Lunch at the Brick House Eatery

My office was closed for New Year’s Day  on Monday, January 2nd.  Any day off is a good day in my book and, instead of  trudging off to Tallahassee or Thomasville, we spent the day in  Monticello.  As it approached lunch time Mason wandered around the house asking for chicken nuggets.  Like most two-year-olds  they are in his wheelhouse of favorite foods.  We loaded into the car.   He thought we were headed to Burger King.  I pointed the car towards  downtown where the Brick House Eatery is located.  It completely threw  him off.  “I have chicken nuggets, okay daddy,” he said as he peered  through the restaurant’s window.  I tussled his hair and we walked in.

The Brick House Eatery sits on the corner of Dogwood and Jefferson (U.S. 19 N) Streets in downtown Monticello.   It is the second restaurant with this name to occupy the location.  The  prior owners very recently sold it to a local  entrepreneur who reopened its doors.   The interior is painted a light  cream.  On one side of the restaurant a large sail fish is mounted while, on the other, hangs an old DeSoto Trail sign.  A large television sits above the front door.  A counter sits at the back with a second  smaller television mounted for those sitting at the bar.  The majority  of seating is a mixture of wooden tables, chairs and booths.  It has a  small town diner feel and, on the day we visited, was packed with fellow residents.

We waited a few minutes and sat down at a table near the middle of  the restaurant.  I grabbed a high chair and plopped Miss Julia down as  we looked over the menu.  Mason observed what we were doing and made  sure we knew what he wanted.  “I want chicken nuggets, okay daddy,” he  said with a serious look on his face.  The request was duly noted and he went back to playing with his cars as we made our selections.  The  Brick House Eatery offers fairly straightforward fare.  They had several salads, sandwiches, wraps, a burger and, of course, chicken fingers.   Becky and Mason ordered the latter while I decided to get the Brick  House Sandwich.

While we waited for our order to arrive we attempted to maintain  order at our table.  Miss Julia did her best to entertain the patrons  around and said “hello:” to everyone.  Mason was relatively well-behaved,  and I watched two waitresses handle the entire restaurant.  They busted  their tails filling drinks, bringing out food, cleaning tables and  working the register.  On top of that they did it with a smile and were  polite.  Any small delay in keeping our drinks topped off was forgiven.

Our lunches soon arrived.  Each was  contained in a plastic basket layered with a red and white checked  paper.  Underneath a pile of french fries was my Brick House Sandwich.   On one side of the large roll was a fried chicken breast with a slice of Swiss cheese topped by two slices of bacon.  Across from the meat and  cheese was lettuce and a slice of tomato.  I ate the veggies and then  slapped the two sides of the bun together.  The bread was fresh and the  chicken was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  It was a  pretty good chicken sandwich.  The fries, on the other hand, lacked a nice crispness.  I also sampled one of Mason’s chicken nuggets after he  finished.  They were all white meat chicken covered in a crispy batter.  They were miles ahead of the cookie cutter shaped chicken fingers  served up by various fast casual restaurants, and I had a bit of food  envy as I mopped up the remaining honey mustard sauce from his basket.

Overall our lunch at the Brick House  Eatery was good.  It is a place where the locals eat that offers honest  food at a reasonable price.  For those with children it is also very kid friendly.  It should be noted the restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday.  On Friday evenings they do stay open late for dinner.

Sweet Tea & Bourbon’s Rating:
Atmosphere: B
Taste: B
Presentation: C
Service: B+
Cleanliness: A
Price: $