Brothers Bar & Grill

Brothers Bar & Grill
1 Levee Way
Newport, KY
859-291-2767
www.brothers.com

Having looked at their website beforehand, I should have known better than to even visit Brothers. From the photos on their site, it appears to be more of a bar than a grill. Secondly, they don't even bother to post their menu online - which in my book is a red flag. But I eschewed my trepidation and decided to stop in to the new Levee establishment one snowy day after work.

I wish I hadn't.



Brother's
There is precious little for the vegetarian diner. We are stuck with a couple of overpriced appetizers (garlic parmesan fries, spinach/artichoke dip, nachos with dipping sauce) or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Steve and our friend Neville were already there with a basket of parmesan fries when I arrived, so I didn't get a photo of them, but they didn't look (or smell) very appetizing anyway, so no big loss.

Brothers' happy hour is from 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, with half-price drink specials. Neville and Steve opted for Jack & Coke's (only $2 each) and I ordered a Michelob Light...which even though it is on their menu they apparently do not stock, so Mich Ultra it was. At $1.75, it wasn't bad value. We nursed our drinks while playing trivia on the large, flat screen TVs.


Grilled cheese and fries
Booze and trivia are about the only things Brothers has going for it, to be perfectly honest. Strange as it may sound, the food had absolutely no taste whatsoever. My grilled cheese and fries were rubbery and flavorless, and although a large dose of salt and ketchup helped, I left most of it untouched. What a waste of eight bucks!


Chicken wrap with chips
Steve's chicken wrap fared no better, and the sizzling fajitas that Neville ordered were deemed "tasteless." In fact, the only item we ordered that had any flavor at all was the pico de gallo that came as a side with the fajita platter. The fresh cilantro was a relief after all the blandness we'd encountered.


A side of nachos comes with the fajita platter
If Brothers was a restaurant only, I doubt very much it would last through the end of the year. As a bar, however, and a non-smoking one at that, I think it has a shot at survival, although I doubt very much it's going to hurt the bottom line of Levee bars like Bar Louie and Jefferson Hall.