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| - Crane Alley is the only bar I go to in Urbana, and has the best bottled beer menu of any bar in the area. In addition, it will have more than 10 draft beers at any one time from various microbreweries and craft breweries. The reasons to stop by don't stop there, since there is also a fairly extensive menu of tavern-style food, which is higher quality than what one usually comes across.
My favorite appetizer is Crane Alley's signature beet chips. Every table around us got this appetizer, since it is one of the dishes that Crane Alley is most known for. The beet chips come with a bowl of a goat cheese dip (which has cream cheese mixed in). The dip is somewhat rich and heavy, and helps to bulk up what might otherwise be a rather light appetizer.
The sandwiches at Crane Alley run up to around $10, and the main courses a bit higher than that. Last visit, my girlfriend got a portabella mushroom burger, which was one of the daily specials, and of course had no meat. However, it was bulky enough to offset that and not be as light and unfilling as a lot of vegetarian food ends up being. I got a beer-battered fish sandwich, which was crispy and fairly large (way too much fish for the bun), along with the sweet potato fries (another thing Crane Alley is known for). One of the complaints I usually have about fried fish sandwiches is how greasy they are, but luckily this sandwich didn't fall into that trap.
The primary lure that Crane Alley has is its wide selection of beers and drinks, which can be ordered alongside a selection of appetizers or food (something some local competitors do not offer). In addition, it has weekly special dishes and daily specials, and special beer and food pairings on set dates (tickets must usually be purchased). I would highly recommend anyone in the area or at the university make the effort to stop here at least once.
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