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Y! MyWebBar Review
Geez Grill & Pub
Kettering bar 'a diamond in the rough'
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Picture it: The Lounge Lizards head out for an evening adventure with conversation focused intently on food and beverages. But geez, where to go? And it hits us like a ton of bricks — Geez Grill & Pub.
Nestled at 5841 Far Hills Ave. in Kettering, hidden behind a Taco Bell and adjacent to a notyet-completed storefront, it's a buried treasure, a diamond in the rough if you will.
Extras
Geez Grill & Pub
- WHERE: 5841 Far Hills Ave., Kettering [Map]
- HOURS: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 11 p.m. Sunday
- KITCHEN HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday
- HAPPY HOUR: 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday
- MORE INFO: (937) 439-0001
- DRESS CODE: Dress up, dress down — the bar goes either way
- MORE: Reader ratings, complete profile
Navigating through a parking lot that looked and felt more like a war zone due to construction, we made our way, unphased, to our destination.
A vast bar surrounded by additional tables and chairs greets customers as they walk in. The space, which works either as a restaurant or as a bar, or both depending on your needs, is decorated unassumingly with the usual bar décor and plenty of TVs to watch your favorite sporting events on.
Scouting for seats on our first visit, we decided to perch at the bar where our very friendly bartender, Mandy, promptly greeted us. Craig spotted a bottle of bourbon and ordered a Manhattan. Alexis, always on the hunt for a fruity libation, let Mandy do the choosing and was rewarded with a delightful French Martini. Arriving too late for snacks, Mandy guided us through the menu, pointing out her and her regular customers' favorites.
Armed with her suggestions, a second trip was in order. We found a freshly-paved parking lot overflowing with cars. Geez was hoppin.' We were seated at one of the last tables in view of our bustling bartender and her helpers going full tilt, filling beverage orders as quickly as they came in.
Our drinks arrived, and we sipped cheerfully while finalizing our food selections. The menu is filled with everything from traditional bar snacks to full dinners. While tempted to order a dinner entrée, the Lounge Lizards stuck to their mission of finding the best bar food in the land.
The bar food buffet we decided on consisted of nachos, buffalo wings, meatballs, a French Dip and a tuna melt — burp!
The meatballs ($4.50) are clearly made on site with mild seasoning and plenty of sauce, perfect for sharing with a friend or two. The French Dip ($7.50) looked picture perfect piled with roast beef and covered in melted cheese. While the hearty sandwich was full of flavor, the bread quickly became soggy, this, without being dipped in the au jus.
The evening's winners were the Tuna Melt ($7.50), which we opted to have grilled on Rye bread, the pile of nachos ($5.95) generously piled with what tasted and looked like homemade chili, onions, tomatoes and cheese and the Buffalo Wings (10 for $6.50).
Unlike many of the wings served in the area, these are battered and served with the sauces on the side. Meaty, tender and moist, they were just as good with sauce as without.
As the food arrived at the tables around us, we noted that several other tables had paired an order of wings with their other food selections. Good choice.
According to the staff of Geez, regulars also seek out the ever-changing homemade soup creations made by Momma Geez daily, as well as the specials including the Saturday night two NY strip steak dinners for $26.95.
The size of the crowd on our Friday night visit confirmed what the Lounge Lizards had also discovered: a well-hidden comfortable gathering spot with great food and drinks and spiffy service, a diamond in the rough if you will.
