the first time i came to crane alley i had trouble finishing my beer in the smoke haven that is the outside seating section of the bar. i'm pretty sure i nearly died that night.
the second time i came, i ordered one of their incredibly over-priced martinis and it tasted like triaminic. no joke. when i told the server that it was awful he brought me some sprite to put in it and said it was all he could do. believe it or not the sprite made it soooo much worse. luckily my face was so contorted with the bad taste it convinced the server to go against bar policy and bring me something else. i had to pay for my new drink...but luckily he took the first one off my tab.
the third time i came i had the potato pancakes and fell in love. yumyumyum.
in summation, crane alley is a good place, i always go back. but like many places in urbana and champaign, its can be a hit or miss, you just have to be willing to take the chance. i would however stick with the large and in charge beer menu and the more common mixed beverages. the martinis are way over-priced and i just never every want to taste triaminic spiked with vodka again, thankyoumuch.