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| - BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse is what I'm sure most of us have come to expect from one of these chain-type American brew houses; good, not great. If it were up to me, I would change the name to BJ's Brewhouse and Restaurant since the beers are definitely the stars of the show.
I went on a Sunday evening with my girlfriend and was later joined by a mutual friend. We sat at the bar, had a couple of beers (their house IPA is really good) and dinner. The menu is too much. I chuckled to myself when the bartender said something to the effect of "there's 120 different items on the menu, so we have something for everyone." While I'm sure he's just towing the company line, we all know better. A large menu doesn't typically translate into great food. BJ's was no exception.
On the off chance that I was mistaken, however, I ordered the roasted shrimp Peruvian quinoa bowl. Trust me, I've been around the proverbial block a time or two, so I know better than to try to make a place something that it isn't, but I just had to see what would be served. In all honesty, it wasn't the worst "entree" that I've eaten in one of these types of places. The bowl came out with about a dozen shrimp piled on a bed of sauteed spinach, tomatoes and quinoa. While the dish had way too much lemon juice (or something?), and I'm sure the shrimp were frozen, and certainly overcooked, it really wasn't all that bad all things considered. I wasn't expecting a Michelin star dish or anything.
The service was friendly, the bartender attentive, and the vibe of the place was pretty good. It's a bit out of the way for me, so I don't expect to be back at time too soon, but with that said, I would return, have a beer and maybe an appetizer or two. As for the rest of the menu, it's nothing out of the ordinary.
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