"not your typical pub" this is the tagline Scotland Yard uses to describe their establishment. I must say it's not all THAT new, but certainly I became aware of its existance w/in the last year. I had it in my mind that I wanted to try someplace new last night and since Hose 22 is closed on Monday's Scotland Yard was the place.

I invited a couple of friends to join us, since trying out someplace new is always better w/ a group. Let me tell you a bit about the group and then a bit about Scotland Yard.

The Group:
4 males & 1 female
(1) 40+
(3) 30-40
(1) <30>














The Environment:
Parking: free (after 6) on street parking, they will have valet some time, but for now you must take your chances on the street and/or in a neighboring lot. This was okay for a Monday, prob not okay for a weekend evening.
Exterior: adorable, truly unique in this part of the St. Paul Quarter. Very well done.
Interior: I was blown away by some of the details that these brothers thought of in order to put this place together. The layout is very conducive to sitting around and chatting ( intimate armed chair grouping in the front), hanging at the long wooden bar, or having a casual dinner at one of their many tables in the back. The exposed brick, wood fire grill, and very warm colors make you feel instantly at home. My favorite part of the interior (aside from the exposed brick) is the lighting hanging in the front window, absolutely stunning--even if you don't go in, walk by to check out the presentation.
Entertainment: They have gaming, without making it seem distracting. A dart board that has it's own elevated, railed location that will keep players out of the walking space and the walkers out of the players space. great idea. They also have a wii with FOUR controllers. I use all caps because the bartender made sure to indicated that they have enough for four people to play w/o sharing controllers. There is a pool table, a neon, paid jukebox near the front of the bar and some televisions.
Bar: Okay, to be honest this is what we came for. the plan was to check out the "scene" and see if their beer menu could keep up w/ their ambiance. Here are some of my thoughts:

• website listed $2 domestic drafts. They had 3 domestic drafts on (Shock Top, Rohrbach's Blueberry and Rohrbach's Scotch Ale) and when we confirmed the special we were told that the special was referring to Labatt Blue Light. I understand it's "local" now that North American Breweries is in town, but this is definitely stretching considering Rohrbach's was started here and has always been here and Labatt's is from Canada. this is okay, but wish the advertised special matched what they were willing to offer.
• they had Victory Hop Devil and Anchor Steam in bottles.
• 3 of the guys in the group ordered Hop Devil bottles, none were offered glasses
• the bartender (even though he wasn't knowledgeable about beer) he was super super nice and was a brother to the two owners.
• the wine list and beer list shared a paper menu (see pic below) the wine list had prices on all items, the beer list did not. I realized, after the fact, that I paid $5 for a 12oz bottle of Anchor Steam beer and $3.75 for a 16oz Rohrbach's Scotch Ale.
• we had our choice of any seat at the bar, it was quiet and empty in this beautiful space. we could truly make it our own and spread out. if there was better beer this would DEFINITELY become our newest weekday hang out. COME ON they have the wii...with FOUR controllers.
  

OVERALL

on Beer: the menu was limited, but there were a few old standby options which made me think that they care enough to at least carry some beers they might not sell very often.

Overall: I think these guys truly care about the details or their space wouldn't have been so beautiful. I'm looking forward to trying it again (especially when I hear their beer menu has expanded.) If you are in the neighborhood it is a "must stop by" maybe not for Rocbeer, but simply for something different and a beautiful, warm and inviting, evening on the town.