A favourite for many in the area, and why that is can be a number of reasons. To me, if it is from a food perspective, then, well, absolutely. I had heard and seen the name so many times, that it was almost a prophecy getting here however by chance that was. A casual, everyone-friendly place right next to the beach. That is how to describe Brenenecke's Beach Broiler in the briefest possible form.
Getting here was the end result of a road trip, and some places along the way in mind for eating ended up not being the kind that people were wanting (i.e. sit-down among others). Another aspect was that it was my aunt's birthday and the meal had to be something solid and decent. Well, one thing was leading to another, and all folks there were hungry and this place was close by. That thing about the birthday.... we will get to that. Another aspect about this place at the time was they were celebrating the millionth mai-tai; the birthday girl engaged in that.
This place has been featured on several shows on the Food Network, so to lots of people around the country, and foodies in particular, it must be a landmark or destination of some sorts. And why would it not be? You have the fantastic location overlooking the ocean with a fresh breeze from the sea (N.B. the whole restaurant is on the second level, with specialty shave ice down the bottom level). This is a place for those who like their sports, since there was sports memorabilia all the way around the restaurant, a big game was playing on a couple of televisions and there is one of the most stocked and colourful (from all the booze) bars that I have seen yet. Obviously, this is something of a watering hole with good quality food attached.
They match you with a waitress, and introduce them by name to give it more of a personable feel. The one we had was Crystal, and she was an exceptionally friendly woman. To help with this, there is a small waiting area which has a map that you can pin where you come from if you so please. On that regard, everywhere possible in Australia was more or less filled up. Getting back to Crystal, she was pleasant, attentive and just genuinely showed some good customer service. I belive she deserves a write up for her efforts. Heck, even after there was some shuffling of seats (needed to get a good "birthday girl" picture in, and the arrangements weren't in line with that), she knew who was where. Very, very good customer service.
With the menu, it is likely to be standard fare for a bar & grill (anyone care to correct me?). This starts off with a range of pupus (some available during happy hour), then a few salads, and a few burgers, and sandwiches. That is at lunch time. Dinner, it expands to including pasta, more kinds of tacos, a range of seafood options outside of fish n chips, an actual vegetarian section and bigger, meatier meals. Then a few desserts are available upon request. For beverages, pick your poison. That is all I will say.
Starting off with drinks, the one that I got was the usual coffee. Filter, bottomless coffee and I am all good. From what I remember, it was quite good, had a fairly decent strength and was somewhere between bitter and sweet. Again, the size of the coffee was generous. Heck, I had a second cup if that says anything.
One that was being eyed off by a few people as the Bacon Gorgonzola Burger. It was me who sneaked in and claimed the prize, and what a tasty prize it was. The way burgers are done in the states are that a patty and the usual salad are inherent, followed up by what is mentioned on the menu. This one had applewood bacon, arugla, tomato, gorgonzola and tomato on a kaiser bun. On the side is a serving of waffle fries that are generously seasoned with minced garlic.
And man was it huge. But most importantly, it was delicious. The roll was solid, and the ingredients inside were all distinct (except maybe the mushrooms, which I often forgot were in there - no offense to them), were all characteristic and went together quite well. It is a burger for those who like strong tastes. I ordered my patty rare, and beef tasted good. The bacon was crispy and plentiful, a whole dollop of gorgonzola was on top. This was creamy, it was super strong in taste, and was what really made the burger. I was surprised at the amount of arugla on the burger, which was crunchy in texture, and peppery in flavour.
Those waffle fries were something else as well. Like I said, the amount of garlic on it was generous and gave it a distinct flavour. The fries themselves were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. At least at lunch time, these were the default option as a side to the burgers.
As usual, there was a bit of swapping around between peoples with the main meals. My mum ordered the kaula pork sandwich, which was luau style pulled pork on a kaiser roll, guava-plum barbecue sauce and sweet onions. On the side was French fries. The pork was tender and delicious, with the sauce being thick and delicious, adding in dimensions with the fruity flavour of the plum and guava. The fries were also good, crispy and whatnot.
My dad went for the fish sandwich, which had a medium-rare fillet of ahi tuna, and the usual American sandwich salad (lettuce and tomato, this time with onion). The fish part was tender and soft, with a good, distinct flavour that is somewhat fish but coulds still be friendly to almost every palate.
Making a manouver away from the table, I was contimplating throughout the meal how to organise some kind of birthday cake or whatnot for the birthday girl. In fact, that was even before leaving the house that I was wondering how it would happen. Regardless, during a break from seating I managed to cross paths with Crystal, and talked with her about it. On the house, they can arrange this for a celebration such as a birthday.
I managed to keep it all under wraps from my aunt, so when a group of waitresses (along with Crystal) arrived at the table singing "Happy Birthday", you can bet that she was surprised. The lucky blighter gets a sliced of "Bob's Favourite Ice Cream Pie", this is coffee ice cream (molded into a pie/cake shape), mixed in with macadamia nuts, chocolate fudge and coconut, on a crust made of chocolate cookies. The serving size of it was big, and five spoons were given. There was enough for everybody in the end. Also, in so many years of having some great desserts, this just might well rank among the best, and it was not like anything else that I have had.
There was no doubting the flavour of coffee in the ice cream. It was stronger than the two cups of coffee that I had combined, and it melded well into the creamy texture of the ice cream. Having bit of nuts and chocolate in it was a treat, since you were given an occassional crunch and whatnot, combined with the nuttiness from the macadamia, the chewiness and sweetness of the chocolate, and the unique texture and taste from the coconut. It was finished off by a good, solid and crunchy base made of cookies - and that often makes for a good finish to a sweet.
In the end, I enjoyed this place way more than I thought I would ever have. Whatever your thoughts are on the food, or the type of food here, or about sports bars, one thing that is not able to be denied is the location, or more so the wonderful views from the balcony. To me, it was close to a perfect meal, and a perfect occasion. With so many people there, and the entire place buzzing, there were high hopes for it that I feel were met. It may not have been what anyone had in mind during the day, and I will reiterate that the surprise sometimes takes the cake for what becomes memorable. And that was our experience at Brennecke's.
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