Monday 4th of May 2009 02:21:27 PM

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I was here with a bunch of friends and family on a Sunday night. We had a big group, but the staff did a very nice job of helping us. So one big point for the service crew.

This Rock Bottom is in a large outdoor mall that stretches several blocks. It's one of many chain restaurants that dot a large parking lot. With the exception of minor facade differences (RB has flagstone trim on the exterior), they all pretty much look the same from the outside. Without the water tank and sign out front, you'd never know this was a brewpub.

Inside, the pub is split in two. To the right is the bar area. It's dominated by a very large oval bar that takes up the majority of the room. The bar is flanked by several flat-screen TV's. The fermentation tanks are visible through large windows at the back of this room. To the left, is a main dining area that's made up of a combination of booths and tables. No matter where you are, it will be dark. Dark wood and dim lighting make sure of that. Several flagstone pillars breakup the monotony.

And now it's time for one of my major gripes. If you're in the bar, you can see the full beer menu. If you're not, you have a list of the year-round beers at your table and that's it. Thankfully, the staff know what else is on-tap. But how hard would it be to hang a beer menu in the dining area?

The food here is well prepared. The menu is typical pub fare, with its list of burgers and sandwiches, plus some traditional meat and fish dishes. I had the brewer's nachos. The serving was huge and quite tasty. The other people I was with had nice things to say about their dishes too.

From reading reviews of the beers here on other sites, it sounds like in general they brew some nice things. Unfortunately, only one of the three beers I had did much for me. I probably just made bad choices.

Prices are on the high side, but about the same as the other Rock Bottoms I've been to.

The next time I'm in the Springs, I'll probably stop here again.