Most couples go on a cruise to unwind, relax and get away from the daily grind of work. Most couples aren't opening a new restaurant in their hometown, though.
When Trent and Michele Stephenson took a cruise last July, they had just made the decision to purchase a downtown Russellville building to construct their vision of a restaurant and hotel. Needless to say, their getaway turned into a working vacation.
“The week before we went we decided to go for it,” Trent Stephenson said. “We paid some earnest money and I took the plans we had on the cruise and we started brainstorming.”
The next eight months, right up until the day the Bricks Inn and Restaurant opened its doors Monday, saw the Stephensons make a second home at the 114 North Jackson Avenue location. Getting through a major renovation in a 7,400-square foot historic building to prepare for a February opening was a full-time job and a family affair. Michele's daughter, Shelby Stephens, serves as the marketing manager and Michele will handle the day-to-day operations of the business.
One of the most important choices the Stephensons had to make came in selecting their executive chef. Through a mutual acquaintance, they met Ryan Matthews, a long-time Florence resident who was working as a chef at a country club in Roanoke, Virginia. Matthews was looking for the opportunity to come back home and he found it with the Bricks.
“My friend got in contact with me. I talked with Trent and Michele. I liked what I heard and I've always wanted to do this. I just didn't have the resources to do it myself,” Matthews said. “Small towns are reemerging in our country. 25 years ago Florence was considered a small town. Now, it's in the Top 10 cities in Alabama.”
Matthews previously owned his own business, Steak-Out, in Florence, as well as a deli in east Florence. He worked for the Shoals Marriott for 11 years as a restaurant chef, banquet chef and executive chef, so he brings decades of culinary experience to Russellville.
And the menu at the Bricks incorporates his expertise and creativity in the kitchen, from the unique appetizer 'bites' to the dry aged New York strip, pan seared filet of beef and fresh fish dinner options to the heavenly sweet potato biscuit basket that greets every guest once they are seated.
“Nothing is prepared in advance. It's all from scratch. The sweet potato biscuits are from a historical recipe site and originally came from Thomas Jefferson collection. I tweaked it to make it my own,” Matthews said.
Matthews, who had complete creative control in preparing his menu, said he worked to find the right combination of fine food at a fair price.
“Just because we're in a small town doesn't mean we have to settle to be just good enough. I want to serve the quality and caliber of food you'd find in New York City or anywhere else,” Matthews said.
Matthews' wife Amy is also part of the Bricks' team. She serves as event coordinator and catering director.
Matthews wants prospective guests to know they can enjoy a fine meal and not have to break the bank to pay for it.
“People ask can I afford to eat here and I say absolutely. Our menu is no more than what you pay at casual restaurants and the quality of food is well beyond that,” Matthews said.
The Bricks offers a separate lunch menu that includes a different daily specials that include an entree and two sides or a four-vegetable plate for $10.50. Tuesday's special features Southern fried chicken, Thursday is catfish and grits and Sunday features beef pot roast.
Daily plate specials will be available quickly to accommodate guests who may only have 30-minutes for lunch.
The Bricks restaurant will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11-9, and Sunday from 10-2. Sunday will feature a special brunch menu along with other limited menu items. The restaurant will be closed on Wednesday.
In addition to the lunch and dinner menu, the Bricks will offer several items from 2-4 in the afternoon as part of a limited mid-day menu.
Matthews plans to keep the menu fresh, with seasonal changes. He'll also partner with local growers and farmers to grow special ingredients he needs for his recipes.
Located on the second floor, the Bricks Inn features five hotel rooms and two banquet rooms. One, named the 'Speakeasy,' was actually operated years ago as a speakeasy and still features the original door. The other banquet room, the Rick Hall Banquet Room, will include memorabilia from Hall's celebrated musical career and the room includes a stage for entertainment.
The Bricks will be available to cater events of any size and the facility offers the convenient combination of full-menu service, food, a bar and a banquet room all in one facility.
“We also want to do some off-site catering and be as much a part of this community as we can,” Amy Matthews said. “That's part of the Stephensons' whole idea here. Russellville has never had anything like this before. We want to be a big part of our community.”
Michele Stephenson said the Bricks features many of the aspects of dining out that she and Trent find effective.
“We enjoy going out to eat and we know what we like. We know the type of service we want, the food we want and what the place should look like. It's going to be a fine-dining experience but at the same time, not stuffy,” Stephenson said.
Including four seats at the bar, the Bricks offers seating for 102 guests.
Hotel rooms may be reserved online, at www.thebricksrussellville.com. Rooms include a queen room for $109/night, a queen with fireplace for $119 and a queen suite for $129/night. Guests will receive a key code via email and will have prepaid for rooms so the need to check-in is eliminated.
For special events like weddings or corporate events, all five rooms may be reserved along with banquet rooms to accommodate large groups.
The Stephensons invite guests to go on Facebook and like their page “The Bricks Inn and Restaurant,” and visit them on Instagram at “thebricksrussellville.”
After nine months of planning and renovation, the grand opening came Monday. It was a day Michele anticipated with a combination of excitement as well a few nerves.
“When I thought last week we have one week to go, it's a little surreal. But we're ready to get rolling,” she said with some nervous laughter. “We'll have some kinks and we hope people understand we'll work through those.
“I remember as a little girl at Christmas time when all the stores in downtown Russellville were decorated for Christmas and people walked up and down the street and shopped. We want to be a part of that happening again here,” she added.
