Brewery Restaurant

First, don't be fooled by the name "brewery restaurant".  This probably isn't what you're thinking it is based on the name.  It's not a brew pub.

It is, however, an outstanding place for a great dinner.

I thought Mr Paul's had the best steak on this side of town...and then I had the NY strip here and found myself horribly conflicted about which place is better.

Then I found out why - same family owns both Mr Paul's and this place.  They're brothers, apparently, which makes it easier to understand why they're so similar.

I saw some earlier reviews had called the dress here "casual".  I wouldn't call it "casual", in that it's definitely not a "jeans and tee shirt" kind of place by any stretch of the imagination. If you don't want to feel self conscious, guys - wear a jacket (even if you're wearing jeans, throw a decent shirt and a sportcoat on), ladies - you don't have to dress to kill or anything, but it's definitely a "nice skirt/dress" kind of place.  Not that anyone here will really make you feel out of place...but you'll notice that you'll "blend" better if you're dressed a step above "casual".

Things tried last night:

- Appetizers consisted of escargot in an amazing garlic sauce, and some perfectly prepared ahi tuna.  The "iron chef" presentation aspect kind of got annoying, because at a six person round table, the two orders of ahi tuna showed up on...you know the things that painters keep all their paint on, that their thumb sticks through?  Like Bob Ross always had in his hand?  Yeah, they were like that big...about four times as big as they needed to be to handle the tuna, sauce and wasabi that was on the plates...and those two took up about half the table, that's how big they were.  But...whatever.  Quickly devoured and cleared away by the very attentive staff, so a relatively minor annoyance.

- Pork Chop.  I really can't do this justice with words, but I'll try.  The pork chop looked like it should've been on a tray getting placed on the side of Fred Flinstone's car.  It was huge, it was tender, it was incredibly well cooked and prepared and was firm without being tough, and was just outstanding.

- NY Strip.  Asked for medium, got a dead-on medium, and as with the pork chop, it was a huge slab of beef.  Loved it.  The "cowboy ribeye" apparently needs to be on my "to do" list for a future visit...it's allegedly twice as big as the strip.

The staff is extremely attentive, and there was barely a moment that would pass between "drink is almost empty" and "Can I get you another?"

The bartenders make drinks on the strong side here, so keep that in mind.

They carry Final Absolution, and wound up getting into a chat with some randoms at the bar after dinner while we were just hanging out and socializing about breweries in the area, etc.  Friendly crowd, which is always a plus.

Definitely recommend hitting this place.  It's bigger and more updated than Mr Paul's - not to detract from Paul's at all, but between the two, I think I'd give a slight edge to this place over it.

My family has been going to The Brewery for years for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.  It is too expensive to go there on a regular basis.  The food is always delicious. I always order the filet mignon and my wife loves the lake perch, which she claims melts in her mouth.  The mashed potatoes and gravy (served on the side) is to die for, but it's an extra charge. I don't understand why mashed potatoes has to cost more than hash browns or fries.  The name of the restaurant is a bit misleading. When I recommend it to friends, they think it's a micro brewery. The staff is always attentive and friendly.

I've been to this place numerous times and I was prepared to write a great review, but the last two times I've been there I was disappointed.
It seems lately that the waitstaff is dismissive of the customers.  I feel that when you pay over $130 dollars for dinner, you could expect that the waitstaff would be friendly and attentive.  Our waitress could care less.  She provided good service,but we got the impression we were a bother to her.  It really kinda ruined our evening out.
The food was excellent as always, and the atmosphere was pleasant, but when the waitress doesn't care the night goes down the drain.
I'll probably give them another chance, only because there are not many upscale restaurants in the area, but if there were I'd take my business elsewhere.