Granite City Food and Brewery (Rockford)

May 30, 2008
The specialty beer at the Granite City is called the Two Pull – a beer made from combining a pale lager and a mild heller bock. That should tell you about the beer, it’s nothing to write home about. The service, on the other hand, was excellent. My waitress, Reanna, seemed very concerned that I wasn’t a big fan of the beers. She was charismatic, outgoing and cute. It’s been a long time since I went to a restaurant and I was this impressed with the level of service. The front desk people were friendly and helpful, as was everyone else who came to my table. The food was pretty good too, and the sampler, while not very good, was a bargain at 3.75 for six samples. The service and food alone would bring me back, I will just order the One Pull though – ice water.

September 22, 2007 [ Updated September 23, 2007 ]
Okay, so I’m a bit biased in my rating here. I stopped in on my lonesome and sat at the bar. It’s a clean place, reminds me of the Gordon Biersch chain restaurants. The food’s pretty decent, even something for a decrepit old gent like myself to eat. The beers, although not spectacular, are solid. But the service was my favorite part - - knowledgeable about their brews, quick and attentive. And I spent a good deal of my time talking with the attractive young, buxom blonde, good looking server about Carlos Catañeda, Native American traditional religious practices, beer, organized religion and personal responsibility, peyote and magic mushrooms, Franz Kafka, et cetera. Lots of fun. I’m sure the experience won’t be repeated (my luck is that of K’s), but I’d be willing to stop back in the future.