Jeremy F.'s Profile

I thought this place would be a noisy sardine can, but my friends and I went on a Saturday night with a group of friends and we found it comfortable and inviting. We even got a few rounds of pool in!

The drinks were dive-cheap with $3 beers and $5 beer + a shot. I got the house whisky, Evan Williams, and I was impressed. They could have chosen a much shittier, more cost-effective option (I'm looking at you, Mr. Boston) but they didn't. Good show.

Dirt cheap and very tasty. Best in good weather, because there's not a lot of room inside so you'll provably be eating on the curb. The pitas aren't huge, but they're so cheap it's generally advisable to get 2.

Do not use the hot sauce unless you are a nipple clamp-level masochist. That stuff means business.

Had a great visit with the girlfriend to Common Ground during Happy Hour/dinner during the week. Crazy specials: $2 Yuengling Pints and buy-2-get-one-free paninis/appetizers! There only seemed to be one person working, the blonde bartender, but she worked every aspect of the place like a champ! Courteous, helpful, and prompt! The food was tasty and, with the special, more than enough. The bar has a nice jukebox, some books AND board games! Board games! It all works towards the lounge-feeling the pub is able to maintain. They apparently do trivia nights and have open mic bands, so I think we'll be coming back here. One note: it was a little chilly in there.

Atmospherically and economically unimpressive. You could easily do better.

Alcohol and diners are a match made in heaven like alcohol and pizza, alcohol and sports, and alcohol and heavy machinery and perhaps the best, alcohol and alcohol.

So I went to EJ's with high spirits, and I was surprised at the generally diverse offerings. I got the kielbasa, and while it certainly was no stadium hot dog, it seemed like it was missing some of the expressive 'pop' that comes from skilled seasoning. I would wager they were prepackaged.

That's not to say that it was bad. It was still a generous portion with all the fixings, but perhaps a place that seems to laud itself over it's swankiness (and that was palpable), liquor license and late-night fare isn't a place for high-end cuisine. Certainly not authentic Bavarian cooking.

I feel like I'm not giving EJ's a fair shake. There are some things that are TRADITIONAL DINER FOOD. I usually go Greek, but I was shocked that it was not on the menu. Blasphemy! Either way, if I had gotten a burger or something fried I'm sure I'd have been happier. It's simpler food for a simpler place. I think I just expected more.

This place is almost stereotypically "hip" except for an odd lack of PBR. Think Dave & Busters for people who are too cool to enjoy themselves. The place is the typical high rafters and exposed brick you'd expect in Williamsburg, and dimly lit enough to make Donkey Kong look like a princess.

All the beers they have are independent breweries, generally local. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it is a great opportunity to sample local, interesting beers you can't try anywhere else. On the other hand, there's usually a reason these small breweries don't take off.

The games. There are probably around 30 arcade games which cost a quarter each, practically a steal. All the games are vintage and they've done a good job getting all your old favorites, but it's more a trip down memory lane than an exciting night at the arcade. Sometimes we all need to grow up.

Don't come here looking for food, either.

Although they offer a couple different kinds of slices, you go to Artichoke's for the Spinach Artichoke slice. The slice, which needs to be laid on 2 paper plates, is big. Caruso's at Penn Station might be a little bigger, but this is thick and crispy, and is one of the creamiest things I've ever eaten. It isn't so much covered in cheese like a standard pizza, rather the cream and cheese are one entity, filling in nooks and crannies. There's a buttery flavor too, probably butter. I'm not saying it's the healthiest thing for you, but damn, is it good.

I went to CPK for the first time yesterday and now I safely say that that the chain is the WORST THING TO COME OUT OF CALIFORNIA SINCE SMOG AND THE PHRASE 'BRAH'. Where should I begin. I look at the menu and thank god they put the calorie counts on it because there is nothing on that menu under 1200 calories. I still don't know how they do it, the portions aren't even that big.

I got the Greek pizza but requested no olives. The waiter says he wasn't sure if they could do that? What?! Why not just tell me, "Yeah, we just take em out of the freezer and stick them in the microwave." He had the gall to tell me, "If we can't, they're big so you can just pick them off." How about YOU pick them off.

Let's get to the quality of the food. The Greek pizza (with the thin crust) tasted dreadful. The crust had a sort of cumin spice, and it was a blank crust with a handful of small pieces of cucumber and tomato on it with a tiny drizzle of incredibly low-quality tzaziki. It said it came with feta, which was delivered a few minutes later. It was about 3 spoonfuls of cheese, in big chunks, for the whole pie. Absolutely TERRIBLE. Never go here.

There is really something inviting about Manitoba's despite its outward appearance. It is sort of a punk dive bar, but when you get past that there's a warmth to it. The drinks are good and plentiful, the air hockey downstairs is awesome, and the music is always good. Can't really ask for more.

This may be a dive bar, but it's got that sort of male-bonding brotherhood feel to it that's so hard to find (we're going to ignore the issue they have with women). The place was packed, but we sat at a table with a bunch of other people and wound up getting into a game of thumper with them. Where else can this happen? I got a burger and fries, but I was pretty drunk so I don't think it would be professional to review that.