What's Good at Bj's Restaurant

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, a large and popular establishment at University Village Colorado, features one of my pet peeves: an exhaustive menu.

It totals 24 pages, and that number doesn't include several inserts. Granted, it highlights beverages from beer and wine to mixed drinks and sodas. Still, even the young man who seated us acknowledged the menu is "a novel of food." What it lacks in plot, however, it compensates for in characters, er, I mean entrée choices. Our server started to rattle off several of her favorites before giving up; there were simply too many to single out.

My attitude toward menus that boast a bit of everything is there's a good chance only a few items will be worthwhile. At BJ's, I can attest to what we tasted and what I overheard from others: the entrées are remarkably well-prepared and far from ordinary.

The hickory brisket and bacon burger, along with fries, at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. Expect to make a mess when eating this two-fisted heap of flavor.

Jeff Kearney, special to the gazette

We chose the hickory brisket and bacon burger with fries ($14.95) and the tri-tip wedge salad. The latter was among the daily specials, so it was reduced in price from $16.25 to $13.95 and included a Pizookie. More on that later.

We were surprised by how long it took to receive the food, but no explanation was offered for the delay.

The wedge salad is enough for two meals (hurrah for leftovers). This starts with two quarters of head lettuce topped with bacon bits, diced tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and red onion slices. Sliced, slow-roasted tri-tip is served on the side. This cut of sirloin steak was tender and cooked with a peppery sauce that balanced well with the blue cheese dressing.

The burger is a sloppy, two-fisted heap of flavor. Smoked, shredded brisket in a tangy barbecue sauce, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and several slices of bacon on a grilled hamburger patty are held together with a Parker House bun. There is no way to eat this without making a mess and using a lot of napkins. The combination of savory ingredients made every drip and splatter on the paper-lined tray worth it. Several sides are offered. We opted for the fries, which were plentiful and the best sidekick for a burger.

Back to that Pizookie. It took me awhile to figure it out, but then I remembered pizza accounted for several pages on the menu. This dessert is a cookie made in a small pan and topped with two scoops of rich vanilla ice cream. Thus, a pizza cookie.

Several types of cookies are available: sugar, peanut butter, chocolate chip, among others, including my choice of white chocolate macadamia nut ($7.25).

BJ's is large, like its menu, but surprisingly not loud. The décor pays homage to beer, including a wall listing available brews. Poster-size prints of brewery-related equipment adorn the walls. Whether you go for the beer, the food and service are impressive.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse

Address: 5150 N. Nevada Ave.

Contact: 268-0505; bjsrestaurants.com

Restaurant character: Popular gathering place for friends, families and couples

Rating total: 4.1 of 5 forks

Food: 4 of 5 forks

Ambiance: 4 of 5 forks

Service: 4.5 of 5 forks

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday

Entrees: $11.25 to $30.25

Alcohol: Yes

Credit cards: Yes

Vegan options: Yes

Outdoor dining: Yes

Gluten-free options: Yes

Wi-fi: Yes

Facebook: Yes

What's online as of Nov. 6:

• 8.4 of 10 rating based on 207 votes on Foursquare

• 4 of 5 stars based on 279 reviews on TripAdvisor

• 4.2 of 5 rating based on 101 votes on Zomato

• 3 of 5 stars based on 362 reviews on Yelp

Excellent rating Dec. 19, 2018, by El Paso County Public Health.

What's Good at Bj's Restaurant

Source: https://gazette.com/arts-entertainment/bjs-restaurant-and-brewhouse-offers-myriad-options-in-this-case-thats-a-good-thing-dining/article_c0e975f4-00e0-11ea-96bd-7362d0ecda85.html

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