Reviews for Bru Grill Market

04/28/2024 - MenuPix User

02/02/2024 - MenuPix User

01/15/2024 - MenuPix User

01/09/2024 - MenuPix User

12/27/2023 - MenuPix User

11/30/2023 - MenuPix User

07/03/2013 - Kimberly
Wish I could recommend, but can’t.

Good things… ambiance 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 flat bread. 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.