Alchemist & Barrister

The service here is awful. Some friends and I came in on a quiet weekday night and several minutes to get us seated, when there were plenty of seats available. We just wanted some drinks and a little something to munch on, and it took forever for everything to come out. Again, there weren't many people there so we aren't sure why. We ordered some hummus plate and got only 4 small pieces of pita; there were 4 of us at the table. When we asked for more bread, they told us we'd be charged $1 for it. The food was fine, nothing special. Nothing special about their drink selection either. The waitress was extremely inattentive and it took a long time to get the check. I won't be coming back.

It's a rare night when my man and I get a date without the offspring.  It's an ever rarer night when we accomplish this within walking distance and manage to find vegan food.  Scouring the menu, success at A&B!  We walk by it all the time, with the adorable Harry Potter-like secret alley that runs alongside the restaurant, connecting Witherspoon to Palmer Square.  The restaurant is of two minds, with a dining room in the front and a bar/pub in the back.  That night, the bar was by far the place to be.

We started with the spicy carrot hummus, which was fantastic, dipping all sorts of radishes, cucumbers, and pita wedges into the deliciousness.  It paired well with my pinot grigio and the fella's microbrew (watermelon wheat or some such?).  We ate in the bar area, as the "outdoor" seating was full (not so much outdoors since the big plastic window thingies were down, but I suppose it would be a great place to sit if they ever open the patio up instead of making you feel like The Bubble Boy).

I had the vegetarian cilantro black bean burgers, sans cheese.  It's always a test of a restaurant to see how their food tastes when the mask of cheese is removed.  Thumbs up for this veggie burger.  It was great, although I have yet to find a house-made veggie burger that doesn't mush when being held or eaten.  This is the sacrifice I must make, I suppose.  It must have been pretty good, since my husband was trying to sneak bites of it between digging into his head-sized bowl of stir fry.  The stir fry was alright, but it could have used some pep.  A little kick would have been nice.  But that bowl, no matter how arty, was hilarious.  It could have served as an ancient Japanese warrior helmet made of ceramic.

We have a few more options for future dining, including the garden vegetable sandwich, battered green beans, sweet potato fries, and such.  Add a few more veggie items to the menu, A&B, and we'll be regulars, dining in or takeout.

Love the interior of this place and the outside "patio". I've been here three times and I've been satisfied each time. Large TVs around, great for watching sporting events while eating.

I've gotten the hard cider all three times, tastes yummy and has a high alcohol content without tasting like it. My friends have all enjoyed their beers here as well. An especially masculine and muscular friend of mine asked the waitress for a recommendation and was given the Pineapple Bomb. It was yellow, served in a tall glass, and had a nice Maraschino cherry to top it off. It was delicious, I tried some, and my friend fell in love with the waitress and left his number (no text though, he was very sad).

The wings here are so good. I can't stress that enough, I've never had better wings in my life and my fantasy football league agrees with me on the tastiness of these wings. They are perfect, from the amount of frying they undergo to the buffalo sauce. I've also had the Tiger Burger and the chicken club sandwich. Both, while not the greatest I've had, were definitely very decent. Large portions leave me feeling satisfied, will be back often next school year.