I felt the need to share my recent discovery that Joey's Brickhouse has closed. There's some signage out in front -- including a heartfelt note from Joey himself -- confirming the restaurant's closing.
I am really sad to see this place go. Although it had been hit or miss in the past, I felt like it was on the up-and-up in recent months. Their all-you-can-eat salad, pizza and Rice Krispie treats deal on Tuesday nights was one of my favorites, as I mentioned in this previous post.
On top of the fact that this was an amazing deal, we had great service at Joey's Brickhouse every Tuesday night I visited. (And for a while, this was every Tuesday.) Joey himself was often in the house and he was always very welcoming and accommodating. His servers were friendly and competent -- and on more than one occasion, insisted that we join them in taking multiple rounds of shots on the house.
Sadly, Mega Biters, from now on, you'll have to look elsewhere if you're seeking a great all-you-can-eat option -- or just a tasty dinner in the Lakeview area.
RIP, Joey's Brickhouse. You will be missed.
After our sailing lesson tonight, Jenny suggested that we try the Tuesday night $12 all-you-can-eat pizza and salad deal at Joey's Brickhouse. There were three things I loved about this suggestion: 1) the all-you-can-eat nature 2) pizza 3) salad. There was one thing that made me nervous about the proposal: Joey's Brickhouse.
Up until tonight, I'd never had a good experience at Joey's Brickhouse. This always made me sad because it's so close to my house and I so desperately wanted it to be a solid neighborhood option. However, it seems we finally discovered what this place does really right: house salad, thin-crust pizza and RICE KRISPIE TREATS! Yes, it turns out that the deal is actually $12 for all you can eat salad and pizza, plus everyone's childhood favorite: Rice Krispie treats!
On top of all of this, you get great drink deals if you do the $12 pizza deal. House wines are $3 a glass and pints of draft beer are $1.50. What?! Jenny and I instantly ordered glasses of the house red wine, which was shockingly good for such a ridiculously low price. Keelyn got herself a pint of Skinny Dip... for $1.50. Amazing.
First, our server brought out the house salad. It is phenomenal. Served chilled in a white ceramic bowl, it's chock full of romaine lettuce, diced tomato, cubes of cucumber, onion shredded carrots, thinly-sliced radishes and sunflower seeds all dressed in an exceptional balsamic vinaigrette house dressing. We went through two full bowls and devoured this delicious salad so fast that we failed to photograph it either time.
The pizza deal works like this: Each person at the table can order one pizza per round. In doing so, one chooses a sauce (traditional, spiced marinara, BBQ, pesto), a cheese (4-cheese, goat cheese, mozarella cheese) and two toppings that are either meats (blackened chicken, homemade meatballs, bacon, Italian sausage, pepperoni, Andouille sausage) and/or veggies (broccolli, white onions, baby portabellas, baby spinach, Kalamata olives, roma tomatoes, bell peppers, jardiniere peppers).
I opted for the spiced marinara, which is traditional sauce with a swirl of spicy Thai sriracha mixed in, goat cheese, baby spinach and Kalamata olives. It was fabulous. The pizza is served piping hot with a thin crust that is somehow simultaneously chewy and crunchy. The spiced marinara sauce is both sweet and spicy, which balanced perfectly with the goat cheese. The spinach and kalamata olives added savory and salty elements to the mix. The result was a raging party in my mouth. I can't wait to eat the other half of my pizza tomorrow. In fact, I'm contemplating going to get my leftovers from the fridge right now.
Keelyn ordered a 4-cheese pizza with spiced marinara, spinach and bell peppers. It was gooey cheesy deliciousness, complemented with more savory spinach and sweet red bell peppers. This pizza reminded me a lot of a really amazing omelette, mostly because these are the ingredients I generally use when making/ordering them. Again, the crust was the perfect hybrid of chewy and crisp. Another great execution by Joey's Brickhouse.
Jenny's pizza featured goat cheese, spiced marinara, broccoli and bell peppers. These ladies know how to select the right ingredients for really outstanding, well-balanced pizzas. The goat cheese was creamy and a little tangy, offset by the spice of the sriracha in the sauce, the sweetness of the diced red bell peppers and the slight bitterness of the broccoli. Mouth party #2 in the house.
After we all did some damage to our own pizzas and of course, sampled each others' creations, it was time for dessert. So the friendly peeps at Joey's brought out warm homemade Rice Krispie treats, which was the perfect way to end the incredibly filling and tasty meal. Unfortunately, vegetarian Jenny couldn't partake in the dessert portion because of the marshmallows used to create the little blocks of Rice Krispie heaven, but Keelyn and I definitely enjoyed them. They were just like Mom used to make!
I was honestly stunned by how much I enjoyed tonight's meal. We agreed we'd definitely back for another Tuesday night all-you-can-eat fest at Joey's Brickhouse. Special thanks to Allison McMahon for giving Jenny the heads up about this fantastic deal!
I felt the need to share my recent discovery that Joey's Brickhouse has closed. There's some signage out in front -- including a heartfelt note from Joey himself -- confirming the restaurant's closing.
