BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse

What's it like?

One of Kim's high school friends came home to visit family and friends a couple of weeks ago, so we met them at BJ's for drinks and dessert. Since we had dinner beforehand (which is worthy of a post in itself), this isn't a review about food, so much as the overall vibe of the restaurant.

We've eaten at BJ's several times and love the pizza; during this visit, we just mooched off of the appetizers that others were ordering. For drinks, Kim ordered a berry-cider-beer thingy (can't remember the name), which she claimed was quite refreshing, but tasted to me like a Zima. I tried a couple of their beers: the amber lager and the porter stout. Both were good, but for my taste, local brews never have enough carbonation.

One of the others in our group was friends with the server, who helped us to celebrate multiple...um, birthdays...with pizookies. No, really, that's what BJ's calls their most popular dessert; it's essentially a large cookie (about six inches across), served in a pan with ice cream on top. Chocolate chunk, white chocolate with macadamia nuts, oatmeal raisin walnut and peanut butter—all delicious.

What I like about BJ's is the size. The bar is raised a bit from the main dining room, and another section (which can be closed off, I presume) offers a bit more privacy. All areas offer many views of whatever sporting event is on TV (during our visit it was the olympics).