Posted April 14, 2015

By AUTUMN ROBERTSON

On a recent Sunday, I went into Brickell to enjoy brunch with one of my girlfriends. We decided to eat at American Social Brickell, a new gastropub that offers brunch on weekends.

American Social Brickell, or AMSO, as the waitress called it, opened its second set of doors under Brickell’s Neo Vertika lofts in late fall of 2014. Its original location is in Fort Lauderdale. We both had a pleasant experience, but even though I liked it, I’m in no rush to come back anytime soon.

Let’s start out with the ambiance: The view is incredibly beautiful. AMSO is situated right on the Miami River where you can literally dock your yacht and come up to eat. We did not get the opportunity to sit outside even though we requested outside seating. Instead, we sat at a comfortable inside table near the window facing the river, which somewhat made up for not being able to score a table outside.

The inside of the restaurant had a chic-bar feel to it. It did not look too upscale, but it added just enough upscale touches to separate it from feeling like a typical bar. You also have the choice of sitting at couches with smaller tables for a more casual meet-up feel.

The service was decent. It was not out of this world or down right horrible; it was right in between. We had the option of waiting for a seat outside of being seated immediately inside. Our growling stomachs spoke for us, therefore choosing the latter. Our waitress was bland and lacked personality, but she was prompt and brought out our drinks and food at a reasonable time. Yet, she rarely checked up on us; we had to wave her down once to fill up our water glasses. But I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and suggest that the team was short staffed that day and she had to work a lot of tables. Nevertheless, the important thing about the service is that we were not anticipating for our food like the rapture.

The brunch menu was relatively small compared to their drink menu which was incredibly large. After all, it is a gastrobar, so an extensive beer menu is a must. But I appreciated the small menu since it made my decision much easier. It had small plate options and entrée options and we both got one entrée each and shared it. I ended up with the pecan French toast and my friend picked the chicken and waffles, which was apparently their most popular brunch dish.

My French toast was delightful. The bread was nice and soft and not to soggy, and I loved the pecans (I’m a southern girl who adores pecans). Yet the meal was on the overwhelmingly sweet side. If I did not have the chicken and waffles to balance it out, I would have been annoyed to have chosen that dish. The chicken and waffles was also pretty good.

The chicken breast was moist, favorable, and very tender. I expected it to be life changing since it was a $17 plate; However, I will always compare any Miami chicken and waffle dish to Yardbird Southern Table and Bar’s on found on South Beach, and AMSOs did not rival it.

Overall, my experience at American Social Brickell was a decent one and I give it three out of five stars. Everything was good. Just good. The total came out to be around $35 plus tip. I found the food to be a tad bit overpriced, yet most brunches in Miami with a waterside view tend to be. The only way I will go back is if I’m invited or if I’m scrambling for a place to eat while in the area.

• American Social Brickell
• 3.5 out of 5 stars
• Address: 690 SW 1st Court, Miami, Fla. 33130
• 305-223-7004
• Reservations can be made through Open Table, yet walk-ins are welcome
• Price Range: $11-$30; Cash and Credit