BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
2514 W. Int'l. Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(386)226-2005
www.bjsbrewhouse.com

Daytona Beach has its newest restaurant and I have to tell you it is a good one. My buddy Ryan hit me up a week ago saying we needed to get together and catch-up. I had been wanting to try BJ's, so we both decided this would be a good time to do it. Ryan had been there previously and had a beer, but hadn't eaten yet. I received an invitation to attend their orientation week where everyone was given one free entree, but I just couldn't make it work with my schedule. This did seem to me to be a great gesture by the restaurant to give them the opportunity to work out some kinks before opening and providing residents with a free meal. More restaurants should open in this manner. I think it endears them to the community.

The first thing I notice upon entering is that the place is big and really nicely done inside. It immediately reminded me of Vince Carter's in that there is a lot of dark wood and chrome with a very upscale feel to it. Ryan and I were meeting for lunch, so I spent my time at the table checking out the crowd while waiting for Ryan. I was quite impressed with how crowded they were for a Tuesday and noticed the restaurant was bustling. Our waiter came to the table to welcome me and take my drink order. He explained to me that they brew their own beers and also make their own root beer and a couple of other sodas. I told him I would wait until my other person arrived and he said he would come back. Ryan gets in and I order a Pepsi, Ryan gets an ice water, but tells the waiter he will try one of their beers later.

My second observation about BJ's is in regards to their menu. It reminds me of The Cheesesteak Factory. It is quite extensive with all kinds of food offerings. To make things easy, I decide just to order from the lunch menu, which Ryan decides as well. He orders Soup and Salad and I order Soup and Sandwich. Ryan's salad is a good size wedge of lettuce with Bleu cheese dressing and sprinkled with bacon. For his soup, he ordered the tomato bisque. I chose a half of turkey club sandwich with a bowl of clam chowder. The half of sandwich also came with a small order of fries, which you can choose shoestring or seasoned potato wedges. I chose the wedges.

Ryan and I chatted after placing our orders and were quickly approached by an expediter from the kitchen with two appetizers. We told her they were not for us and she took off. As we continued to chat, we were approached again with another order, but again it was not ours. In short order my sandwich and fries show up and the young lady asks if there will be anything else. I explain to her that I had ordered Soup and Sandwich. She says she'll be right back, so I just wait to see if Ryan's food is going to show up anytime soon. She brings my chowder to the table, but still nothing for Ryan. Finally, they bring his salad out and tell him his soup will be coming, but they had dropped his first bowl. Sometimes the less said, the better.

Ryan gets his soup, so we start eating once everything is on the table. The turkey club was a really good sandwich, but what blew me away were there seasoned potato wedges. They had a great crunchy outside, with a pillowy, creamy center. It was almost like mashed potatoes inside. As I have stated before, I am a big fan of clam chowder and this one will go down as one of my favorites. The chowder had a rich, creamy flavor and full of potatoes. The clams were plentiful, sweet and tender. If you like clam chowder you should give BJ's version a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Originally upon arriving, I thought I was going to have a burger given how hungry I was, but this Soup and Sandwich was more than enough. On top of how good the meal was, as a lunch special it only cost $6.95. Quite a bargain if you ask me.

Ryan and I were both very happy with our meals and I plan to go with some other friends for dinner this weekend. Ryan wanted to order his beer, but the waiter brought our check and stood it on the table. He shorted himself out of a bigger tip. As we were finishing our meals we got approached one final time with another two entrees that we obviously didn't order. We probably could have eaten all afternoon if we would have just accepted everything that was brought to the table.

We did eventually move to the bar and had a couple of their beers. They do have some good beers they brew themselves and I would guess about another 25 craft beers on tap. If you like beer, you will really enjoy a visit to BJ's. I hope they do well as we previously had a Hop's Restaurant right down the street with the same concept that went out of business. However, my feeling is that the food at BJ's is much better than what Hop's had. Only time will tell.

For my lunch visit to BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, I have to give them four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry