Reviewed: Beer and Burger Joint {Brickell}

Have you ever been to a restaurant and knew that no matter how good the food was you'd never go back? This happened to us this past weekend. We went to Burger & Beer Joint (Brickell location) to have lunch with another couple (Hi Jon & Shera!). Alex was excited about trying this restaurant because we are on a constant hunt for the ultimate burger. As soon as we arrived, we checked in with someone at the hostess desk. We were about to be seated when this other employee walked up and told us we couldn't eat in the restaurant with the stroller. We were told that it was a fire hazard and that Cati had to sit on a high chair. Our options were to put the stroller back in the car, have them store the stroller (heck no), or sit outside. Sitting outside is not an option when the temperatures are in the 90s. If it was just us adults, I wouldn't mind being outside but I'm not about to make Cati endure Miami's horrid heat. So Alex took the stroller back to the car and Cati sat in a high chair. Problem solved, right? WRONG.

You see, Cati had eaten prior to us getting to the restaurant so I knew she would want to nap at some point while we were having lunch. However, since we weren't allowed to take our stroller into the restaurant, Cati got fussy because she had no where to lay down. As a result, I wasn't able to finish my lunch; I was trying to get us out of the restaurant before Cati had a complete meltdown. The kicker? For all the concern over the fire marshall, the high chair Cati sat in blocked access to our table and the table next to ours. What's the difference between the high chair and the stroller? What if Cati wasn't strong enough to sit on her own? I would have had to carry her the entire meal. Either way, I didn't enjoy my lunch. Heck, I didn't even get to finish it.

Our waitress was really nice and the service was good. Our burgers, the Thunder Road Burger, was delicious. It was a big burger loaded with bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. Even the shoestring fries were good. The overall experience, though? Not so good. It's not just about food people! It's about everything from the moment you walk through the restaurant doors until the moment you walk out of them. Being told that I couldn't take my stroller inside the restaurant completely killed the restaurant for me. If it wasn't because Alex had been wanting to try this restaurant, I would have walked away the moment they told me no strollers were allowed in the restaurant.

I know it may seem exaggerated but I felt discriminated against. I was denied the opportunity to have a peaceful and enjoyable lunch because I couldn't have my stroller inside the restaurant. Instead of Cati quietly napping next to the table where the high chair was, Cati was crying and fussy. Alex asked what they did when a person in a wheelchair came to the restaurant and the response was, "The fire marshall would understand." Hmmm. Is that a sufficiently reasonable answer? I leave it up to you.