Pitney Pub

Approx. 6 wks ago I ordered the "Pitney Pie" and which I thought was great (their version of a Shepards Pie).  A couple of days ago I ordered  Pitney Pie again, which I was not great.  It was more like a soup (watery gravy)  than a stew, had few vegetables and only 5 pieces of beef.  Two people with me did not complain about their meals, but I don't think I'll be going back for awhile.  Aug. 2012

Pitney Pub has gone through many incarnations, all of them falling flat on their face. Blue Marlin tanked, Pitney Tavern tanked, and the owner has chosen to go in a completely different direction with Pitney Pub. Went in on a Sunday night; place wasn't crowded at all. TVs were turned to ESPN but were muted so people could play money from the digital jukebox. Love those things. Pitney Pub is very modern looking now; all red and well-lit and with funky portraits of Bob Marley and Marilyn Monroe. It's a stark contrast from the outside. It actually looks like a diner in here. It's very open and spacious, and the bar is barely separate from the dining area. It was a definite mixed crowd here; not in a bad way. Our bartender was a bit clueless and just seemed "off."  Asked him if they carried B&B, and first he gave me a deer-in-headlights look, then he chuckled, then he said "no," and then he said "wait, what's that?" I just replied that a vodka cranberry would be fine. My drink and boyfriend's Yuengling came to a total of $8--nice!! We didn't order food, but the menu looked decent. A table of toolbags behind us ordered wings, which came out smelling soooo good. I will say, the owner is a VERY smart businessman. Upon seeing 5 new patrons at his bar (none of us had been there before), he offered to do a round of shots with us, on the house. He made us chocolate covered pretzels: whipped cream vodka and frangelico, with a lick of salt afterwards. Sooo good! He was a genuinely cool guy.
The one complaint I have is that after my first vodka cranberry, my drinks kept getting progressively weaker. Not terribly, but if I continue to pay the same price for a drink throughout the night, I expect it to contain the same amount of liquor until I'm slurring my words.
This place has always been a huge hangout for the Stockton College crowd, so I'm not sure I'd ever go Thursday-Saturday. It definitely needs to be warmed up in there; the place could use a dose of color (other than red tables and chairs, everything was white.) Not bad if you're a local who wants to drink cheap or you don't want to be in the city.