I have judged this book by it's cover for far too long. I've always know The Smiling Moose to be "that metal bar" that looked sort of dingy from the outside. Turns out they have a fantastic draft selection, about 10-12 micros on tap and another 30 or so in bottles, and an amazing menu all being pumped out by a legit chef (the former chef at Cafe du Jour).
A friend and I stopped in on a Sunday afternoon for some lunch and beer during the Steelers game. We arrived around 12:30 and were the only people in the bar. A few more showed up closer to 1 which is when the kitchen opens on Sundays. This is a great place to watch the game as there are 2 flat screens at the bar, then a giant projector screen in the dining area. I tried the buffalo wings and the baked spinach and broccoli dip while my friend had a cup of the roasted red pepper bisque and the cajun wings. The spinach broccoli dip was awesome! It was like if you combined spinach artichoke dip and broccoli cheese soup. It's served up with some toasted french bread for dipping. The portion is very generous, on my own I was only able to eat about a 1/4 of the serving. The wings were so-so, a little too heavy on the black pepper for my taste. My friend said the red pepper bisque was the best soup he has ever had. For 6 wings, the dip, and 2 beers my tab was $23.
On Sundays they have a limited menu, but I did take a look at their full menu and it looks great. They have several inventive sandwiches, sliders, and snack. I think I'm going to come back during happy hour (half off craft beers and $2 off sliders) to try more of the menu. The Smiling Moose is my new favorite bar!