OK, so let’s just put the cards on the table right now and say that this technically isn’t a new place, at least not for half of the group. I know, we’re only how many weeks into this and we’re already breaking the rules? For shame.
Shane and I actually stumbled into Baxter’s over the summer, when we came to downtown Akron for the 4th of July Rib Fest and got disgusted at waiting 30 minutes in line just for some fried veggies. Side note, maybe a festival that focuses primarily on food should have more than about 10 vendors. Just saying. In any case, we were so hungry that we didn’t trust ourselves or the safety of those around us if we remained in line (I’m the poster child for those “you’re not you when you’re hungry” Snickers commercials) so we just walked into the first bar/restaurant we saw downtown, which happened to be Baxter’s.
So we let this one slide on the WTGW list simply because 1) It seemed more impressive that the two people who have lived in this area the shortest amount of time were the ones who had actually tried the place out … and 2) It was delicious, so you really didn’t have to twist our arms to make another trip there. We’re easy, I know.
Plus, there’s this:
Seriously, I want that beer cooler for my house. Preferably with all of those beers still inside it. Or at least the ones we like.
So once again this place didn’t disappoint. Good food, extensive beer list (although watch out for the specials list, which doesn’t include pricing and will later have you scratching your head at how three draft beers can end up costing more than two cases of Miller Lite) and great service. Plus, unlike last week, we didn’t have to walk through any storage closets to get to the restrooms, so score.
And the waiter was nice enough to take a picture of the four of us together – marking only the second time we’ve trusted our server enough to hand off my iPhone to a complete stranger for a photo.
I like this place because it’s one of those places that straddles the line between classy and college bar. So like it’s perfectly OK to see a couple sitting at the bar making out, and then two bar stools down there’s a group of three guys in suits drinking glasses of wine. Or how there’s World Series baseball and preseason basketball on TV, meanwhile a jazz band (or, scratch that, a couple of guys playing instruments in a manner they deemed to be “jazz music”) in the front of the bar. Or how our server was wearing a t-shirt that said “I have hot nutz”- but when you ordered said nuts they arrived all fancy like this:
The blurred nature of the rest of the photos of the evening are evidence that we definitely tried more on the beer list than we did the food list. This seems to be a theme.
All in all, a great time and I’m sure we’ll be back. Just not on Jazz night. Or maybe a weeknight in general.
CAPSULE
Picked by: Ted
Drink selection: Good. I mean, did you see the cooler?
Food: Good selection and quality.
Service: Helpful, available and fun. All good things.
Overall: Since we kind of cheated on this one by visiting it once before, I can definitely say this will stay on the “favorites” list. Although it was a bit pricey for a Wednesday night – but that might’ve had more to do with Shane ordering more rounds than we needed on a weeknight.
Next pick – Shane
Where To Go Wednesdays 