Date Night

In Brian (my hubby)’s family there was a long-standing tradition to go to the Round Table to celebrate the December Birthdays (as there were so many birthdays in December they were all combined for one big dinner!). When I married into this family, it became a favourite of mine – with it’s renowned Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding – (Roast beef and Yorkshires has been my favourite meal for as long as I can remember - with parents from Great Britain – I think this is simply the ultimate in comfort foods!). When the Round Table closed in 2015 we were devastated – but pleased to know that there was something new and exciting coming in its place.

The Round Table was composed of a lounge at the front, and long hallways with private and semi private rooms for diner parties. It was cozy with it’s rich wood candle lit tables, and small intimate places. When Brazen Hall opened in its place in 2017, we were not quite sure what to expect. The outside had transformed from looking like a tavern you would find in England to a much newer, funkier building – and we knew that the inside had been gutted to make way for the brewery portion of the facility. When I first went inside, I’m not sure that I had quite expected the transformation that I was faced with… however, in the year since it’s opening, it has become somewhere where we like to go for good food and good beer (and often good friends come along too) and last night was no exception.

On the way to watch the Winnipeg Jets destroy the Washington Capitals (ok – so it was a squeaker of a game – that we tied with 14 seconds left to play – and won in overtime… but I digress…) we stopped in for a bite to eat and a tasty sip of some of their finest in-house beers. Looking at the menu – we were torn, as everything looked delicious – and we had heard so much about the Farmer Jon (Brazen Hall’s burger which won first place in Winnipeg’s 2017 “Burger Week”), but we decided upon the Smash Steak and a flight (sampler tray) of their in house beer. It was absolutely superb!!! I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting when I ordered the Smash Steak… but did it ever knock all expectations out of the water! And the fries… best fries ever! The flight of sample beers came on a little tray with a specialized glass for each beer. We had a blast tasting each one and deciding which one we liked the most. As a photographer – I really enjoyed capturing the light through the different beers – however, I must admit, the tasting of them was just as much fun! (Note: I didn’t take a solo picture of the Jarpur Amber Ale… mostly, I think, because I really liked the translucent look of the others with the light dancing nicely through the bubbles. The amber ale didn’t look quite as pretty – however, the taste was simply delectable!).

Throughout our meal – servers were friendly and attentive, and people kept rolling in. Where once I had been concerned about changes to the layout in the renovation – I came to appreciate the huge windows that separate the dining area from the where the beer is made (super cool!!), and was thankful for the high ceilings and open space, as acoustically it works. Some places you will go out for dinner – and practically have to shout to have a conversation with the person across the table. Here – it was very civilized, comfortable and welcoming, with the right amount of interaction with serving staff and alone time to enjoy our evening out.

Whether it’s date night or an evening out with friends if you are looking for good times, great food, fine beer (yes – other drinks are available) and wonderful people, I would highly recommend Brazen Hall.

#brazenhall #beer #datenight #delicious #craftbeerlover #craftbrew #winnipeg