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| - I can still remember the first experience I had at a BJ's Restaurant. It was in Arlington, Texas back in 2008. I wasn't nearly as big of an annoying beer snob back then and, more importantly, I wasn't so hung up on eating healthy food. This made BJ's a pretty damn good joint for me. My wife and I loved their pumpkin spice ale and the pizookie, c'mon, nothing that good should be legal. Anyway, fast forward to 2017, we're back in Cleveland, and we'd all but forgotten about BJ's. That is until we heard they were opening a location in North Olmsted. Gods be praised. (angelic choir, light beams).
Yeah, yeah. It's a chain. We all get it. While I don't go out of my way to frequent chain restaurants, I also feel that if a chain is done right, there's nothing wrong with it. More of a good thing, right? And as far as chains go, BJ's is about as polished a concept as you're likely to find. Big menu, good beer, clean and modern design. We stopped in at this location around 5pm on a Wednesday with mild trepidation and vague recollections of pizookie-induced pancreatic spasms. We were also aware of everyone's complaints about wait times, so our expectations were managed accordingly.
If you've never had a BJ's experience, one of the first things you'll probably notice is the sheer size of the place. It's pretty damn big. I hadn't noticed so much in Texas because, well, because everything in Texas is freakin' big, but in tiny Great Northern plaza, BJ's is a monolithic structure of epic proportions. It still has that new restaurant smell.
We were greeted by a group of smiling young ladies as soon as we entered. We were told it'd be about 30 minutes our so. A quick assessment of the surroundings and we spied seats at the bar. Wait averted. BTW, the guy working the bar was a consummate professional. Service industry folks that take pride in their job and exude confidence and friendliness are a rarity. Celebrate (and tip well) when you encounter them. Our beers were always filled, our plates cleared toot sweet, and waters without asking. Overall, service was excellent.
The beer. While it's not really brewed on site at each location (they own 6 breweries in 5 states) it is really tasty, expertly brewed and styled more toward the middle of the bell curve. They've got styles to suite just about every taste - pilsner, wit, stout, IPA, pale ale, hefeweizen - and they do seasonal and limited run beers like the aforementioned pumpkin ale. I've had just about every beer they brew and they are all solid. Annoying beer geeks may knock 'em, but seriously, I have no complaints in the libation department. Besides, they've won multiple Great American Beer Festival awards so they've gotta be doing something right.
The menu here is sizeable but well laid out and organized with beautiful photography. It's like it has been scientifically designed to appeal to just about everyone and, lo and behold, they've even got "enlightened favorites" living happily next door to the usual, more indulgent suspects. Really, it all looks and sounds great, so you'll have trouble deciding. If it were in any way possible, I'd love to try everything. We had a pizookie in our sights, so we tried to eat conservatively. Here's a rundown of our selections:
Twisted BLT Salad: Probably the most disappointing dish of the meal. Baby spinach, diced tomatoes and bleu cheese crumbles tossed in honey sriracha vinaigrette and topped with smoked bacon and chopped hard-boiled egg. It tasted OK, it just wasn't tossed, stingy on the dressing, and the goodies seemed in short supply.
Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts: Tossed in the same/similar slightly sweet & spicy dressing as the Twisted BLT Salad, most of the sprouts were cooked properly, a nice char throughout.
Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms: Mini bellas stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip, feta cheese, red onions, herb bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Yum. These poppable apps were delicious. The lemon pesto sauce really brightened them up.
Roasted Chicken Peruvian Quinoa Bowl: I know. Way too healthy. The chicken was roasted perfectly, a nice crispy, spicy crust. The quinoa was tender, well-seasoned and plentiful, but the bed of spinach was raw instead of the advertised sauteed, the mushrooms were also nearly raw, and the ratios were just off.
Enlightened Roasted Maple Salmon Pita Tacos: The roasted salmon was cooked perfectly, the maple cumin glaze was tasty albeit quite sweet, and the broccoli slaw and candied pecans (more sugar) added nice textural elements. The side of seasonal bistro grains was OK - a cold salad of quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, corn and cucumber. The pita shells are also quite hefty, so I'm not really sure how "enlightened" this dish is. Tasty though.
The Pizookie (small version, perfect for 2) - If you haven't had a Pizookie you haven't lived. Restaurants all over the country are emulating this dessert with its warm, sorta underbaked cookie underneath ice cream. BJs has mastered this treat.
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