You know we’ve had an unusually nice summer when we’re actually having a hard time deciding on patios for this evening.

Oh who am I kidding. Just the mere fact that it’s so Wednesday or that someone said the word “patio” means we immediately forget every place we’ve ever been that has outdoor seating.

Tell me again why we keep this blog going?

After a deep dive back through some of our old posts trying to find place we haven’t been to in a while that also has a patio we may not have visited, we ended up here at Brew Kettle.

We’ve been to this location twice – first back in 2016 when it was called Varsity and then about a year later after it had been sold and reopened as Brew Kettle. Technically we did visit the patio during that 2016 visit, but it was an after dark drinks only thing around the fire pit and we didn’t actually eat outside, so I’m not sure it counts.

Especially since that fire pit seems to have been replaced by a waterfall in the same space. Maybe next time we come back they’ll have switched over to something air based so we can keep the revolving elemental replacement cycle going.

If we haven’t said it before, let’s just give a huge bless you to the person who invented the beer flight. Because we all know how quickly I get sucked into the creative writing that is every single craft beer description, but then sometimes something gets lost in translation between that and a whole 8oz glass.

Here at Brew Kettle they give you paper menus that you then circle your options on for the flights. The three of us were like students taking a test as we flipped the paper over back and forth trying to pick our five options.

It looks like Ted has five boobs. Yes I’m 12.

Who had rainbow beer flights on the patio on their WTGW summer 2023 bingo card?

Yeah I didn’t either, but it’s fun regardless. The blue is actually a hard seltzer, the green is a sour and the red is a nitro fruit beer.

I didn’t get a picture of Shane’s flight but it was similar in color to Ted’s, with the addition of the blue seltzer. He later got a full glass of the sour.

Shane and I got the Buffalo dip as an app.

It was very good. Just spicy enough to have a lot of flavor without setting your mouth aflame. And the pita chips were very tasty. The only complaint is that you have to cut through the baked cheese on the top – which, I mean, it’s rare that we’ll complain about cheese (well two of us anyway) – but gooey melted cheese would’ve been preferred here to a blanket layer over the shredded Buffalo chicken.

We offered some to Ted but he of course avoided it as if we just offered him to join us in a live sacrifice.

Ted got the Tuscan pasta.

Shane was slightly jealous, especially after his delicious Mac and cheese adventure last week – but then saw there was shrimp included in the dish and backed away quickly. Good call since none of us really wanted to spend the evening in the ER.

Which is unfortunate for Ted, who was about to inquire about a possible food trade after admitting his jealousy when he saw Shane’s plate.

Shane got the Pitmaster, which is Brew Kettle’s fancy name for what is basically a plate of meat. It’s pulled pork, brisket, spicy sausage, and I think maybe some chicken wings? I don’t know, name a meat and it’s probably included.

I got the Margarita chicken sandwich, because ciabatta bread holds the key to my heart every time (sorry Shane), with a side salad.

Ted loved his pasta. So much so that he was quite honestly done with his meal before Shane and I even really had a chance to dig into ours. Like the plates were set in front of us, Shane and I looked away for a minute and when we looked back Ted’s plate was empty. I think we even asked if we missed a wild animal running by and nabbing it or if he secretly hated it and dumped the plate over his shoulder like a child trying to hide their vegetables.

But he also didn’t get an appetizer, so I guess we’ll cut him a little slack. This time.

Shane said the sausage in his meal was awesome and melted in your mouth. Insert “that’s what she said” joke here. Or “that’s what Shane said,” as he was trying to get to catch on.

As Regina George says, stop trying to make fetch happen, Gretchen.

Anyway.

But he did like the whole meal. And he actually took some of it home just because it was a lot of food.

My sandwich was good. It could’ve used a bit more of a condiment choice than just Italian dressing – like mayo, or something that would hold things together a bit more without soaking the bread. I took half of it home just because it was super filling.

Or maybe given that Shane and I both took food home we should actually credit the cheese laden appetizer for filling us up before our meals arrived. Hmm.

Overall Brew Kettle is a decent patio for a summer night. Granted the view isn’t anything spectacular – you’re looking at a busy road/intersection – but hey there’s the whole waterfall for a sound effect so I guess if you close your eyes you could pretend you were someplace more tranquil? Although that may make for a fun dining experience so maybe don’t try that. In any case, it’s a decent sized space and there are enough tables to accommodate everyone, the service was great, and the food was filling, so we’ll call this a win. Bonus points for the colorful drink selections.

Picked by: Steph