Soo decided to graduate early, and yes, I was incredibly bitter that she was abandoning me for my last semester. I shouted at her for leaving, I cried when we parted, but I knew that with our common best friend, food, we would always have a strong bond. Therefore, we went for a celebratory graduation/departure dinner (food had to be involved otherwise what is the point) to say goodbye. It took us about 2 days to finally decide on a restaurant to go to, because they aren’t a grand array of choices in Carlisle, and we concluded we would go to Brick Kitchen and Bar. We invited all our friends and made a reservation.

Brick is located in the downtown area of Carlisle, and normally has quite a crowd for lunch and dinner. Walking into the entrance, there is a small area with tables on either side of the host, then a small step to the main part of the restaurant. A bar is located at the left back portion of the restaurant, but can be too small at times when there are larger crowds. The bar area has high ceilings and white glass windows which then leads to a tented back porch seating area.

When we arrived, we were placed right by the entrance on the left side, very close to the door. Not the ideal location at all, as we froze whenever someone entered or exited the restaurant. Nevertheless, we were starving, so we took what we could. It took most of us so long to decide what to eat. Brick had some great specials that evening including parmesan crusted salmon on a creamy mushroom risotto with capers, and a creamy seafood linguine. My roommate and I decided to share a fried mozzarella cheese starter, and after some long contemplation I chose the parmesan crusted salmon, while others ordered the seafood linguine, burgers or peanut shrimp salad.

The fried mozzarella cheese arrived and I gobbled them up instantly. They were fantastic! The crispiness from the fried bread crumbs molded perfectly with the soft gooey mozzarella and tomato sauce. After a while, the salmon came, and that was another delight. The parmesan and capers had a nice salty and sharp taste with contrasted with the lighter, smoother feel of the creamy mushroom risotto. My meal was excellent overall, and the others enjoyed their burgers and seafood pasta. However, unfortunately my roommate ordered the regular salmon on their menu, and she was not entirely pleased. It was not anything special.

The price range for the seafood and salmon is around $22-$27 depending on what you get, but there are cheaper menu items such as the burgers, sandwiches and salads around the $10-$15 range. The menu has a variety of foods and prices so it is a great restaurant for people with different price ranges. The food overall from the times I have been is always decent, but the service has been average, and is known to not be so great. However, if service is not such a key factor in your dining experience, Brick is a great place to have a nice meal with an array of different options.

Written by Fatema Sachak