Lunch is boring in Hamilton. Nearly drowning in soup and lost in a forest of salads and sandwiches, we’re hard pressed to find a place that’s putting something thrilling onto a plate. Brux House, the casual counterpart to the acclaimed Quatrefoil, is trying to change that perception with lots of beer and French technique. Sitting on the patio late in September soaking up the last of the warm slanted rays, Brux House stands as the gateway to Locke St S at Hunter St W where restaurants take an upscale turn compared with James N’s economy pricing. And you get what you pay for.
The dining room bends around the bar where tall windows fill the space with sunlight. Smooth, live-edge wood covers the tables that tuck neatly to the walls under massive art deco letters (B-R-U-X) stacked on the wall above. Outside, bees and other bugs dance and dodge each other above the shrub lining the patio staying politely out of the way as a new lineup of servers, having returned to the city for school, explain the brand new, gin-heavy cocktail menu. The Prince Roger Nelson, a sweet concord grape and gin cocktail that’s electric purple, was suggestive of the sweeter items of autumn’s bounty.
Assured by our server that everything is made in house, three roses of pastrami smoked salmon came nestled in crème fraiche with a lightly dressed and bitter nest of frisée salad on top. Flaky pumpernickel chips and a minced beet and horseradish “condiment” added cool earthy notes to the smoky salmon that didn’t quite deliver on the pastrami cure. More delicately balanced was the chicken liver parfait. Velvety and light liver pâté is dressed with more of the tangy frisée and fragile wafers of crostini. A bitter-sweet marmalade of carrot and orange adds a delightfully gritty texture and a reserved drizzle of balsamic reduction rounds out the flavours.
The prix fixe option for lunch adds value but restricts options, like the special of house made truffle tagliatelle. The tenderness of the noodles is matched by the thinly sliced roasted oyster and shiitake mushrooms leaving them indistinguishable when eaten. It’s as if the dish is one thing entirely in unison until baby parsley comes across with a fresh, herbaceous flavour to cut the creamy sauce. Though the burger is in the company of some of the best in the city with its classic toppings, crispy onions and pepper jack cheese on a juicy beef paddy, the special of grilled baby octopus got more praise. Charred and tender octopi were nestled on a bed of cool, firm, dense rice noodles in a sweet chili sauce with firm bok choy.
Beers are the staple here with sixteen craft from around southern Ontario on tap alone, like The Princess Wears Girl Pants Belgian ale. And though there’s a heavy Belgian pub influence, the food here is composed with meticulous precision next to preternaturally elegant plating. A place dedicated to good beer and good food? I’ll drink to that.
.mike 