My office was closed for New Year’s Day on Monday, January 2nd. Any day off is a good day in my book and, instead of trudging off to Tallahassee or Thomasville, we spent the day in Monticello. As it approached lunch time Mason wandered around the house asking for chicken nuggets. Like most two-year-olds they are in his wheelhouse of favorite foods. We loaded into the car. He thought we were headed to Burger King. I pointed the car towards downtown where the Brick House Eatery is located. It completely threw him off. “I have chicken nuggets, okay daddy,” he said as he peered through the restaurant’s window. I tussled his hair and we walked in.
The Brick House Eatery sits on the corner of Dogwood and Jefferson (U.S. 19 N) Streets in downtown Monticello. It is the second restaurant with this name to occupy the location. The prior owners very recently sold it to a local entrepreneur who reopened its doors. The interior is painted a light cream. On one side of the restaurant a large sail fish is mounted while, on the other, hangs an old DeSoto Trail sign. A large television sits above the front door. A counter sits at the back with a second smaller television mounted for those sitting at the bar. The majority of seating is a mixture of wooden tables, chairs and booths. It has a small town diner feel and, on the day we visited, was packed with fellow residents.
We waited a few minutes and sat down at a table near the middle of the restaurant. I grabbed a high chair and plopped Miss Julia down as we looked over the menu. Mason observed what we were doing and made sure we knew what he wanted. “I want chicken nuggets, okay daddy,” he said with a serious look on his face. The request was duly noted and he went back to playing with his cars as we made our selections. The Brick House Eatery offers fairly straightforward fare. They had several salads, sandwiches, wraps, a burger and, of course, chicken fingers. Becky and Mason ordered the latter while I decided to get the Brick House Sandwich.
While we waited for our order to arrive we attempted to maintain order at our table. Miss Julia did her best to entertain the patrons around and said “hello:” to everyone. Mason was relatively well-behaved, and I watched two waitresses handle the entire restaurant. They busted their tails filling drinks, bringing out food, cleaning tables and working the register. On top of that they did it with a smile and were polite. Any small delay in keeping our drinks topped off was forgiven.
Overall our lunch at the Brick House Eatery was good. It is a place where the locals eat that offers honest food at a reasonable price. For those with children it is also very kid friendly. It should be noted the restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. On Friday evenings they do stay open late for dinner.
Sweet Tea & Bourbon’s Rating:
Atmosphere: B
Taste: B
Presentation: C
Service: B+
Cleanliness: A
Price: $
