And You're Always Glad You Came

One thing I'm always on the lookout for, at home or in my travels, is a good neighbourhood pub. My definition of a pub is a bit of a loose one. To me, if it's got a well-curated drink menu and focuses on basics like pizza, burgers, and mac 'n' cheese, it's a pub. (I'm aware that this definition is less than accurate.) When I'm in Vancouver this summer, I'm excited to go to The Pourhouse Restaurant and in New York City, I want to try out the bar at The Jane. 

Here in Winnipeg, one of my favourites is The Grove Pub and Restaurant. I've mentioned The Grove here and here, but I wanted to take some time to highlight them more specifically.

The Grove really gets it right with friendly atmosphere, a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, and wonderful, simple, food. For those who love beer, they have a lot of it. There's even a sampler for indecisive types, where you can try four 1/4 pints. Personally, I've tried to like beer and failed, so I go for one of their many cocktails. They're well-balanced and avoid the sickly sweetness that's common to many others I've tried.

The food is also amazing. They have classics like fish 'n' chips, - with the chips perfectly hot and crispy - mouth-watering burgers (I enjoy The Grove Burger) and speciality pizzas. Give me a pizza with a fried egg on top, and I'm sold.

And for dessert, I've tried the Pot de Creme which was everything I hope for in a dessert: rich, chocolatey and delightfully creamy.

I've also just discovered that The Grove owners have nabbed the coveted Osborne and River spot! Congratulations and good luck to them on their new venture.

So what about you? Any favourite neighbourhood food-and-drink spots? Recommendations for Vancouver or NYC?