Sports, spirits and tasty bar grub
| Wednesday, Aug 19 2009 07:23 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Aug 19 2009 07:25 PM
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7701 White Lane
397-7304
Hours: Serving food 2:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday (Appetizers only available 9-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday.)
Prices: Appetizers $3.99-$12.49, salads $7.99, baskets $7.99-$8.99, hamburgers and sandwiches $6.99-$8.49. Child's menu $3.99.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover accepted. Personal checks not accepted.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; full bar service; few vegetarian options.
Food: HH1/2
Atmosphere: HHH
Service: HH1/2
Next Week: El Pueblo (Lamont)
A couple of years ago I thought great progress had been made in the Battle of the Sexes when B-Ryder's Sports Bar opened up with an adjacent beauty salon. Finally, a husband could accompany his lovely wife to her hair appointment and still be able to watch whatever was on ESPN while drinking a beer. I could hear divorce lawyers all over town slamming their briefcases down in anger. Marital bliss was possible on White Lane, just east of Gosford.
But, like the giddy happiness of honeymooners, it didn't last. B. Ryder's recently moved down the street to another building. What got clipped in the process was the hair salon, cast aside like the trimmings found on the floor at the end of the night. B Ryder's is riding alone now.
When we visited the new B-Ryder's Sports Bar & Grill on a weekday night, there was exactly one female in the place, other than the woman behind the bar who was taking care of all food and drink orders. And it was pretty crowded with a mix of guys who looked like regulars. The new space seems a lot bigger, with many TVs and three pool tables, and an outdoor patio for smoking in the back, sealed behind glass. There are tables and comfortable booths spread around the room, dart boards and a large horseshoe-shaped bar. On the walls are funny beer signs such as "Beer--It's what's for dinner."
The menu is a mix of sandwiches, burgers, salads, pasta and items like fish and chips that looks pretty similar to the old fare. Our experience was mixed. My companion ordered a taco salad ($7.99) and though it had guacamole, black olives, jalapeno rings, freshly fried chips and decent greens, the meat was old and dried out and the cheese was the dry mild cheddar that adds calories but no real flavor. I ordered a Western bacon cheeseburger ($7.99), which she sampled and commented on how good it was. I did think her bad experience with the salad had readjusted her perceptions, but I did like my burger enough to compliment her on her hair. There were beer-battered onion rings on the burger with the bacon, and I did not want to lose those.
My other companion ordered the Philly cheesesteak ($6.99) which had great thin pieces of beef mixed with nacho cheese sauce. Not my preference, but in the City of Brotherly Love they do use Velveeta so who can complain. As in the hamburger, the bun was dull and undistinctive. The service is fine, though I felt our poor bartender was overworked. You order the food at the bar, and it's brought out to your table. The biggest problem I noticed was that there was only one menu available, and so I had to hustle it back to the bar from our booth.
Owner Brian Rider said the place will be reopening for lunch again on weekdays in the fall ("Summer is really slow at lunch," he said) and will be opening at 9 a.m. on Sundays during the NFL season.
He said the new location has a full kitchen, allowing them to offer steak nights and specials like the deep-pit-style beef on UFC Fight Night.
