So in my never ending search to find good places, new places, where we can take the kid, I wound up at BrickTops at the Terminus building in Buckhead last night. BrickTops had assured me that kids are welcome at the restaurant, and to their credit, they have a special kid’s menu and even an “etch-a-sketch” type device for kids to draw on. Actually, this was a nice touch. Baby Steakhead had a grand ole time. I wish I could say the adults did.

BrickTops is a new chain started by the founders of Houston’s. There are currently 4 locations, all in the Southeast. You can definitely tell the Houston’s influence on the menu, which is to say relatively simple meat and fish offerings. We wound up sharing a couple of appetizers- the chips and guacamole and the smoked salmon flatbread. The flatbread, with warm cream cheese, capers and dill, was cut into individual squares, and only a small dap of salmon adorned each square. For $15, they could have been more generous.

For her entrée, Lady Steakhead went with a cup of the soup of the day, which on a Friday is Lobster Bisque. This had a much stronger tomato taste than a lobster taste. Given I just came back from three days in Boston where I had chowder (or chow-duh as the locals would say) every night, I found this to be disappointing. Same thing can be said for my crab cake entrée, just not a lot of seafood taste. There was plenty of crabmeat in it, so I wonder about the quality of the crab they are using.

The clientele at BrickTops was noticeably older. The interior is pretty bland, and as my wife accurately pointed out, it sort of looked like a diner inside. The bar seemed to do decent business, so maybe this will be more of a lunch/happy hour place. For dinner, they seemed to be caught in restaurant “no man’s land”. We had three appetizers, one entrée and 2 glasses of wine, and the total tab was almost $120. For that kind of change, I would have rather spent a little more, gotten the sitter and gone to Chops or Rathbun’s and had a nice leisurely evening. Or conversely, I could have gone to Outback and spent half this much, with just about the same quality. And had a Bloomin’ Onion to boot!

But all is not lost for the Terminus complex in Buckhead. Lola, a Here to Serve Restaurant, is now open. I stopped in after dinner last night, and the place was hopping (and it looks like it may be possible to take kids there-it’s certainly noisy enough that you would never hear them). MF Sushi is also opening a Buckhead location at this complex, and Aquaknox, a concept from Las Vegas, looks to open soon. If you can navigate the parking situation, which at the moment is a complete disaster with all the construction, this may become a popular destination for Buckhead dining.

Steakhead Recommends: No
Prices: $$$