Pub Grub

You enter a cavernous room with ceilings as high as the room is wide. Looking up, you catch a view of the upstairs -- a sort of loft-style area with pool table and other attractions. More on that in a minute.

A large, granite-topped, antique looking bead board bar occupies one side of the room. George's boasts four beers on tap and another untold number of bottled domestic and import ales as well. Couple that with a healthy variety of the harder stuff, a good basic menu and friendly, casual service and you have the makings of a really cool neighborhood pub, which is exactly what George's is.

FRANCES DODSON

George's pub also has an excellent patio area for additional seating with umbrellas and patio tables -- walled in case you want to embarrass yourself -- but it was raining on my recent visit.

Pub tables fill the rest of the room and feature lots of comfy chairs. A large group occupied several tables that had been pulled together for a family gathering of sorts, and it was obvious there were three generations of family members and their friends all huddled around the huge square, probably 20 people in all. Everyone was having a grand old time, and they were being well taken care of by a couple of young servers who also doubled as bartenders, waiters and everything else on an as-needed basis.

The pub's service is ultra-casual and every member of the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. This is a small, quaint little hangout for everyone, from the customers to the cook, bartenders and anyone else who's there. If it weren't for the fact that when the large group left, two of the crew stayed behind to clean up and pull tables back to their rightful spots on the dining room floor, I would have actually thought the guys were customers rather than the ones running the place. The staffers fit in that well and made everyone feel that comfortable -- just how a pub should be.

Comfort Food. FRANCES DODSON

I sat at one of several high-top tables in the back of the room and was chatted up by a lady that I assumed was my waitress. She was, in fact, the cook. No kidding. George's Pub is very friendly and very casual. The cook gave me several recommendations as did the barman, who was also my server. I finally settled on an order of hummus with fresh vegetables and pita chips to start me off. The hummus, a mixture of ground chickpeas, tahini paste, lemon juice and various seasonings was quite good. Very tangy and thick, the hummus went well with the crispy pita chips. The carrots and celery were fresh and crunchy and I was pleasantly surprised.

After a bit of discussion with the barkeep, and at his recommendation, I opted for a large Black Angus burger with cheddar cheese and hand-cut "haystack" fries. The bartender had solid advice. The burger was excellent, although a bit overdone for me, but I forgot to tell them to cook it only medium. These days, if you want your burger less than well-done you need to let your server know or it will probably automatically come that way. In spite of my shortsightedness it was a tasty and moist burger, with a good tangy cheddar flavor.

The fries were excellent. Crisp and not greasy, and my friend the cook let me know when she dropped off my order that she had hidden a few sweet potato fries underneath for me to try. The Cajuns call that a lagniappe -- something unexpected and extra a merchant gifts to a customer -- and it was a nice touch. Plus they were really good. Cut from a fresh sweet potato, they were both "meaty" and sweet. I'll order them when I go back.

The food at George's would not be called avant-garde or cutting edge. You won't be served sparrow lips wrapped in hollowed out macadamia shells or anything like that, but the food is good and solid, and works perfectly with the pub's atmosphere and location. What you will find at George's is a variety of items like fresh cracked black pepper potato chips, fried pickles, hot wings, sweet potato wedges and battered cheese cubes, plus entrees like Guinness-battered fish wrap, a turkey burger, a chipotle/black bean burger, the aforementioned Angus burger, and others. Prices range from $3-$9, and it's a good value based on the portion sizes I saw.

George's second floor houses several comfy rooms, one with couches for sitting, a couple of small game tables for cards or checkers and a pool table room that includes several arcade games. One wall has a built-in bookcase to give the pub a homey, comfortable feeling. It's easy to picture yourself just hanging out, playing pool, watching a ball game or visiting with friends.

Diners can stay updated about daily happenings, drink and food specials and entertainment on the pub's Facebook page.