after having a not so great experience about a week ago, my friend and i decided to stop in for a drink and to watch some college hoops. we were happy to get a seat at the bar (it was a wednesday night so maybe things are quieter during middle of week). we had just had an amazing dinner across the street at chow and were stuffed! being pretty new to the area, we were happy that the bartender, mo, helped guide us through the huge beer selection. we tried a few different ipas but the rule g by smartmouth was my favorite. this visit was totally different than my last! mo shared her "locals favorites" with us and now i can't wait to try 80/20 burger bar. she made me feel like a "regular" and talked sports, told us about her kids, shared some funny stories and she told us about an event next week called "norfolk restaurant week". can't wait to check out some places next week. one thing i really liked about this visit was that with each new beer, mo made sure we had fresh cold glasses.another small detail i liked was that as mo was serving drinks she used cocktail napkins (didn't experience this on my last visit) and constantly picked up empty glasses, bottles and dirty plates. pretty sure nothing sat on a table if it was empty for more than a few minutes. i think she must be the owner because everyone, except me and my friend, knew her and most were greeted with a big smile and questions about grandchildren, pets, local sports, etc. i am so glad i gave this place a second chance! maybe it was the different crowd, but i'm pretty sure that it was are amazing bartender that made the difference. she even gave us her personal email in case we had questions about where to shop, local events, or things to see as i get used to living here. great service, great help selecting a beer (out if the over 40 brands) and an upbeat atmosphere. i even got to request one of the tvs be changed to a game of my alma mater. fun night, felt like we were vips and to end the evening, mo gave us a hug as we were leaving (we watched and almost every customer stopped and asked for a hug before exiting. love the feeling of a small town neighborhood bar and she said that if i brought my lacrosse jersey from college, she would make certain to hang it up and display with other sport items hanging. great bar, amazingserviceand very much appreciated the "extras" mo did to make me feel more like a local! thanks for a fun evening!
-----08 jan, 2014-----
new to the area and looked forward to enjoying one of specialty pizzas during the bcs game lastnight. too bad the menu listed is incorrect. i did enjoy being able to order slices. just wish theservicewas as warm as the pizza. bartender was not very friendly and just dropped my slices in front of me and never came back to see if i needed anything or if food was ok.