Although bar-night devotees never fail to make their weekly trek down to Main Street, Middletown is not exactly the kind of place many would describe as having a hot nightlife scene.
Nevertheless, Middletown does host several reputable bars, including Eli Canon’s, Nikita’s and the Gatekeeper. These small, atmospheric establishments, however, best facilitate fun nights out with a few friends. As anyone who has been to Gatekeeper or Hair of the Dog on a Wednesday night can tell, Middletown’s nightlife was not built to comfortably accommodate large crowds of people who wish to walk around and talk to each other, let alone dance or enjoy a concert.
Located at 337 Main St., the recently opened Public Bar & Grill may provide a solution to this problem. The buzz about Public, at least among students, suggests that its spacious, minimalist layout provides an alternative for those who are sick of suffocating against the bar-room wall.
Last week, a friend and I stopped by Public for dinner and drinks. Walking in, it was hard to imagine that this space was once a Bob’s store, probably because it underwent a year-and-a-half-long renovation. A long bar is situated on the left hand side of the main room, with smaller tables against the opposite wall for those who wish to have a bit of privacy. An elevated stage sits against the back wall, lit with colored lights. A second, smaller room houses dining space, in addition to a pool table, photo booth and darts.
Since it was rather early in the evening, we sat down at a table in the main room to glance over the menu. Public’s food choices are standard upscale bar fare. House recommended starters include their spinach and artichoke dip, wings, a sliders trio of a mini beef burger, and tuna and crab cakes. More substantial options include several sandwiches and burgers as well as salad options, and a “build-a-burger” section that allows you to create your own specialty burger (vegetarian options as well) by choosing from a long list of burgers, fixings, sauces and breads.
We settled on nachos and a build-a-burger, and then turned to the beer list. I was pleased to find several tasty beers on tap, including some local microbrews, for $4 a pint. Some highlights of the list include 10 Penny Ale, Brooklyn Lager, Opa Opa, Longhammer IPA, Stone Mill, Hooker Blond, Sierra Nevada, Circus Boy and Blue Point Blueberry. And for those with tighter pockets, there’s always the $3 Bud Light, or $6 Bud light pitchers.
While our food did not arrive until a few rounds later (and we were not drinking very fast, either), the beer time gave us a chance to soak up the atmosphere a bit. The sleek, dark wood decor, high ceilings and scenes from New York City certainly did not seem like something you would expect to find in Middletown. When the food did come, the nachos were a little less than fantastic but my companion seemed quite happy with his burger. All in all, it was a pleasant dining experience at a reasonable price, though I cannot say that I will be eating there every weekend.
After dinner, we began chatting with the bartender, who actually turned out to be the owner, Tyler Devecchis—an amiable and enthusiastic 20 or 30-something, who right away asked if we were Wesleyan students.
“You totally screamed Wesleyan without saying a word,” he said.
As he showed us around the place, Devecchis casually asked questions about Wesleyan and whether or not we thought students would like Public. Devecchis and his business partner, Chris Liedner, have worked hard to create an open, laidback environment for students and Middletown residents alike. In particular, the owners of Public plan on recruiting student bands to perform on a weekly basis.
A couple of weeks ago, several students were advocating for Public as a fun new place to socialize. Jared Blake ’10 went as far as creating a Facebook event to urge his friends and fellow students to visit Public Bar and Grill on Wednesday “bar nights.”
“It’s a really big space and it’s nice and new and clean,” Blake said. “And they have a photo booth. The photo-booth was the kicker.”
When asked if he thought the event was a success, Blake admitted that he was unsure.
“A bunch of people stopped by but then they seemed to continue on the regular routine and headed for either Hair of the Dog or the Gatekeeper,” he said. “I thought it was cool, but then some of my friends went to their Karaoke night and had a weird experience, so I don’t know.”
My own experience at Public was enjoyable, but I would not call it my favorite bar in Middletown — I am much more partial to smaller, cozy establishments like Eli Canon’s rather than big, open spaces. Public does, however, fill a gap in the Bar & Grill options along Main Street, and I am looking forward to seeing the space used as a venue for student musicians.
Public Schedule:
Monday Night: Karaoke
Wednesday Night: Rocks & Wings ($12.99 bucket of six rolling rocks, with 20 chicken wings done any way)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday Nights: Live Music
4 Comments
Wes 10
Worst service I have ever had anywhere. In addition, my friend accidentally left his jacket at the table. He went back to get it 10 mn after only to find it missing. The waiter claimed he didn’t know where it was. A person at another table tipped us off that the waiter had in-fact grabbed it…. He only gave it back after we threatened to call the police… Think what you will, but we are never going back