Painting/treating brick

The dining area in our apartment has a brick wall. The dining area was bounded on one side by a wall that we moved about three feet. The problem was that the brick behind that was had been plastered over. Moving the wall has re-exposed that brick (which we wanted), but the brick there is a sharply different color from the prior brick. The previous owner had used some sort of sealant and the brick... [more]

The dining area in our apartment has a brick wall. The dining area was bounded on one side by a wall that we moved about three feet. The problem was that the brick behind that was had been plastered over. Moving the wall has re-exposed that brick (which we wanted), but the brick there is a sharply different color from the prior brick. The previous owner had used some sort of sealant and the brick was a relatively dark brown; the newly exposed brick (even with sealant) is a paler, dustier color, I think because of the plaster. Is there something we can do to get both sides looking the same? I thought the sealant I used on the newly exposed section would do the trick, but once it dries the brick reverts to the same light color. Is my only option to just paint the whole wall? If so, is there a way to do it so it still looks like "brick" (rather than a crappy brick wall that's been painted over?) Thanks! [less]