[Overpaid Slacker]

OK, I know that this is going to sound tacky, but if it's done right it looks great. You can stucco/plaster the brick and have the stucco "artfully" chipped/broken so some brick shows through. Painting the stucco a festive color (with a couple of fountains -- great idea Scott!) might also punch up that area. I used a very vivid yellow/orange color on a patio I had in Brooklyn where mortar had been used over the brickwork and had started to crack off. Also, factor flora into the plan, don't just add it as an afterthought.

Your signature doesn't indicate where you are, but if you go w/ stucco as above, think about outdoor tile and/or patio brickwork for the floor. Just MHO, but in such a space, the slate will look bland.

What I'd do is pick a theme for the space (southwestern, asian/Japanese, tiki bar, whatever -- you've already eliminated county jail, so that's progress) and fiddle with design elements of the theme for a bit.

JP