Thursday 25th of June 2009 02:41:23 AM

link
The food & beer lineup at this Rock Bottom is similar to others in the chain. Beers cover the gamut from light to dark with seasonals and brewmaster specials available at certain times of the year. A Czech-style Pils was on tap during my last visit and was very enjoyable. Several cask beers are usually available but I don't recall what was on during the last visit.

As noted above, the menu is similar to other Rock Bottoms. Everything is good but not necessarily spectacular. My most recent visit while in the area for work was one of their steaks which was prepared as ordered.

The bar is large so service can be a little slow if there is only one bartender and the place is busy. It wasn't until I was ready to leave that I discovered another, smaller bar in back near the brewery.

The space is wide open with only short walls creating sections. This and the high ceilings make for a noisy environment when busy.

Afterwards, a walk around the complex towards the ice arena made for some relaxing exercise to work off the meal and a nice view of the lake.

Thursday 16th of April 2009 12:49:13 PM

link
Located in an outdoor mall right off the highway, this Rock Bottom is certainly easy to spot. It's part of a complex that includes several themed restaurants and a movie theater. Inside, the feel is a bit too generic for my tastes. Pretty much the standard bar over here, restaurant over there setup of most chain restaurants. Lighting is rather dark. High ceilings and a lack of many walls make this place rather loud. There are lot's of TV's for the sports fans. The brew kettles are viewable through a glass wall behind the bar.

I had one big gripe: the beer menu is split in two. There is one large menu above the bar that seems to list everything. However, after I had already ordered my first beer, I noticed a much smaller menu a few feet from the main one that listed the two cask conditioned beers. It seemed like an afterthought, as there is a second copy of the big menu hanging in the restaurant part of the pub, but no repeat of the cask beers.

Food is pretty standard pub fare. Portions are huge and the quality is pretty good. Prices are on the high side, unfortunately. Service is very quick and friendly.

Overall, I'm glad I went here, but it's not high on my list of places to revisit.