To the delight of foodies and casual diners alike, Downtown Dadeland has steadily become a culinary counterbalance to the commercial cuisine. Now, it is home the area’s first farm-to-table concept — The Brick.
Named after the brick oven in its open kitchen that exposes guests to often unseen aspects of the restaurant business, The Brick’s core value of ethical sustainability is expressed in both the style of its rustic décor — most notably its centerpiece, a pergola comprised of reclaimed shipyard wood adorned with hanging lanterns and a luminescent canopy of strung lights — and in the substance and quality of its dishes.
“I grew up learning the value of exceptional hospitality and one of the first things I learned, which I find just as important today, is that a customer comes to buy something and a guest comes for the experience,” said owner Corey Bousquet. “You can choose to eat anywhere in Miami, so to succeed The Brick must set itself apart in terms of the quality of our food and the overall experience we offer. I believe we’ve done that.”
The seasonal menus created by James Beard Award-winner Allen Susser and executive chef Evan Broomer are a synergism of reimagined comfort foods and innovative originals made from scratch using locally sourced, cruelty-free ingredients with no unnecessary pesticides or hormones.
“It’s a weekly battle sourcing our ingredients,” he said. “Our food prices are higher than they would be if I ordered everything from a big box food distribution company. But in terms of quality, taste and conscience, it’s no contest.”
Popular appetizers like the roasted cauliflower mac and cheese, confit buffalo turkey wing and homemade chicken biscuit slider serve to whet the palate for larger dishes such as roasted free-range chicken, Colorado lamb shank, pan roasted monkfish and an assortment of pizzas, salads and a la carte items.
Traditional cocktails and innovative house concoctions are available at The Brick’s crescent-shaped bar, which Bousquet designed to better facilitate interaction between guests. Whether it’s a Brick Barrel Old Fashion from the regular cocktail menu or a Hanson Green & Mean (using organic cucumber vodka, coconut water, fresh basil and muddled cucumbers) from the “Cocktails with a Conscience” list, bar patrons have boundless choices with which to warm themselves.
Daily specials, like Whiskey Wednesdays, and a Monday-Friday happy hour between 4 and 7 p.m. featuring $3 dollar bottled beer, $5 well drinks, $6 house wine and half off pizza, also are available.
For the lunch crowd, there is a more affordable “Executive Menu” designed for expedience featuring a robust selection of sandwiches and salads including the Tuscan kale house salad and grilled Covina sandwich.
“It’s exciting to be able to offer two different menus and, in a way, present guests with two different kinds of restaurants in the same space depending on when they spend time with us,” he said. “We turn our tables much quicker during lunch than dinner, when we put out candles, dim the lights, set the mood and present guests with a broader menu that showcases some of our larger plates and kitchen favorites.”
To ensure Bousquet’s staff exceeded expectations, everyone in the restaurant — no matter their job — partakes in a comprehensive taste test of the entire menu. And each week, when the new ingredients come in, the servers undergo a refresher course.
“Getting the servers excited about the food and romancing the guests — showing them that they not only know the menu but that some of them have been to the farms and know details like the fact that all of our beef comes from a small farm in Ocala — is paramount,” he said.
“The quality of our food can speak for itself, but being able to tell its story is part of the total package and why people come for this experience instead of going someplace else.”
The Brick recently participated in the second annual “Dinner for Farmers” event hosted by Edible South Florida at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens on Jan. 17 to celebrate local farmers who contributed to the farm-to-table movement. Bousquet, Broomer and The Brick staff were tasked with crafting the evening’s main dish using ingredients donated from seven different farms.
“It was a beautiful event and I was honored to participate,” he said. “My staff at The Brick and I share a very specific attitude: For each of us to do well, we all have to do well for each other. Everything we do — all of it — is a labor of love.”
The Brick is located at 8955 SW 72 Pl. in Downtown Dadeland. For more information, visit www.TheBrickMiami.com or call 786-814-5909.
