Ale’n’Angus Pub offers the lush luxury of being able to belly up to the bar or sit down for an intimate date or family affair, all in the calm of an atmosphere where shouting is an option. “We get a lot of folks coming here when those downtown events are going on,” says owner Randy Beach. “A lot of people will actually be at the event, then break away and go someplace relatively quiet so they can carry on a conversation and get a little peace of mind.” Depending on how close the stool pigeons flock, the bar seats about 30 to 40. While one would think a crowded bar would infringe on the privacy of casual diners nearby, the two factions are positioned in a diverted proximity making it entirely possible for both to be at capacity, and neither to really even notice the other. “The crowd here is a little more older than the Armory and Hanover crowds and it’s usually very relaxed,” continues Beach. “In fact, Ray Clark from Clark’s Ale House {located at 122 W. Jefferson St. on the fringe of Armory Square} was in here recently and we were talking about this; he said his business is completely opposite. Many bars in his area are not open during the day and do all their business at night, and by the time we are closing down, he’s just getting started. Our happy hour and nighttime dinner crowd is up and down during the summer, but we always have a great lunch rush.” Beach’s establishment, which celebrated its third anniversary in June, is within walking distance from the Public Safety Building, the 16-floor Onondaga County Office Building and a host of other downtown businesses, all filled with employees who would rather take that short walk to close-by places like Ale’n’Angus instead of losing their fared parking spaces to travel more outward bound. But ultimately, nearness is not what keeps customers coming back to Ale’n’Angus—it’s their first-rate menu. “We have the best darn Angus burger in town,” continues Beach. “I’ll put it up against anybody’s. It’s the best.” For $6.49, their eponymous half-pound burger comes with choice of fries or homemade potato chips and is topped with lettuce, tomato and pickle; cheese will set you back 50 cents, while adding bacon is 99 cents. According to Beach, however, that burger is about to get a run for its money. “Our second biggest, and it might even take over our angus, is the Bixby’s Prime-Rib Cheese Steak,” Beach declares. “Everybody who has it usually ends up ordering it again, to which we say, ‘Why go to Philadelphia for a cheese steak when you can get the best darn one right here?’ In Philly, you’ll mostly likely get something with Cheez Whiz on it, and we do actually serve them with prime rib.” Call it a darn-tootin’ deal for $7.99. Although served everyday, their sales of beer-battered haddock sandwiches ($6.99) go through the roof on Fridays, which serves as a moderate addendum to their grilled salmon ($13.99) and lemon pepper broiled haddock ($10.99) entrees. A number of steak, chicken and pasta platters round out their dinner fare, while daily specials such as chicken quesedillas on Thursdays serve as an enhancement to their 16 sandwich options, such as the chicken Parmesan sandwich and the Buffalo chicken salad wrap. - read more -