I had the distinct pleasure of making the acquaintance of the King of our fair city earlier this week. At his behest, we met up at The Skeptical Chymist.\n\nAt first glance, I was nervous that the venue would be incredibly small. It's tucked away in the corner of a shopping center, between a sandwich shop and a Rubio's. The storefront is immensely wide, but for some reason, it didn't appear that it would be very spacious inside.\n\nTo say that I was wrong would be putting it lightly. When I walked up to the \""Please Seat Yourself\"" sign where a hostess might stand during peak hours, I was immediately lost. There was a vast section in the center of the bar that was teeming with people there to enjoy the amazing happy hour specials (from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm). I had to actually walk around to the right side of this group (through a small seated dining section) to reach the bar.\n\nI only had a moment to gaze at the bar while waiting for Scott D. to arrive. In that time, I noticed several different beers with which I am, sadly, not yet familiar. Though, after the night I enjoyed, I'm sure we will not be strangers for very long.\n\nWhen Scott D. arrived, we ordered a nice stout beer (I'm ashamed to say that I was too nervous to pay attention to the name of the ale). Scott said that it's a good idea to \""start from the left, and work your way to the right\"" of the beers on tap. On this night, we never made it past the first tap.\n\nWe picked up our ales, and headed to the outdoor patio (another pleasant surprise).  The patio was surrounded by misters, which I'm sure, offer great relief during the blistering summer months. There was a television in the corner of the patio that was airing the Thursday night NFL game. There was a walk up bar that connected to the bar in the main room. \n\nAt first, it appeared that we got lost in the mix, as it took a while before a waiter came around to see how we were doing. But, once they realized their mistake, they were exceptionally quick to rectify the situation. Our server, whose name escapes me, was incredibly courteous and apologetic for the delay. He asked if we were interested in appetizers...which, after the strong ale, we absolutely were!\n\nScott recommended the \""Pulled Pork Sliders\"". Perhaps it was the beer, perhaps it was the situation. But the sliders were great! They come four to a plate (perfect for sharing). And since it was happy hour, we got them at half price ($5.00).\n\nAs the night progressed, there was another round of the same beer. That, subsequently, led to another appetizer. For this round, Scott suggested the Chicken Tenders. Being happy hour, we only paid $4.50 for this dish. Just like before, this dish comes with four chicken tenders, making for another easy mathematical conclusion as to which way the dish should be split. I know they were chicken, but the manner in which these tenders are fried, they reminded me more of fried fish. Whatever the case may be, they were scrumptious.\n\nCue the third round of beers, again from the same tap. (Now I HAVE to return, just so I can figure out what this beer is called!) \n\nWe sat, we drank, we ate, and we were merry. We ended up chatting for more than three hours over drinks and bar fare. So, if you were paying attention, you know that we each had three stout ales and two delicious appetizers during our little pow wow. \n\nBy the time the tab came, I had completely forgotten that we had been drinking and dining on Happy Hour prices. The damage was an astounding $40.00...including a generous tip! \n\nAs we exited the bar (three plus hours later), it dawned on me that there was a stage upon which live music acts performed! This place is WAY bigger than I had originally though!  \n\nAnd did I mention the \""Library\""? I fear I may have said too much already...perhaps when I return, I'll venture into the rest of the nooks and crannies of this local gem!\n\nThat wraps it up for my 50th review. I know, to some, 50 reviews isn't an impressive milestone. But, to me, this one was special. And, after all, everybody has to start somewhere!\n\nI hope you enjoy both the review and the venue!