Once you find the entrance for Bootlegger’s Probation Pub, the inside has a slightly modern take on the old speakeasy. It’s a little dark, a little loud and the bar is quite large. The wait staff dressed the part as well, and the overall vibe is fun and interesting.
First thing you do in a speakeasy is get a drink right? I had the Rough Old Fashioned and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m an Old Fashioned snob and this was made right and delicious. This is a bartender who knows his stuff.
For an appetizer, we had the Coney Island Fries, basically chili cheese fries with hot peppers server in a cast iron skillet. These were amazing, maybe some of the best chili cheese fries I’ve ever had. The fries still had plenty of body/texture (read, not too soggy) and the banana peppers gave the whole thing that little pop of spice that was quite enjoyable. Overall, an excellent appetizer.
For dinner, how could I not order up a Topless Floozie? This is a spicy buffalo dry rubbed burger with cheddar cheese, cole slaw topped with a fried egg over medium. The burger was cooked perfectly and quite enjoyable. The egg gave it a nice pop of flavor and the grilled roll was a great vehicle for the burger. While not the best burger I’ve ever had, it was enjoyable and good sized. The accompanying fries were seasoned lightly and also quite good. Overall, a good dinner.
The wait staff was attentive but also seemed quite busy. While we did have to wait to find her at times, she was quick to respond to any requests and friendly enough.
Overall, I’d say this is a great bar with decent food. Everyone I spoke to enjoyed their drinks and the mixed drink menu had some interesting new twists as well as the basic standbys. The food was good enough that I wasn’t disappointed, but I’d say this is a definite go to just for the bar.