The Brick - Warrenton

My wife and I stopped into the Brick Saturday night to grab some dinner. If you come in the front door through Black Bear you have to kind of wind your way down... read more My wife and I stopped into the Brick Saturday night to grab some dinner. If you come in the front door through Black Bear you have to kind of wind your way down and around through the building, which give it kind of a backroom feel that makes you feel like you have to in the know like a Speakeasy! We started off with Garlic Knots which were really, really good. They came out steaming hot in a small cast iron skillet and were still simmering in a shallow pool of garlic butter. The dough was nice and chew and the accompanying marinara sauce was very fresh tasting with a little bit of a kick. For pizza my wife went for the Margarite and I had the BBQ Chicken. Both of us loved our pizzas but my wife commented that the tomatoes they used didn 't have a lot of flavor this really comes down to the type of tomato they use. Also, she would have preferred that the basil was added after cooking and just put on top instead of cooked with the pizza which wilts the basil and really kills the flavor of it. I really liked my BBQ Chicken pizza but my only complaint is that the chicken was really dry. Also, they have a dining room downstairs near the bar where you can order from both The Brick and the Black Bear that 's pretty neat if you have some people who feel like pizza and others that feel like the upstairs menu. Even with the few negatives (they are still very new and stuff like that gets worked out) we really enjoyed our meal. It was a little on the pricey side, our bill was $50 (before tip) with the above plus a 12oz beer and a glass of wine. Still, it was really good and we will be back.

On our way back to DC, in need of dinner, my husband and I stopped at The Brick for dinner, mostly because of the stellar reviews. While the food was pretty goo... read more On our way back to DC, in need of dinner, my husband and I stopped at The Brick for dinner, mostly because of the stellar reviews. While the food was pretty good, the experience overall was just fine. Yes, the wood fired brick oven is great and makes for a good 'za, but that is really the best thing here. We sat at the communal table friends and family because there weren 't any other available options for us with a stroller . The area clearly hadn 't been cleaned that day, as there were large chunks of pizza crust strewn around the floor. That alone doesn 't bother me, but I felt like we were paying on the higher end for pizza, so I would expect certain other things to be in line with that. Also, throughout our entire dining experience, employees were passing by us continually bringing food, storage containers, and even garbage bags in and out the back door which was right next to our table . When we arrived, the host told us that if we checked in by providing our cell phone number, we 'd get a free appetizer. Who doesn 't like free appetizers?! So, I happily obliged. I asked how the waiter or waitress would know that I had done this, so to get the complimentary food, and he said it wouldn 't be a problem since he would be our waiter and would obviously remember. Well, fast forward to when we ordered during which I assumed he would remember about the appetizer and we didn 't mention anything, and then waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, our entrees arrived, with no word about our free appetizer. I asked the waiter if we were still getting it free, reminding him that we had checked in , with him present, and he kind of brushed it off and even seemed a bit put off that we actually wanted to take advantage of that deal. Um, what? He said something along the lines of, Yeah I guess if you still want it, I can get that for you. We eventually got our free garlic knots which seriously lacked in any garlic flavor whatsoever but I was put off by how they have this gimmick for a free app and then seem almost reluctant to follow through with the delivery. Anyway, on to the food. We ordered the tricolore pizza seems to be a favorite here , which is topped with wild mushrooms, arugula, house made mozzarella, and artichokes. It was, simply put, divine. I loved every bite, though it seemed a bit steep at $15 for a 12 inch pizza. We also ordered a piada advertised as an Italian street food which we had mixed feelings about. The bread, obviously well made and tasty, was nevertheless too dense for both of our tastes. The fillings we had the Caprese, stuffed with delicious meats were exceptional, however. My husband ended up just eating the meat and leaving most of the bread. I was also dismayed that the side salad was totally drenched in dressing, and as a result, drenched the piada which sat next to it on the plate. Last thing to mention is about the drinks. We arrived during happy hour time, and the server same guy who forgot about our free appetizer quoted my husband prices for drinks. When his top two choices were discovered to be all out, he asked for a cider, which the server said was the same price. When we got the bill, however, my husband noted that he was charged a higher price for the cider about $1.50 difference again, not a huge deal but still annoying . My husband raised this and explained the situation with another server ours had disappeared and we didn 't see again and he promptly took care of it and adjusted the price. If the customer service and care was on par with the quality of the food, The Brick would be a much better place.

I visited The Brick this week and was quite disappointed. Some parts of the pizza dough were undercooked, which really affected the overall experience. While th... read more I visited The Brick this week and was quite disappointed. Some parts of the pizza dough were undercooked, which really affected the overall experience. While the waiter was friendly, I was a bit unsettled by the appearance of the two cooks preparing the pizzas. One of them, in particular, had long, greasy black hair, and I was concerned about hygiene issues, as it seemed like there was nothing to prevent his hair from falling into the food. Overall, it was a significant letdown.

Had the four cheese with meatballs. Flavor was great. Only thing is brick oven pizza should be crispy. The only part that was crispy was the crust! I will come... read more Had the four cheese with meatballs. Flavor was great. Only thing is brick oven pizza should be crispy. The only part that was crispy was the crust! I will come back and give them another shot. Also the young pizza guy and hostess were flirting so loud we could hear everything they were saying.

Black Bear Bistro recently opened a new business connected to their existing restaurant but in a separate area. It 's called The Brick at Black Bear Bistro. It... read more Black Bear Bistro recently opened a new business connected to their existing restaurant but in a separate area. It 's called The Brick at Black Bear Bistro. It 's a Neapolitan pizza joint with a wood fired pizza oven and a bar. We visited for dinner last evening. Each person orders their own pizza it 's basically a personal pizza. I ordered the Picante pizza comes topped with a very spicy sauce and slices of Habanero pepper, Mozzarella, and Capicola. I had them add mushrooms and red onions to the pizza. Plus a pint of Devil 's Backbone 8 Point IPA. Wow was that pizza spicy! I love hot, spicy food and this one was on fire! I ate the entire pizza, except for one last bit of crust as I was stuffed. It 's a really cool, fun place, the place was packed when we were there. And the staff were friendly and a lot of fun. Our server was a blast!