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Bob. CT

Also, I don't know the circumstances surrounding the visits with negative connotations, but my overall experience was quite pleasant, including my conversation with management.

Don't write them off yet; if things were bad before, they appear to have changed since.

I visited on Monday, 18 December 2006. I arrived at about 12:30 PM. The front room (bar) was very busy. There was only one bartender, and that is poor planning by the managment. However, that doesn't make an excuse for her poor service and obnoxious behavior. I found a seat at the bar and waited about 10 minutes before Jessica (the bartender) even acknowledged my presence (she had been within inches of me several times prior and didn't say a word to me). She said she would be right with me. I thanked her and committed my first mistake--I said, "not a problem, I'm in no hurry." Little did I know how she would take that to heart.

On tap that day were: pumpkin, dunkel, winter ale, robust porter, cask Belgian, another but I can't read my writing, light squared, pilsner, bavarian weitz, park avenue pale, IPA, and stout. I started with the winter ale and drank that after I finally got a menue--but I got a beer menue and she never did take it away--I do appreciate that. The winter was a cloudy amber ale with no head and vertually no nose. The flavor was malty but not sweet. The beer menue said it was a "strong Belgian Amber." It was really nice, but like many seasonals, one is enough.

At 1:00 the place cleared out. The service didn't improve. I never could quite figure out if the bartender had responsibilites in the back room that kept her from keeping up with the 6 of us at the bar or if she just didn't care. At best estimate it took about 25-30 minutes to get my food. While I waited I ordered the IPA--at least that's what they called it. It was a cloudy golden color. It had a foamy head with a very malty nose--but no hop. The taste was watery and not hoppy at all. The menue said it had a malty taste with a clean bitter finsh. Well, it did finish clean but not bitter. It really wasn't very good at all.

About 1/2 way through the beer, my 'burger of the week' with fries arrived. She sat it down with no napkin, silverware, apology for taking so long (but I did tell her I wasn't in a hurry--apparently she told the cook that) or anything. Jessica turned and walked away--I thought to get at least napkins but she disapeared....and was gone and gone and gone. Finally she reappeared and asked the couple next to me if they needed anything. They asked for napkins and hot sauce--the whole time Jessica is ignoring me. When she returned to deliver the couple's napkins and hot sauce--at least 10 minutes have passed since she sat my plate down--I asked if I could have some of that too. She looked at me and in a cranky voice said, 'hot sauce?' I said no, napkins and silverware? That was mistake number two. Now she was very unhappy with me. By the time she returned with silverware, one napkin and NO apology, at elast 15 minutes had passed since she sat my plate down. It was then I committed mistake number three. I asked her to take my plate back to the kithen and warm it up since it took so long. Oh My God. Now she was really angry and she made a point of letting every one know. She returned with the plate. The fries were still cold and the burger was far too juicy for a well done burger (if you get my drift) so I didn't finsh it--nor did I finish the nasty beer they called an IPA. While I contempleted the food, the bartender Jessica made quite a show of her anger toward me. At one point she was telling a couple some story, and at one point her voice got very loud and she looked at me and said, "Why would you piss off your bartender? That's just stupid." And there in that sentence you get the attitude of Ms. Jessica. I guess I think of it the other way, 'why would you piss off a patron?' THAT, Jessica is just stupid.

Once she realized that I had stopped eating, she figured my bill. She placed it on one of those little plastic trays and litterally threw it on the table. It knocked over the salt shaker. Had she offered any sort of pleasantry, apology, anything I could chalk all this up to being the lone bartender during a busy lunch. No apology, poor service even after the lunch crowd cleared, and nasty treatment complelled me to stiff ole' Jessica and leave no tip at all.

I grew up around St. Louis and get back once or twice a year. I only tried 2 of their many beers--one was very good, one was very bad. The food was only mediocre, and the service absoltely horrid. I won't make any effort to revisit this place again.

The beers are OK enough. Nothing unusual, nothing really outstanding, but all fine beers. It may be a bit early in their existence to expect anything unusual at this point, however.

Food is average.

The best thing about this place is the building/courtyard. Be sure to sit in the courtyard, weather-allowing. Very unique, great environment. Also check out the "window" in the floor of the main dining room, looking into the brewhaus below. Pretty cool.

definitely worth checking out, for more than the beer.

The food was very good. They smoke their own meat. I had a beef brisket sandwich and it was the best brisket I had in a while. Instead of smoothering the meat with barbaque sauce, they use a light mustard. I also had two very large crab cakes as a appitizer. Their menu is divided between "micro bites", like the crabcakes and "macro bites" which are full meals.

Now, on to the least satisfactory part of my visit--the beer. A friend of mine visited Square One shortly after it opened and raved about the APA, so I was optimistic. I started with the IPA and was let down imediately. There was no hop aroma you expect from an IPA, nor was there much bitterness in the beer itself. I moved on to the ESB and the APA, and unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. In fact, I could not notice much of a difference between these three beers. They were not bad beers, they were drinkable, but I was hoping for more. Their Wit was better, a nice hazy blonde with tastes of ginger. The best was their pils--it went down very well on a hot evening. They had eleven beers on tap -- from their version of a light to a barley wine, so they have a style for everyone.

Despite my lackluster view of the beer, I'll go back. Square One has a great atmosphere. And, hopefully, since they have been open for only a few months, the beer will get better.