Chatterbox Pub

I've been here once and I had a great experience. I ordered the Pub Burger on the menu, and it was excellent: thick-cut bacon, roasted olives, gruyere, and a curry mustard. A very delicious combination of flavors on a perfectly cooked burger and quality bun. On the side I had roasted red pepper mashed potatoes that were also very good--I am so tired of fries. Their beer list is very extensive. A couple other reviewers cited a very greasy odor in there, and this is definitely true. When you leave, you will smell like you were sitting next to a deep fryer. They might have ventilation issues at this location.

I used to love this place, but they have dumbed  down their menu.  I was embarrassed as I took  a friend for a birthday dinner and the new limited menu was mediocre.  I have a groupon to use up, and after I use it, I will not go to the Chatterbox again.  They took away the roasted garlic butternut squash dip and dont have the sandwich salad thing.  And I didn't like the taste of the fondue or the the wrap I had,.  I am bummed that I have another $20 groupon for the place, because all I can like there is their drinks.

I had a difficult time deciding how many stars to give this place.  I appreciate it for the close proximity to my house.  It has a sort of cozy feel to it...but also sort of an icky, dumpy feel to it (think sticky menus, overly crowded tables, horribly outdated decor, board games missing pieces).  They don't serve liquor and I don't like beer or sake, but they do have several kinds of cider and wine, and that's good enough for me.  

The food is...food.  Hit or miss, for sure.  Most recently I tried their mac & cheese, and added broccoli & bacon, and I liked it enough to finish the huge bowl it came in.  The bowl itself was weird though, it was WAY too big, which resulted in the cheese sauce getting kind of lost/stuck to the vast surface of the bowl, but I'm a mac & cheese fanatic and I liked the creaminess of it and the fact that there's toasted bread crumbs on top.  My boyfriend ordered an ahi tuna sandwich, and didn't really care for it; he said the combo of ingredients just didn't work.  Previously we've had chicken strips (pretty dry and they don't carry buffalo sauce, what's up with that?!) and seasoned fries (tasty), and pizza (meh).  If it wasn't for our Groupons and the fact that we're poor, we probably wouldn't eat there.  

My main issue with this place is the SMELL.  The overwhelming stench of grease is so bad, and I don't understand why--there must be some major ventilation issues.  It's just very stuffy.  You will most definitely need to wash your hair and clothing after you leave.

We said we could see ourselves spending more time here during the winter, cozying up over some drinks and board games.  But then we realized we can do the exact same thing at home, with better food and no stench.  So there's that.