Brownies Irish Pub   

Brownies is a narrow, dimly lit bar that you've probably walked past many times without noticing. Refreshingly regular, it is located on a block that keeps giving birth to badly conceived lounges. Brownies is good for solitary Saturday afternoon drinking while leafing through the racing paper. Behind the bar, liquor bottles are classically displayed on shelves with a mirror backdrop; opposite the bar are a few high narrow tables with framed sports photos on the wall. Between the Yards, Harp and Sierra Nevada, there's a workable beer selection. A dartboard hangs in a dusty back room. Upstairs in a long narrow windowless room are two pool tables and a foosball table. A pretty good jukebox provides the tunes, featuring choices from James Brown to Cake to Led Zeppelin. The fortysomethings come for after-work imbibing while a younger crowd dominates later on, looking for a no-frills place that will serve them an honest beer. -- Josh McIlvain