Every Friday through the end of 2018, the Rant will feature a dish that stands out among Lee County’s restaurant scene. We’ll usually focus on lunch, but there aren’t any rules – we just want to let you know (if you don’t already) about the many dining options we have that are owned and operated by people right here in Lee County. Jeff & Lisa’s Brickhouse Grill is a little off the beaten path, but that doesn’t seem to have hurt its popularity. They do a lot of things right, but none better than their burgers.

If it wasn’t for their food, Jeff & Lisa’s Brickhouse Grill might be easy to forget from time to time. Located two miles outside the Sanford city limits on a country stretch of Colon Road, it’s definitely out of sight unless you live nearby. But the trip is always, always worth it. Jeff and Lisa’s is what it sounds like – a family operation. Jeff works the grill and Lisa works the front of the house, and while they have a small menu that stays the same from day to day, the specials change daily. Announced daily on the restaurant’s Facebook, these specials typically sound outrageously delicious – a prime rib sandwich, a buffalo chicken sub – and oftentimes they include a riff on what’s probably their signature item, our friend the humble hamburger.

THE DISH: We haven’t talked about hamburgers yet, and there are a lot of good ones to be found in Lee County. It’s hard to exactly which one is the best – we never met a burger we didn’t like – but we can say with confidence we don’t know of one that’s better than the one you get at Jeff & Lisa’s. The burger that’s available every day, the Brickhouse Burger ($6.99) is eight ounces of hand-pattied ground beef and comes with your choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, jalapenos, ketchup, mustard, slaw, and mayo. You can get additional cheese or chili for 50 cents and bacon for $1. Go ahead. You also get to choose between steak fries, corn fritters or onion rings for your side; all are good, but we recommend the onion rings. They have just the right onion to batter ratio, and they’re always cooked to crispy perfection. While this burger is delicious, you should always – always – make sure to see if they’ve got a burger on special. Pictured above is the Philly Burger, which was last available on Tuesday, Nov. 13, and included shaved prime rib, peppers, cheese and onions (we added jalapenos). Good gravy. Specials also include several delicious sounding turkey burgers, we’ve heard of something called a “Pizza Burger,” and we’ve even seen them put a fried egg on the burger. Go and get a burger. Then go back and get a different burger. Get all the burgers. You only live once.

WHAT ELSE TO TRY: Jeff & Lisa’s is open for breakfast and dinner as well. If you’re there in the morning, try their eggs-meat-and-starch plate ($5.25) or the Brickhouse Burrito ($5.50). They also do a mean biscuits and gravy plate ($3.75 for one biscuit, $4.75 for two). At lunchtime, there’s also a great fried chicken sandwich ($6.99), a triple decker turkey club ($6.25), or chef’s salad ($6.99) if you want something other than a burger. We’ve never been at dinner, but their list of specials ranges from prime rib night to spaghetti to jumbo pork chops, bruschetta chicken and more. It’s also important to note that they have what appears to be a pretty killer Sunday brunch menu.

Jeff & Lisa’s Brickhouse Grill is located at 1401 Colon Road and can be reached at (919) 777-0427. They are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. They’re closed on Saturday and open for brunch on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit their Facebook page here.

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