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Review: Camaraderie Best Thing on Well's MenuBy the Dashing Diners - July 03, 2008
iBerkshires Columnists
With a population of fewer than 7,500, the restaurant scene in Great Barrington belies its tiny size — there are more than 50 restaurants in the area, with cuisine to satisfy just about any taste.
Until now, however, what Great Barrington has lacked is a true "hang out" for the locals, where the average person can wander in after work, down a beer or three, kibbitz with the waiters and bartenders, catch a Red Sox game and grab a quick bite without breaking the bank.
The Well, located in the heart of Great Barrington village at 312 Main St. (where Glory of India used to be), seeks to fill this void. After walking down a steep flight of stairs, patrons enter the chic-but-not-frou-frou dining establishment.
The sleek and modern decor, punctuated by a brick accent wall that would be at home in a Greenwich Village cafe, is a nice foil for the sizable bar and flat-screen television that are the heart and soul of the Well. And the friendly and approachable staff, starring owner/operator Bif (a much-beloved bartender at 20 Railroad St. for years before striking out on his own), add to the overall "Cheers"–like atmosphere. This is a place where everyone really does know your name ... or learns it in record time!
Our waiter's name was Jesse, and he was superb. Caring and solicitous without being hovering and annoying, Jesse knew the menu like the back of his hand. After inquiring whether we wanted to order drinks, he proceeded to rattle off a long list of beverages from the tap. One of us happily savored a Guiness Draft, proclaiming it "extraordinary," served at the perfect temperature and so stiff that you could have balanced a quarter on its head.
Chilly from the dank weather, and not in the mood for booze, the other of us asked for a cup of hot tea, but was told it was unavailable — heck, the Well is a sports bar, after all! All is not lost for teetotalers, however; the restaurant does offer water, juice and soft drinks, as well as organic coffee. Besides tea, conspicuously absent from the menu are any interesting microbrewery or higher-end beers ... something that even a restaurant that prides itself on being "of the people" should consider adding here in the Berkshires, where palettes run toward the sophisticated.
The Well
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312 Main St., Great Barrington
Opens at noon, seven days a week.
Pub fare ranging
from $6 to $14.
Best bets: Wings and
Odin Burgers washed down with domestic brew
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If you come to the Well with a growling stomach, your best bet is to stick to the basics. The wings (available medium or crazy; the kitchen is happy to make an order half-and-half) come eight for $7, 16 for $13, 24 for $20 and 48 for $35.
They were wet and juicy, albeit lacking smoke or depth of flavor, and the accompanying blue cheese dressing would have been much improved with the addition of real chunks of blue cheese. The Chili Nachos (a large plate for $8) were cheesy and filling. And the Odin Burgers (three mini cheeseburgers on toasted buns for $7), named for Bif's son Odin, were nicely prepared, and quickly devoured.
The other dishes we ordered were disappointing. Uncle Bif's Potato Salad ($3 for an appetizer-sized portion) was completely flavorless, and would have benefited from a more generous hand with the bacon, hard-boiled egg, salt and pepper. The Vegetable Panini (grilled eggplant with goat cheese, red onion, tomato and red peppers) featured decent panini bread with perfect grill marks, but the goat cheese was overwhelmed by the oily and underseasoned vegetables, and the sandwich had a bitter aftertaste (possibly from jarred roasted peppers). Both the french fries and the sweet potato fries were soggy and leaden.
Additional items on the menu include standard pub fare — club sandwich, meatball sub, fish and chips, Caesar salad, mozzarella sticks etc. — with few surprises, and range between $6 and $14. The average entree is $8 or $9, and portions are quite generous. The dessert menu is spartan — Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie ($6/slice), Vanilla Cheesecake Supreme ($7/slice) and Grandma's Carrot Cake ($6/slice) — and, in our opinion, not worth the calories; everything was straight out of a box from the freezer, and drowning with Reddi Whip.
Tellingly, at one point during our meal, we noticed that while the restaurant had a nice-size crowd at 8:30 p.m. on a weeknight, no one except us was eating. The food is almost besides the point at the Well, where people come hungry for relaxation and camaraderie and leave sated and happy, with a belly full of the best domestic brew in town.
The Well serves lunch and dinner seven days a week from noon onward, and the bar is open until 1:30 a.m. All major credit cards are accepted.
The identity of our reviewers will remain anonymous to preserve their ability to be objective. |
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