Sorry it's been a while, but life has been insane.
Generally, I will not review national chain restaurants, but to get things moving along again - I will do so here.
The first thing that struck me about BJ's was a feeling of similarity to Cheesecake Factory. I felt the environment was very similar, the menus had a similar design and layout, and the entryway and basic layout was reminiscent of visits to Cheesecake Factory.
I went on a Wednesday around 6:00pm and it was sufficiently busy, but there was no wait. There was an efficiency to the service that bordered on being rushed. Virtually as soon as we ordered appetizers or our meal from our waiter there was another server arriving with our food.
The food was satisfactory and reasonably priced for this type of restaurant. For two splitting an appetizer, each with an entree, splitting desert, and beverages (including two "tasters" of their house brews) came to approximately $45 + tip.
For an appetizer, we had the Santa Fe Spring Rolls made with chicken and a variety of vegetables. To complement this southwestern fare were two dipping sauces including an avocado cream and their Santa Fe dressing. The avocado was creamy and flavourful with green onion bits and red peppers in it. A light spicy after taste would best describe the Santa Fe dressing - both complemented the Spring Rolls wonderfully.
I chose the Knife & Fork Pot Roast sandwich. A respectable slice of bread served as the base which was piled with mashed potatoes, tender pot roasted beef, and a beef gravy. An array of cooked vegetables surrounded the sandwich, including carrots and onions. This sandwich was filling and as indicated, a respectable size.
For desert we split the Cookies 'n Cream Pizookie. A warm chocolate cookie in a round pan topped w/ 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream and an Oreo whipped cream topping proved to be a delightful way to end the meal. The cookie was definately the best part of this dish. The ice cream went well with the hot cookie, but I felt that the Oreo whipped cream topping was unmemorable.
For my two "tasters" - 5oz samples of BJ's House Brews - I tried the Wild Berry Cider and the PM Porter. The Cider was refreshing and enjoyable to drink, and if not there to sample, I would have ordered a pint. The variety of berries provided a comforting, refreshing complexity that was smooth and easy to drink. As for the PM Porter, this was a beautifully dark beer with a creamy head (hold in mind that I am NOT the beer drinker here, and rarely partake in the beverage). There was a delightful hint of chocolate and a more noticible taste of caramel. This beer was somewhat dry, but the first half of the glass was very enjoyable for me. I do not know if it was the fact that it had warmed up a bit or if it was because I tried to finish it following the chocolate desert, but I did not enjoy the remainder of it. I would be willing to try it again and drink it all before eating to see if this was the case.
Aside from a rushed feeling, the service was adequate and the atmosphere is what one would expect at a medium priced, casual, chain dining establishment.
Basic info:
Website - http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/index.html
Location - Polaris (1414 Polaris Pkwy. North side of SR 750, West of I-71)
Phone - 614.885.1800
Victor's Rating = 3.5 (0-5 scale)
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