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| - The biggest problem here is the lighting. It's simply too bright and it kills the vibe. When I first walked in, I was struck by the barren/sterile feeling of both the bar and seating area in the back. At one point it inexplicably got even BRIGHTER, as some additional green lights behind the bar came on. At first I thought it was last call or something, but it was only 10:30pm on a Saturday night.
Beer list is solid but not mind-blowing. Taps included a rotating Great Lakes, Dark Horse Crooked Tree, Rogue Dead Guy, Big Hop and SA Chocolate Bock plus Guinness and a few macros. Bottle selection is much larger and a board behind the bar tells you what's newest. Prices are about where they should be but maybe a tad high: two Rogue drafts, a Nugget Nectar bottle, and a bag of chips was $18.
The owners were tending bar on a fairly busy Saturday night, but honestly they had trouble keeping up. When asked which Dark Horse was on tap, Irene didn't know. You could tell both she and Dean were working hard, but it was a struggle. It was a little hard to watch since Dean is so friendly.
It's great to see a revamped place like this in the neighborhood (don't be scared away by the outside), but there are better hang-out spots nearby.
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