Pinellas Park, Florida USA
Dined in July 2016
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
My wife and I were up in Clearwater heading back down to St. Petersburg and had missed lunch, but didn’t want to wait for dinner. One good thing that I’m seeing more of, or maybe it is common and I just hadn’t noticed, is that many restaurants are doing happy hour menus instead of just drinks. Granted it may not be the full lunch or dinner menu, but from what we have noticed, there is a good selection, and several places are also half off on price. I had not heard of BJ’s Restaurant before, though my wife had, and when living back in Texas, she went to them a few times. I had been to BJ’s warehouses who were in direct competition to Sam’s Club, and went out of business, but not the restaurant group. BJ’s Restaurants started in Southern California back in 1978, and since that time has grown to over 177 restaurants nationwide.
From the BJ’s home page:
Since our humble beginnings back in 1978, we’ve continued to refine our brewhouse experience to make BJ’s a place where you can make the most of any meal. We want BJ’s to be a place where the moment you leave is the moment you plan on coming back.
We pride ourselves in our craft and attention to detail. Our guests come here for our award-winning handcrafted beer. They come here for the Southern California twist we’ve put on the Chicago-style pizza. And they come here for our Pizookies, our world-renowned dessert. But above all, we know people come here to make their good times better.
So in many ways, we haven’t just crafted a brand, but a mindset. And our guests are the reason for this. And it’s because of them we’re continually striving to make sure every moment they choose to spend with us counts.
Main review:
It was a large restaurant but reminded me of a typical chain like Applebee’s and TGI Fridays. A few fewer pictures and other junk on the walls, like the chains, but still with a chain feel to it. We sat at the bar which like the dining room was nearly full. So between happy hour and the sports style atmosphere, BJ’s was doing well. Their menu was broken down by:
- Appetizers
- Pizza
- Soups and Salads
- Lunch Specials
- Pasta Favorites
- Entree Salads
- Handcrafted Burgers
- Enlightened Favorites
- Entrees
- Desserts
- Kids Menu
After ordering a few glasses of mainstream wine, my wife had the sauvignon blanc from Nobilo Winery, and a cabernet for me from J Lohr Winery, we settled on two items from the happy hour menu. The first item we shared was the margarita flatbread which had ample amounts of cheese and fresh basil. It was very good.
The second item my wife and I shared was the avocado egg rolls with a soy dipping sauce, mixed with seasonings to bring out more flavor than just the regular avocado flavors. Of the two items, I preferred this one, though the flatbread was still very good.
Dessert:
Apparently BJ’s is known for their world famous dessert called the pizookies, however, all my wife and I wanted was the quick bites with our drinks before hitting the road to get back home. Though from the menu description, the pizookies did look interesting.
A brief look at the wine list:
BJ’s - like most of the restaurants in central Florida want to cater to their clientele when it comes to wine, even though they are mainly a draft house. Most of those clients, unfortunately, have an uneducated basic table wine style palette. I was there as well, but my wife is helping me to expand mine. It is hard for us to find places that offer boutique wines, which are sometimes cheaper than the mainstream and have a better taste and quality. This area is held captive by large corporate alcohol vendors like Empire and Southern Wine & Spirits. So you are always going to see your typical basics like Yellowtail, Robert Mondavi, and Beringer. On the wine menu at BJ’s they offer selections such as the selections I mentioned above. their full wine list was not available on their webpage and repeated attempts were made to contact and request a copy were made to no avail.
Wine Tasting Notes:
Wine & Grape:
|
Nose (Bouquet):
|
Palette Experience:
|
Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc
COWA: The Central Otago Winegrowers Association, New Zealand
|
Winemaker: Lifted aromas of citrus fruit, jalapeño, and tropical fruit |
Winemaker: Crisp, clean, and complex. Pure fruit flavors combined with juicy acidity |
J Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon
|
Winemaker: wine expressing chocolate and blue fruit aromas, with graphite and violet |
Winemaker: Highlights of hazelnut and toasted croissant complement the structured and intense plum on the palate. |
Food Prices
(excluding, alcohol, taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
My food bill:
|
Currency:
|
Price chart:
|
$20.25
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
$26.00
|
Australian Dollar (AUS)
|
$
|
£16.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
$26.00
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$
|
¥133.00
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
€18.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
Alcohol Prices:
$14.00
Wine selections by
region:
|
|
Corkage fee’s:
|
The Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
|
Restaurant style:
|
Casual
|
Reservations:
|
Not Required, But Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter!
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Dress code:
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Casual
|
Cuisine style:
|
American, & Vegetarian
|
Experiences:
|
Hot spot, Great bar, Rustic, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
|
Payments:
|
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
|
Parking:
|
Public lot
|
Wifi
|
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
|
Noise level:
|
Medium to Loud
|
Smoking:
|
Nonsmoking restaurant
|
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse:
The Shoppes at Park Place
800 Park Blvd.
Pinellas Park
Florida 33781
Contact Information:
Maître d or host:
|
+1 727 525 4640 |
| Restaurant website: | BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse |
| Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5:00) |
Mon-Thur 11:00 am - 12:00 am Friday 11:00 am - 1:00 am Saturday 11:00 am - 12:00 am |
| Email or webpage contact: | Contact the restaurant |
Social Media
&
Accolades:
|
Facebook link |
| Twitter @bjsrestaurants | |
| YouTube | |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
