Kevin E.
Yelp
Brim is good, quality, healthy food with a view during the day and perhaps even more so during the summer. Located kitty corner across from Lake Calhoun (Bde Maka Ska) on the west side ground floor of the 1800 Lake Apartments building, the restaurant has a modern design with ample seating, yet there's still a feeling of intimacy once you're there. Service is good and the menu has enough variety but it's not overwhelming.
Went there for dinner and ordered the Spring Chicken (large size) which is like one of the Signature Bowls that has quinoa, broccoli, organic chicken, greens (spinach), avocado, garbanzo beans, and pickled veggies (carrots and onions) that comes with a pesto sauce on the side. It's a very colorful well put together dish and again, I'm mad at myself for not taking a picture since it was very pretty (can't say I've said that about many dishes). Talk about a quality, healthy dinner that was filling - wow! There was plenty of quinoa and the picked carrots and onions were money - great flavor and just a hint of heat, I loved them. I also ordered one of their new "cocktail" drinks, which are all wine or champagne based. In general, I think Brim is only allowed to sell wine or beer as there was not hard alcohol or other liquor sold.
The other dish we ordered was the Chicken Mercado which has quinoa, organic chicken, black bean corn salsa, sweet potato, slaw, avocado, and it comes with a chipotle crema sauce on the side. The chicken in this dish was a little different than the Spring Chicken - maybe cooked a little more and seemed to have a light coating which was very good. I really liked the chipotle crema since it had a smoky flavor.
Overall, the first trip to Brim was very favorable. Good service, great food, and decent drinks. The windows are large and look like they can be opened in the summer time for a great view of Uptown and the lake. Prices are a little higher, but I think that's probably for the location. Two signature bowls and two drinks with tax and tip was nearly $60.
There is street parking but everyone in Uptown can easily walk to Brim. Other than the meters, one tip is to park on the Lagoon side of the block where parking is free after 6 PM. I can definitely see coming back here in the summer for weekend brunch and a walk around the lake.