La Brique Steakhouse

I just learned this has closed! Oh NO!
My Huntington Beach go to Favorite for steaks is gone! After all that hard work and new yumminess.
Darn!

Still an excellent place for food especially happy hour when there’s delicious entrees off the bar menu that are half-​priced and the house wines are half priced. I enjoy sunday especially in the evening hearing danny lantz, Richard ihara, bj mcneeley, and various fabulous singers. Come check it out. There’s a new dance floor; it’s fun. Check it out this Sunday. Reviewed may 2015

This restaurant has gone out of business.

The newest ownership really made leaps and bounds on the menu. The California nachos and steak tartare were amazing! The bar was always lively and the owner operators Lube and her husband (the chef) were great! The dining room was a bit dated but had that throwback, Chicago-​style speakeasy feel to it.
Sadly, the new owners couldn’t make ends meet and it closed down in early-​mid December. They had a great menu and a loyal cult following, so if any investors out there know the value of a hidden gem and can successfully market the restaurant, I’d say give these guys another chance! I miss La Brique :(

This place is really good actually. The outside doesn’t even look like a restaurant. We were hesitant at first to try because how mixed the reviews were, but we were craving meat, and Ruth Chris is too far.
We got the Ribeye and Porkchops with two choice of sides were around $ 30-​ish each. It’s almost as good… as RC: X Great alternative if you don’t want to spend so much. The portions were HUGE and very delicious!
The place is very dim. They have live bands play at night, which is kinda cool. Their theme is the roaring 20’s. The customer service was pretty good as well. I will definitely come here again.

CLOSED! 12÷3÷2012 (Monday) I stopped at La Brique, and the place is locked down tight.
I believe it will open around ¹⁄₂₀₁₃. Guess Mike and Lube couldn’t make it on the bar flies alone. Possible next owner seems like a nice guy. .. if the deal goes through. Perhaps someone can get that restaurant back to the fine quality and friendly service that it used to have. Perhaps new management can bring back the Boeing lunch crowd and other professionals in the area.
LET’S LOOK FORWARD TO A GRAND OPENING AND A NEW START FOR THE LA BRIQUE. .. AND OURSELVES!.

Nice old style steakhouse ambiance of the past but the food is only mediocre and expensive. I would have expected an exceptional cut of meat but the quality of meat was only average and the portion small. Believe it or not, I enjoyed Black Angus Steakhouse in Fountain Valley more.

Wanted desperately to like this place, its getting harder and harder to find a good old-​style ‘Rat Pack’ restaurant. Sadly, this wasn’t one of them. The prior reviews pretty much tell it like it is.
The décor was old school, just what I was looking for– dimly lit, overstuffed leather booths, a steak & martini kind of place with a decent looking bar. Worn and comfortable, though maybe a little tacky around the edges. Trouble is, the food was really sub-​standard. I visited at lunchtime, had the worst Caesar salad w/​chicken I’ve ever tasted. The lettuce was finely chopped (maybe not even Romaine), the dressing completely tasteless, and not much of it. Could have been Ranch, but who knows? My iced tead didn’t taste at all like tea, my wife thought it tasted more like cucumber??? On the other hand, I had a cup of the soup de jour, creamy spinach with carrots, and it was pretty darn good. My wife asked for bread or crackers to accompany her Cobb Salad and the waitress apologetically told her they weren’t available at lunch. Huh?
Prices are pretty steep for lunch– I paid $ 36 for 2 salads, a tiny cup of soup, a tea, and a cocktail. Can’t comment on dinner menu, but prices look awfully high considering no salad is included. Steaks, $ 22 (10 oz. New York) to $ 44 (24 oz. Porterhouse). By the way, the same menu for both lunch and dinner.
The waitress was very friendly, the manager (owner?) was nice but paraded around in jeans and his dress shirt hanging out, not what you’d expect in a better restaurant.
Guess I’ll keep looking for that neighborhood Rat Pack restaurant where the food is on a par with the atmosphere.

The food isn’t bad… but it took an HOUR AND 20 MINUTES from when we ordered to actually get the food! And the manangement didn’t seem to care in the least that their cook was apparently asleep on the job. Decent food, horrible service, horrible management. They’ve lost me as a customer, for sure!

I had dinner here for the first time on Friday, March 30^th, 2012. I came for the «A Night at the Cotton Club» event/​fundraiser. The email and website advertisements said 6 pm to 11pm.
My fiancé and I didn’t make it there until about 9:45pm. I stood around and waited at the hostess stand, but there was no one there and no servers walking by. Eventually, I poked my head into the restaurant and bar area to see what was up. The hostess was sitting down having drinks around the corner so she didn’t notice us waiting. When she did greet us, she told us she would have to go check and see if the kitchen was still open! I told her the website said the event was going on until 11 pm. She came back and basically told us that if we wanted to eat, we would have 5 minutes to order because the kitchen closes at 10 pm. Not the nicest lady.
On the other hand, our waitress was really nice and sweet. She seated us and apologized for mix up and confusion. She checked up on us a lot throughout our meal, a little too much even, but I’m sure she was compensating for the lack of service that started off our dining experience at La Brique Steakhouse.
Being a little rushed to order we ended up ordering a classic, the prime rib, to share. Once our food was ordered, it came out quickly, but not very tasty. We ordered the prime rib kicking-​and-​screaming rare; it looked medium and tasted well done. The side vegetables had way too much garlic on them, but the baked potato was good. However, the accompaniments (sour cream and horseradish sauce) for our meal were forgot in the kitchen and we had to ask a random server for them. We did get a free slice of cheesecake for the mix-​up with the event times. Buy again, the calories from the cheesecake would have been better allocated to another dessert, it was mediocre nearing the side of bad.
So overall
1 to 2 stars for the Food
1 star for the Hostess
4 stars for our Waitress

Don’t know what the others were on when they left their reviews of this place but it must have been some good stuff to think la brique was good.
1^st. I have to say I’m only judging based on happy hour.
Food. Fries were good and crispy which I gave one star. Sliders were $ 2.50 each. Really? So if you buy 3 it’s like $ 7.50.
Bunch of regulars in the bar and drinks are stiff (margarita tasted like watered down cheap tequila). If you want to just drink to get drunk like Mo’s tavern then this is the place for you. The margaritas tasted like Lysol pine cleaner with no sweet and sour.
Never coming back. Made reso with open table and the host didn’t care about the reso so I didn’t get the points. First time and our last.

Living proof that fine dining cannot merge with breakfast bargain specials. The manager does not show up on the weekend breakfast specials, so poor service, so-​so food, and eventually low value ensues.
We walked into the lobby, were a teenager where was rearranging pictures on the wall, churlishly asked us if we wanted to be seated for breakfast. I was taken to a table where the tablecloth was overextended onto the seat end, so that about half the silverware fell off the table when I sat down. An idiot busboy showed up (the tablecloth guy?) and asked us three times in broken English what we wanted to drink. We answered coffee every time, and had a hell of a time getting this guy to bring it. Sweet? Crema? Huh? Say again?
WTF?
Our table watched as the only waitress talked to the bartender, customers (only 2 other tables were occupied), and kitchen help whist we sat on our asses waiting for even a coffee or drink. She apparently sent the same brain dead busboy over to take our orders, which he completely screwed up. This idiot didn’t even have an order pad, so I guess her conversation with one of the only other two occupied tables was too important to interrupt.
About 5 minutes later, she showed up to take our order. What a lazy bitch. Lazy refills, and you have to keep reminding her. If your companion’s cup is half full, she gets a refill, if your is two-​thirds, fugeddaboutit. Total BS.
She disappeared for a good long while, then brought our food back, cold. She gave us an Obama-​like excuse, telling us how good it looked. Un-​eff-​ing-​believable.
Later we had a pianist come in and ask us what we wanted to hear him play, but he didn’t know the tune (Send In The Clowns). Why the hell ask if you can’t play it by ear? This guy didn’t play a gentle, low tone piano, he clanged it out like he was in the South Cackalackie Baptist Congregational Choir, louder than sh*t.
This place is not cheap, and the lack of managerial experience impels me to warn you: CAVEAT EMPTOR.

I have to go again for dinner before I can really review this place…
PROS:
Great traditonal steak house ambiance…
Classy atmosphere, wine glasses on the table, nice linen etc.
Decent priced lunch specials
Stuffed baked potato is enough for lunch, just the right amount of prime rib :)
Great date-​night type of vibe
CONS:
Very impersonal service
Bland club sandwich (and I didn’t even know that was possible)
REALLY overpriced (not so bad for lunch though)
I was fighting to hold on to the menu (I like to look at it through the whole meal. DON’T care if its not dinner time I want to know what you have)
I will definitely be back for dinner. My boyfriend used to come here when they had the Kobe burger on special… he was sad to see it off the menu but enjoyed his stuffed potato. I on the other hand b*tched (only to him of course) about my bland sandwich… its a tie :)

Looks like they recently changed kitchen staff and the food was terrific. Had a great time. Nice, elegant restaurant. Good place to take a date for a quite evening…
And the live piano music is a really nice romantic touch

The review below was written six months ago. Since then they’ve advertised a newer owner. Unfortunately, every word below still applies: Over-​priced, even lower quality. Rib eye is still $ 30 at La Brique, no salad; $ 22 at Harvey’s WITH a salad, and with a bigger spud and better service. No, I do not have any vested interest, except my own wallet and sense of taste.
The I wish I could give the new management a thumbs-​up. We’ve lived a block from and have gone to La Brique since the late 1970s, and through the decades we’ve dined there dozens of times. It changed hands a couple years ago, and immediately went sour. Now we have a new owner, and apparently another failure.
Let’s start with the GOOD: Classy place, heavy linen tablecloths, nice décor, old-​school tuck-​n-​roll, decent dinner salad, generous bar (by which I mean there is booze in the mixed drinks).
Now the BAD: Overpriced ($ 30 for a ribeye, no salad), thin and relatively tasteless meat, steak ordered medium rare but brought to table medium.
The good list is longer than the bad list, but the turning point is the steak. And the cost. And just a couple miles away Arbor’s has become Harvey’s, where the quality and quantity are greater, but the price is a LOT lower: Ribeye dinner: La Brique-​$ 30, PLUS $ 5 for salad. Harvey’s Steakhouse:

Under new ownership and it shows. I came here because my dad gave me a gift certificate for $ 70 and was not very excited. I had come here months prior with my bf and was not only disappointed in the food, but had the sh*ts the next day from the «special of the day.» But I never turn down free gifts.
We came here on a Monday night. The décor was the same as before — old fashion steak house, wood paneling, black vinyl booths, low lighting, and a piano player. A younger crowd may not appreciate this as much as me, who was a child of the 80’s, and brings back fond memories of Reuben’s and Charlie Brown’s steak houses.
I ordered the 16 oz rib eye and bf had the 16 oz prime rib, both medium-​rare. I could have filled up on the starter bread which was warm, crispy and buttery on the outside, and soft as a pillow on the inside. For $ 28 – 30 a plate, I was hoping they would have come with dinner salads, but when the entrees came out, I was glad they didn’t. Why didn’t I bring my camera to show you guys pictures the big ol’ slabs of beef, cooked to perfection, that came on our plates? Even the veggies and baked tater were delectable. Although, I should rightfully be dead from all the butter I consumed tonight, it was well worth it.
After our meal, the head chef came to our table to see how the meal was — nice guy. We found out he came from the hotel at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. No wonder. Under the former ownership, their chef must have come from a Tijuana taco cart.
The service was attentive and friendly. We’ll be back again.

I went in here, by chance, and ended up meeting the owners. We did some business together, and one of the owners, Serge, let me try his clam chowder: awesome! Apparently it won 1^st place 5 years in a row when he was a chef on the Las Vegas Strip. So… of course I came back with my friends.
The owners, Serge and Mike, were incredibly friendly. Serge recommended dishes for us, and even ran back into the kitchen to change my order because I had accidently ordered the wrong thing. He didn’t charge me the difference, and even gave my friends and I dessert (on the house) afterward. He said it was something he «made up,» but it was the best heavenly angel-​mousse-​graham cracker-​chocolate pie of my life.
My caramel green apple martini was so sweet and delicious and beautiful, it wasn’t like alcohol at all.. . but with the alcohol effects. MMmmm :) My cherry was soaked in what seemed like a champagne; it «sparkled» in my mouth.
My filet mignon wrapped in bacon was moist and savory; my entire meal was so good, I nearly finished all of it in one seating. And that’s saying something when I usually live off of a cup of coffee, fries, and a liter of water every day.
I recommend this place to everyone. It’s a shame Serge and Mike have to put up with all of the bashing due to the last owner.
Serge is an accomplished chef; no preservatives, all natural, never-​frozen food is served here. Ask him about his work experience– you’ll be amazed.
Mike is the sweetest, most friendly man. He helps keep the restaurant running smoothly by keeping up with the employees, and staying in touch with the customers. Serge and Mike came to my table at least 3 times each.
Oh! And the bread is made fresh every morning– in the restaurant. It is crispy and lightly salted on the outside, and soft and moist and warm on the inside. They serve it with REAL butter. It was so good we couldn’t wait for our entrees.
So, go, have fun with the music (go before 8 when Karaōke starts for the older crowd), and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere.
This place is hardly more than you would spend at Olive Garden– but much better. You can taste the difference. Try it once, and decide for yourself. :)

Have you ever eaten a filet mignon with potatoes and veggie sides for $ 10 while a lounge piano player sings «Route 66?» Well, you haven’t REALLY eaten steak until this happens. And it happen to me Thursday night after work when I had a hankering for red flesh and a nice cooked meal.
This was a chance encounter as I drove through a strip mall corner in HB and discovered this gem tucked away like a stealth bomber. Think of the film «Swingers» and you get the gist of the vibe and ambience.
This is a 40 year old steakhouse that is truly old school. My server, Gregg, was very cool and professional. Heck, he even wore a white dress shirt and black bow tie! Then there was the live music with Mr. Stern playing all the jazz standards; he even played some requests I made.
What about the steak? I asked for medium rare on my filet but it came out rare, but I’m not complaining because I can eat it red as the blood that runs through this writer’s veins. It was delicious. Gregg told me that they dry age their beef for 30 days. My mashed potatoes were smooth and a perfect compliment to my meal. Again, $ 10 was the meal price because it was the special for the day; each day there is a different dish for $ 10.
Finally, for dessert, their crème brûlée was a great night cap to an overall wonderful experience. Will return for more of that cool jazz and to taste the other entrees.

Mmmmkay, this was a random pick for happy hour by one of my friends but it happened to be right around the corner from work. Very convenient for quickly drowning out work woes.
This place was not happening even with football on but the limited happy hour menu was pretty good, $ 2 for a plate of sauteed mushrooms that we shamelessly devoured, a slider, french fries, or a side salad. And I paid $ 3 for my Newcastle. Domestic brews were $ 2. Our Slavic server started us off with decent and amusing service, but then was nowhere to be found when we were ready to settle our bill. We tipped her fat anyways on account of her travel-​inspiring accent.
There’s definitely room to up the stars as I can see coming here with some co-​workers who might want to throw back a couple and grab a tasty app on the cheap if the boss is just drivin’ us slaves too hard.
I just might have to take the bartender up on the «come back and see us again soon» soon.

Old School. This place is a throw back to the steakhouses of yore… I’d say go back in time about 30 years. The original La Brique opened up in 1969. It was around for a while, then got sold off and converted into a sports bar. I guess that didn’t fare too well as it was then sold off again and re-​converted back into La Brique.
Walking in, it’s dark. You won’t see any über modern hipster style in here. It’s like a time warp, except for the flat panel LCD HDTV’s blaring in the bar. There were a group of old timers enjoying drinks at the bar, and a few groups sitting and enjoying their meals. The bartender, tuxedoed with red bow tie and all, was friendly, and the crooning of Frank Sinatra softly played over the speakers. Definitely felt like the patrons in there were regulars, and that there’s nowhere else they’d rather be. We were greeted and seated in short order, and I soon had an ice cold Newcastle on draft in a chilled glass sitting in front of me along with a basket of toasted sourdough cheddar cheese bread (which Emily is a big fan of now…)
Perusing the menu, we both opted for the Prime Rib dinner with Baked Potato and Steamed Spinach with Hollandaise sauce, 8oz for the Mrs., and 12oz for me. They also offer a «La Brique Cut» which is bone-​in and weighs in at a whopping 26−28oz. I was super tempted to go with this, as bone-​in steaks are hard for me to turn down, but I resisted. I’ve recently started hitting the gym again and the thought of how much time I’d have to put into the stairmaster to counter that meal made me tired just thinking about it. =P
The food was actually pretty good. I’d return here over hitting up an Outback or Black Angus. It didn’t seem like it was microwaved or pre-​cooked as the two previous Unilocal suggested. The service level was also quite good. Our waiter was friendly and personable, and for the most part, it seemed everyone enjoyed their jobs. We went with the Crème Brulee for dessert, which hit the spot nicely. The plating was done by our server. There was a nice fancy schmancy drizzle of a chocolatey-​rum sauce with a few artistic blots of red berry sauce here and there to match the fresh blackberries and currant fruit that came with the dish. Apparently he has different variations and he modestly stated that this one wasn’t one of his best, but he gets better each time. We let him know we’d be back to see more of his dessert plating skills. =)
They also had a Double Bone-​in Pork Prime Rib on the menu… pork prime rib? I’ll be back to check that sucker out soon. =)
Ah, and upon exiting, we were given a warm «thanks for coming» from a few staff members, and I sat out front in one of their metal rocking chairs for a couple minutes prior to heading back home. All in all, not too shabby of a meal… not too shabby at all.