4/5 EE G. 5 months ago on Google • 225 reviews
***4
1/2
stars***
I
don't
think
my
top
tier
chum
and
I
would
have
ended
up
here
if
it
wasn't
for
The
Iron
Claw,
a
good
but
incredibly
depressing
movie
playing
nearby
in
Rockaway.
As
the
credits
rolled,
we
looked
at
each
other
and
said,
"We
need
a
cocktail."
This
was
the
number
one
option
for
cocktails
in
the
area,
and
my
chum
was
dubious.
"It's
in...downtown
Dover?
Are
you
sure?"
It
was,
and
we'll
be
back.
We
came
here
around
dinnertime
on
the
Saturday
before
Christmas;
I
suspect
the
downtown
area
was
more
crowded
than
usual
as
a
result.
We
were
able
to
secure
street
parking
about
two
blocks
away,
but
then
had
an
adventure
crossing
the
street
to
get
over
here
-
minimal
crosswalks,
so
be
prepared.
The
menu
actually
instructed
patrons
to
park
in
a
specific
parking
lot
across
the
street,
so
that's
definitely
good
to
know
going
forward
as
I
don't
have
a
ton
of
interest
in
recreating
my
own
version
of
Frogger
to
get
a
meal/drink.
It
was
bustling
inside
as
well,
but
we
secured
seats
at
the
bar
towards
the
back
of
the
establishment.
There
was
a
live
musical
act
that
seemed
to
be
setting
up
in
the
front,
so
I
wasn't
unhappy
about
our
location
(we're
getting
old
and
cranky).
That
said,
I
don't
even
remember
hearing
them
so
the
acoustics
were
either
very
favorable
to
us
or
we
dodged
a
bullet
-
who
can
say?
The
bartender
was
excellent
and
clearly
knew
his
mixology,
both
in
terms
of
overall
drink
quality
and
presentation.
He
was
attentive
throughout
our
time
there
and
we
never
had
to
look
around
for
him
for
anything.
We
each
had
two
drinks.
I
initially
went
with
an
item
from
their
specials
menu,
which
I'm
pretty
sure
had
coquito
in
it
(and
included
a
fun,
dramatic
flair
where
the
bartender
basically
incinerated
cinnamon
as
he
sprinkled
it
on
the
top;
it
was
very
good
but
after
trying
my
chum's
mule,
I
decided
to
pivot
to
that
for
my
second
beverage
based
mostly
on
palate
preference.
Very
well
made
with
a
nice,
mule
zip
to
it.
Also
a
plus?
He
gave
us
free
shots
at
the
end;
I
really
can't
remember
a
bartender
doing
that
after
only
two
drinks,
but
I'll
take
that
pretty
much
every
time.
A
classy
move
in
my
book.
The
food
was
very
solid
as
well.
Really
my
only
nitpick
(and
the
reason
I
can't
commit
to
a
full
five
stars
here)
is
that
we
ordered
tostones
with
pernil
but
it
showed
up
with
guac
instead,
making
it
considerably
drier.
But
we
also
were
distracted
by
the
other
food
and
never
bothered
to
push
back
on
that
when
it
arrived,
so
that's
for
sure
partially
on
us.
The
tequenos
were
the
highlight
for
me;
flavorful,
with
a
great
dipping
sauce
that
emphasized
the
sweeter
nature
of
the
dish
without
being
overwhelming.
Hard
to
do,
but
that
item
disappeared
quickly.
We
also
got
the
bacon
mac
and
cheese;
honestly
I
don't
think
it
did
anything
to
set
itself
apart
from
other
above
average
macs
(not
a
complaint),
but
I
did
like
how
the
bacon
was
broken
up/dispersed
on
top
of
it.
The
fact
that
I
seriously
considered
giving
this
a
perfect
rating
despite
one
of
the
food
items
not
being
correct
should
tell
you
a
lot.
This
was
also
a
situation
that
reminded
me
favorably
of
a
recent
visit
to
pastaRAMEN
in
Montclair,
where
the
staff
clearly
enjoyed
working
there
and
with
each
other
-
we
saw
a
lot
of
smiles
behind
the
scenes
and
good-natured
laughter,
which
contributed
overall
to
a
positive
experience.
Frankly,
I
want
to
go
back
at
this
point
just
so
they
can
slightly
redeem
themselves
and
I
can
unequivocally
declare
it
a
perfect
meal.
Glad
to
find
a
high
quality
spot
like
this
in
the
Dover/Rockaway
area.