BJ’s

Went to BJ’s the other night because I’ve been driving by it for quite some time now and never stopped in. Also, I’d been to their LA establishments and had a good time. So, I cruised on over with a coupla friends. We got a taster selection of the brews, and I quite enjoyed several of them. The blonde was light and fresh, the amber was pretty good, the pale very hoppy, perhaps a bit much…but the IPA was very nice. The stout and porter were both thick and rich. The pizza was pretty good, not spectacular, but enjoyable, and I can see how it’d be really good when they hit the sweet spot. They were not particularly busy, I think that they are having difficulty deciding what they want to be, or at least creating the perceptions they want (or I think they need!). Are they a pizza restaurant (ala Flying Pie) or a Brewhouse (ala Bridgeport NW)? While they are pretty good at both, they are weak in identifying themselves. The locations I’d visited in LA both carried more of a bar feeling, and were well-populated. But then, they don’t really have the brewpubs down there like we have here. So, overall, BJs is a good place, they could improve on a few things, mostly the environment…the wait staff was almost too friendly, like TGIFriday’s or something. Oh, and I confirmed that they make their beers onsite, or at their Janszen Beach location, so they qualify as a microbrewery in my world. Cheers, it’s off to the Rabbit Hole (fantastic sweet potatoe fries) tonite to see my buddies’s band play, Corner Office Suicide. 9pm if yer curious.