Step one: Go there with an old friend for a beer.
Step two: Look around, notice it is pretty empty, sit down at the bar and laugh.
Step three: Get a few beers and chat with the bartender who enters into your conversation without being overbearing -- but he also happens to have the bartender-sixth-sense to know when to leave you alone for a while.
Step four: Sum it up -- it is a local place, owned by the same guy for twelve years. He is fun, cares about the place and it shows. Its nothing special, but the service was amazing and more than made up for it.