![\"Small](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Small-Bar1.jpg\" "\\"Bar")
<\/a>\u201cIt isn\u2019t really that little,\u201d I explained when charming a cohort into joining me for a dose of liquid medicine at Small Bar, a recent newcomer to University Heights. Visitors enter from a narrow side alley and into a black-walled space that feels part pub, part dive bar. And though the fa\u00e7ade appears starkly quaint, you have to wonder upon stepping inside if the ownership suffers from blueprint envy inflicted by big developers. <\/p>\nBelieve me, Dr. Ink has seen smaller. <\/p>\n
A full-size bar rigged with nearly 50 beer handles gives way to reasonably ample seating supplied by wooden tables that run along an opposite wall and through the room\u2019s center lane. High ceilings and adequate windowing spare the joint from seeming dungeon-like. And there\u2019s even a kitchen that cranks out dishes from a rambling three-page menu more fitting to absolute restaurants.<\/p>\n
The misleading part pertains to the expectation of wait service. When the clock strikes five for happy hour, it apparently disappears. Plastic-bound drink and food menus strewn across the tables merely spell out what you need to fetch. <\/p>\n
We got lucky and squeezed through a few open cracks at the bar to order a Rouge-style Cuvee des Jacobins beer, reduced by a buck to $6.75, plus a \u201cKentucky Road Apple\u201d involving Makers Mark bourbon, Blackthorn Cider, Amaretto and ground cinnamon. It\u2019s served in an icy pewter mug \u2013 very King Henry VIII \u2013 but sells without discount for $8.50. The dollar-off deals apply only to beer, wine and well liquors.<\/p>\n
Just outside the kitchen door is an end table harboring a finger bell. Here is where you order things like charcuterie plates, wedge salads, burgers, Italian beef sandwiches, fried shrimp and \u201ccircus\u201d dogs dredged in cornbread batter. Sadly, you pay regular menu prices for all items. Where, oh, where are those places that put out complimentary bowls of peanuts, chaffing dishes brimming with Vienna wieners or any cheap substances that would keep customers drinking at Dr. Ink\u2019s prolonged pace? <\/p>\n
We opted for a trio of small tacos ($6); two with grilled chicken and the other featuring a savory dollop of chile verde pork. Good stuff, but not enough cloth to absorb a potential hangover. So we proceeded to the \u201cblue collar\u201d cheese plate ($7.50) filled substantially with cubes of havarti, Muenster and Gouda. Altogether these soft curds behave like triplets of similar personalities. We couldn\u2019t tell one from the other. But when combined with the sour pith of Rouge ale or the roasted finish of Anchor Bock (only $2.50 during happy hour), their creaminess is appreciable.<\/p>\n
Small Bar attracts a refreshingly random demographic, from the tattooed and ski-capped to the flannel-shirted and those tidy L.L Beaners. On this particular Wednesday, there wasn\u2019t a single age group defining the atmosphere, a non-scene scene if you will.<\/p>\n
Fellow tipplers who visited before me warned of blaring juke-box music that rendered their conversations dead. Similar complaints have been posted on Yelp. The problem, however, appears rectified as tolerable decibels by Van Halen, the Stones and Pink Floyd revved the drinking vibe rather than slaughtered it. Indeed, we weren\u2019t the only ones swinging our knees while soaking our uvulas.<\/p>\n