date: 9/9/03
location: st. paul
(guest review)

we met for appetizers and drinkies. the appetizers were all quite good, the drinkies were also quite good (barring the absence of any banana in the banana cocktail ?), and served by a good-looking, talkative but not flirty bartender. that combination is rare these days. they are either all over you and ugly, or terse and good looking, or none of the above. or all of the above. whatever. the 'goodness' is accentuated by a warm atmosphere - stone floors, funky light fixtures, wood trim. in the summer, the place has a nice patio for happy hours and the like. i suppose the patio is nice in the winter as well, just not habitable.

the only drawbacks - sitting too close to the street while on the patio makes one feel as if in prison due to large iron bars that prevent any sort of 'communing with nature' or the city. presentation and service is spotty at times, but the food stands up very well for it being mostly a bar atmosphere. other good food - spicy duck chili and the chicken entrees. it's a friendly spot - good before xcel events if the crush of mcgovern's or the liffey is unappealing.

we didn't have beers while we were there, which is probably good since they will no longer have the beers. for those not in the know, the brewery is moving to a new place down 7th street. the restaurant is now called river city something-or-other and i'm not sure if the menu will change. which renders this review useless. oh well.