Three Pints

Okay. It's been a month, sorry to be absent. What better way to get back in the saddle than with a local brew-pub?! So, the lucky recipient of our unruly children and picky palates was Three Pints. A short trek to Plainfield and resting in the old Red Robin, sits the contender. A newly trellissed front porch begs for climbing hops, but otherwise, it's familiar.

We were seated right up front---thank you, unruly children. ;) Before arriving, we had researched the menu and were well aware this was going to be standard pub-grub... BUT we were still hopeful for some standouts.

Our waitress was prompt. But when asked about the beer she responded--- she doesn't drink beer. Okay. That's fine, but shouldn't you be able to tell us something about the four in-house taps you're serving? A detailed description, even if it's just rote memorization? Nope. Ok. How about a sampler? Oh, yes! She brought us a "sampler" of 4 little plastic condiment cups. *sigh* Yes, it was free, but OMG, plastic sampler cups??? We haven't drank beer out of a plastic cup since college! Why isn't Three Pints banking some dough on a slightly classier service in perhaps, glasses? They could easily charge $7 for a set of 4oz samplers. Not a local brewpub clientele, you may ask? In the 35 minutes we were there, 4 people came in sporting their "support your local brewery" t-shirts and growlers to boot. There are some beerchops perusing the place. You gotta respect your beer better than that.

The online menu reflected exactly what was in print. Ozzy and Stella were easy enough---the house mac(kraft) and the chicken strips. Daddy went with the pot roast sandwich and Mommy, the "brewpub favorite", fish and chips. The beers were acceptable, at least for a new brewpub. All on the hoppier side unfortunately, but of the IPA, APA, Scottish, and California Common, Libby decided on Scottish and Fred the California Common. Not terrible. Just not our favorite varieties. Let's give them 6 months and then check them out again.

The food was fairly quick. Ozzy was delighted to, in fact, see out of the box mac and cheese. Stella was disinterested in eating her overly battered and bland chicken strips. Once mom & dad were sure she was done, Ozzy helped himself to them. They were right up his alley.

Libby was excited to see the large fillets of battered Alaskan cod and was very happy to find the quality of the fish reflecting the $14 price tag. Two issues, wait. Three. The fish seemed like it was prepared in house, but sadly, the chef did not take care in frying. It was far too oily, and the batter just slid right off the fish. Not to mention the fries were awful. Awful! Out of a bag is expected, but sitting for who knows how long is completely unacceptable. McDonald's put them to shame. Shame. Shame! Shame! Shame! And last -- Our waitress didn't know what malt vinegar was and brought Italian vinaigrette salad dressing when asked.. Really? Yeah, really. At least the coleslaw was interesting and solid.

Fred's pot roast sandwich was exactly the stand-out we'd been hoping to find. Wonderful beef falling apart with an oh-so-not-so-good-for-you gravy. The optional horseradish really drove it home. And did we mention it's on a toasted brioche bun?!!! Super yummy and only $7.50! Unfortunately, Fred chose the vegetable medley for his side which he is pretty sure he has seen in every supermarket frozen food section. Two bites of that and he was done.





http://www.threepintsbrewpub.com/

Wrap Up
Price-$-$$, You can eat cheap, but you may get what you pay for.
Atmosphere-**, Meh.
Service-*, It wasn't for a lack of attention, but a lack of training, understanding of customer service or their own beer. Also, anyone who says *I*-talian should be jack-slapped. ;)

Overall
Fred- C, While the sandwich alone was more A- range, having sampled everything else at the table, it is obvious that food is not number one on the Three Pints' radar. Nor is a well-trained waitstaff. If I do go back, maybe the sandwich with a side of the slaw would make for a complete plate of decent food.
Libby-D, I didn't finish anything. Not even a pint of beer. That speaks volumes.
Ozzy- A+, "I loved everything. Even Stella's chicken."
Estelle- C+, She did not eat much, but was hell bent on eating the blinds. Did we mention the kids were a bit cantankerous that day? ;)