Brick Wood Fired Bistro, Prince Frederick, Calvert County, Maryland – John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog

Where to have lunch? It’s one of life’s great existential questions. I like to try new places, and retry places periodically to see if the quality is rising or sinking. We’d been to Brick Wood Fired Bistro, The Brick, once before a few years ago (see here) and decided it was time for another look.

You have to pay attention to find The Brick. The restaurant is tucked away at 60 Sherry Lane, behind the development across Route 4 from the Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department.

Once you’re there, though, it’s big and impressive, with an attractive, sprawling interior. There are several spacious dining areas. We were seated in one of the booths in the bar section that surround the bar itself. We looked over the menu, which is varied and ambitious.

Nancy ordered a la carte and took, as she often does, a minimalist approach. She ordered a side of salmon — an order of the salmon-as-salad-topping by itself — and a side of harissa carrots. The fragrance of Middle Eastern spices — za’tar and sumac? —

heralded the arrival of the salmon and the harissa-spiked carrots. Nancy enthusiastically praised the seasoning, the preparation, and the flavor of the fish. The carrots also were good, and her improvised meal was a hit.

I ordered the Charred Spanish Octopus, an appetizer big enough for a meal.

The flavor of octopus is in the same general ballpark as calamari. Cooked properly, it’s more tender than calamari, with a slightly al dente texture. This octopus was tender indeed, and the final broiling left an excellent smoky crust. The octopus came with potatoes and a sun-dried tomato romesco sauce —patatas bravas — spiked with harissa. The sauce had a rich and spicy flavor without being really hot, especially balanced as it was by that mint chimichurri on top. The sauce went well with the octopus and the potatoes, and the whole dish was delicious. This is a fine plate of food.

The selections at The Brick are ambitious, and it’s impressive that they hit the target so well. You need to try The Brick.

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