BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse - Polaris

I thought I had already reviewed BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse because we have been there a number of times, put it on "the list" and then went back like the unimaginative lemmings we are.

So, its Friday night and we are trying to get the group out for dinner. If you have ever tried to go to dinner on a Friday or Saturday night in Polaris, you would be hard pressed to get a table without waiting for at least an hour. So places with call ahead seating or reservations have become a mainstay with our group of six. For some reason chain restaurants in the Polaris area do not accept reservations and I will NEVER understand this. But I digress, BJs does have call ahead seating, however, its not a fool proof system to not wait more than an hour for a table. We called ahead a few weeks ago and still waited 1.5 hours for a table. Let me tell you, the food isn't good enough to wait that long. This time we called ahead a hour before we were planning on arriving and they told us that you can't call more than 30 mins before, which, let's be honest, doesn't really help the situation. A typical Friday night produces an 1.5 hour wait, calling ahead 30 mins, you are still waiting an hour. So, we beat the system. We called an hour ahead, and then called 30 mins later with another name. When we went to the restaurant, one name had an hour wait, and the other 20 mins! HA. Take that BJs.

So on to the actual review. Like I mentioned before, we have been to BJs many times and the food is at best okay. Nothing to write home about, but evidently not so bad that we won't go back. They have a very diverse menu including giant baked potatos, burgers, pasta, pizza, a selection of sandwiches and soup and salad. You shouldn't have trouble finding something to eat there. As evidenced by their name, they are also a brewery. They have a nice selection of beers ranging from your light pale ale to a dark stout. I tend to opt for the Pear or Berry Burst Cider, both of which are delightful. Since I have been to the restaurant a few times, I have ordered a lot of different things off their menu. Their pizzas are probably what they are most known for. They are deep dish so very doughy with very little sauce. I have asked for extra sauce in the past because I am a saucy pizza gal. Last night I opted for the Scampi Pasta which has shrimp, roma tomatoes and garlic tossed with angel hair pasta. I got a side garden salad added to that for a few bucks more. The garden salad was not all that good. Iceberg lettuce and cabbage with two cuke slices and two tomato slices. Pretty sad excuse for a salad. I chose this meal because it seemed to be somewhat healthy. I don't know if I am accurate or not because BJs does not have their nutrition information posted anywhere. (Which is annoying, I might add). The burgers are big and looked really good, coming with steak fries. Their dinner salads are huge and I am partial to the Field of Greens salad, but its always way too much food as was my dinner last night. For a burger, fries, 3 ciders, garden salad and scampi pasta, our bill came to about $52.

We did not get dessert last night, but they do boast a pizookie which is a cookie cooked in a deep dish pizza pan served warm with ice cream.

All in all BJs hasn't been put back on "the list" because of food or service, but the wait is ridiculous on a Friday/Saturday night. Be aware, but if you are familiar with going out on these days, you are used to waiting anyway.