Fog Town Bar & Grill

There are dive bars that are cool and then there are ones that are just divey. The cool ones usually have great bartenders, who mix a stiff drink for a good price, have a kick-ass jukebox or a funky, cool interior with dim lighting.

Sadly, Fog Town doesn't really have much going for it. It does have a couple of decent beers on tap like Fat Lip Ale and was impressed when someone played "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughn and then Vicente Fernandez, a Mexican crooner came on the juke box. Talk about diversity.

I was turned off that the bartender didn't know how to mix a Manhattan and annoyed when some drunk tried to sell me his jacket for $20. The lighting is a bit too bright for my taste. No need to come back.

Okay, ordered some food for the first time last week. Cheeseburger and fries -- not very imaginative but kinda the standard for pub food. It was really good, surprisingly....until I learned Barbara herself was back in the kitchen. When the proprietress prepares the food, you might expect an added level of care and pride, and in this case it showed. The fries -- of which I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur -- were particularly good: thick and not too crispy. Along with my Stella draft, I was happy. The burger was big enough that part of it ended up going home with me, where Elias (GSD) rated it 5 woofs.

Just a note on ambiance: on this night, a Thursday, a live acoustic band playing in the corner under red neon with a small mellow crowd (friends of the band, students and other musicians) made it feel a bit like a cool college hangout. And my man Carlos at the bar took good care of all of us...