Bru Market & Grill

Reviews 4

KI

Kimberly White

Wish I could recommend, but can’t. Good things… ambience was fabulous. Drink list is great. Our servers for our first visit were fabulous, second visit was fair at best, and the couple selected for our party of 30, hardworking and helpful. Bad things… It really comes down to the manager/owner, Matthew Pannek. I think everyone else’s experience and reviews have this covered, but I’d like to add that he was unresponsive to 3 weeks of calls/requests to discuss planning, and then YELLED at me in voicemail and again on the phone in the very first communications I received from him a week before the event. Aside from his claims that he was going to be losing THOUSANDS of dollars by accommodating us, he said he would make sure this was a night to remember. He was right—for the wrong reasons. When we arrived, we were astonished that an evening of heavy hor’s doev’res and open bar was set up to be a dinner service for 32. When asked about an hour before the event, he was further argumentative, unaccommodating, and accusatory, and dismissed our requests that the table be broken up as unreasonable. (Hmmm… I’m pretty sure with the appetizer menu discussed and predetermined, side food station, request for high-top tables in the planning stages, discussion of individual table setup/décor, open bar, and final guest count (30) that I’m not the one that got this wrong. Yet… somehow this was made to be my fault.) Unfortunately, the table situation didn’t get fixed before the guests arrived because they “were now in heavy service time and didn’t have the time to fix it.” (Embarrassingly, this left some guests asking if it was supposed to be a dinner event instead of cocktails). Next, the food is good, but definitely not consistent. To preface, I requested many dishes dairy free and visited the restaurant 2x in the weeks prior to the event to test dishes so that the menu would be easy, tasty, and agreeable by management/kitchen well in advance of the event. In fairness, I requested sliders on special bread, and they accommodated—thank you. However, I didn’t find them to be very good, moist, or warm at the event, but maybe the change in bread was the reason, so I’ll take blame for that. The sauerkraut on the first visit was excellent, but for the event was merely shredded cabbage with no dressing—cold, dry and crunchy. The German potato salad on the first visit was AMAZING, but for the event was dry and lacking in flavor. The speck & blue flat bread on our first visit was very tasty, but for the event was sparsely laid with ham and missing 2 ingredients: onions (cooked in oil instead of butter), and thyme, leaving a practically naked piece of flatbread. Additionally, we instructed the staff that we were aware of the cost concern and to “keep the food coming”, but the food table consistently stayed empty through the night, resulting in a MUCH lower cost than we anticipated (Not too worried about costs, after all?) My initial interest in Bru stemmed from the claim that it is “America’s 2012 Top 250 Restaurants”, and fortunately, my initial visit was a very good one suggesting that was an accurate assessment. Having been a couple times more, received inconsistent food and service, and now having done some research on the management/ownership, I am more led to believe this designation was awarded by Urbanspoon more so due to the owner’s career history with Fuddruckers and Brinker International, than it is an accurate assessment of this establishment. In spite of these things, the event was a success and guests were very professional and kind about the time they had. I wish my experience throughout the planning and during execution had been as great. My recommendations – Sausage platter (if they fix the sauerkraut and potato salad), garlic fries, and a beer. But, that said: don’t host an event here until the manager can hire himself an event coordinator.

NA

nate schlepp

My wife and I make this our usual date spot. The food is extremely good. We usually start off with the best hotwings that I have ever had. The skin is crispy the chicken is juicy and flavorful and the heat levels are 1-5. 5 is hot! I will normally have a field greens salad and the Prime Rib, The salad is very good with high quality olives that add a nice flavor. The 16 ounce Prime Rib is a generous cut, good marbling and a nice flavorful brine. The Horseradish Cream is pretty good but it is a touch under the heat level that I normally like. My wife has had a few different courses over our many trips but it has all been very good. Last time she had the Sea Bass and it was a large piece of fish that was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The fish flaked perfectly and had a great flavor. The wine list is better than anything else in Lake Forest. Where they really shine is their beer list. We come here without a reservation on purpose to try a beer or two before we sit. I brought a home brewer friend of mine and he was actually excited by the beers that they had on tap. Right now they have two of my favorites: The Ballast Point Sculpin IPA and The Stone Saison. Regardless of the meal you have to save room for the bru cake. A warm mason jar stuffed with a dark chocolate brownie, chocolate fudge, whipped cream, Jameson Irish Whiskey (enough that you can taste it) and ice cream on the side. One word phenomenal! They have been doing live music on the weekend nights on our past couple trips. The atmosphere has been awesome. Gotta find a sitter soon because after writing this review I really want to go back.

TH

Thomas Huff

Describe my experience, ...hmmm, ...how about absolutely HORRENDOUS!!! Short and to the point, I had to wait roughly 10-minutes for a waitress in an establishment that was practically empty. I then had to wait another 10-minutes for a beer, and to place an order for appetizers. 45-minutes later, the appetizers show up. 45-minutes people, ...in an establishment less than 20% full? And appetizers? ...well, on the menu they sound quite tasty: Dr. Pepper Braised Pork Tacos Served with mango salsa, pickled shallots and queso fresco in a corn tortilla ...what I received was soggy tortillas with pork, onions, and cheese. That was it! Manga salsa??? ...queso fresca??? The manager of this establishment apologized for the wait and comped the horrendous excuse for appetizers. Really? After being in your establishment for practically an hour before being served a so called single appetizer, and youre still going to make me pay for the one beer I didnt even drink? Where was this managers customers service training? Hell, where was this managers training as a manager period? I have traveled the world. Ive dined on six of the seven continents, and this place? ...GRRRR!!! ...this place was the ABSOLUTE WORST service I have EVER received in my ENTIRE life in the ENTIRE WORLD! First impressions are everything, ...and everything I have to say about this establishment, is that its simply HORRENDOUS!

KY

Kyle Rosofsky

I did not get any food stopped for a couple drinks. It was a very nice bar, great bartender, great atmosphere. My family bought me a gift card for the place for $100 Me and some buddies tallied up the bill quick. When I went to pay for the bill with the BRAND NEW gift card they had just got me they told me the card had been USED. So long story short they sold my parents a USED gift card they which did not work. They pretty much profiled me and my group of friends and stated that we had used the card, when I had just recieved it as a gift that day... Manager was no help at all stated he was sorry and would look into the issue. Never head anything back as to this day. This happened last Christmas. Best of Luck and DO NOT BUY GIFT CARDS FROM THEM AS THEY USE OLD CARDS AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF THE.