Our Brother's Place

Our Brother's Place occupies what older Toledoans might remember as The Board Room, and they have done a fantastic job remodeling inside. Gone are the old wooden fixtures, which I remember fondly from my youth, but they have been replaced with a sleek, modern, welcoming interior.

Our Brother's Place has a limited menu, offering about a half a dozen sandwiches in addition to dinner specials featuring grilled or fried tilapia, shrimp, etc. If you're reading this, you most likely live here, so you can probably imagine where I'm going with this.

The staff was super friendly. I inquired about the upstairs and the bar tender, Bonnie, told me that they have free comedy shows on Thursday nights starting at 9:00 p.m. She even took me upstairs to let me see the space even though it wasn't currently in use. It's also a good sign when, after inquiring about the frozen signature drink (the Blue Oasis), the bar tender gives you a free sample. And it was awesome.

They book comedians from around the country but, and I find this really cool, they let anyone take the mic if someone wants to perform. Sounds like a blast so I'll check it out tomorrow night.

The music seems to be on the R&B side which was kind of a welcome change to the standard sounds you encounter downtown.

I have heard friends of mine describe this establishment as an African-American niche bar, and that is true to some extent -- perhaps that is why, when encouraging me to go the comedy show, that the bar tender emphasized that they draw a mixed crowd of, in her words, black and white -- but this bar could be the secret spot you've been missing out on.

I look forward to sampling the food. The 5 stars are based on the service alone as well as how they have utilized the space.