We ended up at The Brickyard almost by accident - and I am glad we did. We had a group of 7 guys out for a birthday on a late Sunday evening. We had chosen The Perch, but they had inexplicably stopped serving their entire menu other than their late night menu at 8:00 PM.
We walked across the dirt lot and saw the back entrance to The Brickyard and decided to give it a shot. By luck, Gavin (co-owner) was out back and when asked if they were still serving he immediately welcomed us and got us a table set up inside. He explained the menu and concept and talked with us a little about what they were doing at the restaurant.
The menu here is focused on sharing plates - so much so that there are only four entrees listed (more on those later). I have seen this concept attempted before, but often times it falls flat due to poor attention to detail, small portions or bad selection. These guys have it absolutely NAILED. Of the three sharing plates we tried (all were great) the fried artichokes were the crown jewel.
Everyone in our party ordered either the ahi or roasted chicken entrees, except for me. I had the steak - a block cut strip loin. It was pan seared to perfection on the outside and finished in the oven - and had that perfect crystallized crust that adds texture and flavor. One of the best cooked steaks I have ever had.
The cocktail selection is creative, but still accessible with flavors that will appeal to both the craft cocktail enthusiasts and those who are newer to drinking creatively. I recommend the Tropic Thunder - which is literally served in a closed mason jar with cherry wood smoke floating atop the drink.
The building itself is very basic - the old brick walls and minimalist decor shift the focus to the food and drink presentation and ultimately the quality of the fare itself. The service staff was extremely knowledgeable and having the owner there willing to converse and talk shop and food in general made for a great experience.