Grandpa's Place passes the bar exam

Grandpa's Place is an odd name for a pub. The name might immediately put an image in your head of - your grandpa's place. And last time I checked, my grandparent's house wasn't the top destination for socializing with my friends and knocking back a few drinks. Don't get me wrong, they do have beer in their fridge, but I swear I found a Miller Lite from 2002 the last time I looked. So, can Grandpa's Place prove the assumptions wrong?

Motif: The building, which is on the corner of Prairie Street and Railroad Avenue, has been a mainstay in Glenview for quite some time. According to Grandpa's Place's Web site, the pub has been there since about 1898. There are older photographs throughout the bar, some even showing the building throughout its various incarnations, to prove this point. But enough with the history lesson and on with the present at Grandpa's Place.

The bar is made up of several distinct sections. There's the barroom, restaurant-type area, library/lounge and patio. Toward the front, there's a large wooden bar for patrons to sit around, televisions hanging on the walls and ceiling fans sprouting from above. Near the bar are high tables and chairs where guests can sit and have a drink.

Next to the barroom is a sit-down restaurant area with lower tables and chairs for dining. Nearby is what I refer to as the library/lounge. No pub is complete without an area containing leather couches, a well-stocked bookshelf, a fireplace and a high-definition television. It just would not be a pub, in my eyes, without these necessities.

The outdoor patio offers a great view of all the commuters boarding and getting off trains at the station across the street. Sure, the trains can get loud at times, but you can think of Metra as your designated driver.

Food: You better believe a pub like Grandpa's Place is going to have some old-fashioned pub grub. Corned beef and cabbage, Reuben sandwich and fish and chips are high on the list. The menu also contains more Americanized dishes such as burgers, sandwiches, quesadillas, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, soup, chili and salads. My Reuben sandwich was the best I've had in quite a while, and that's saying a lot coming from me - a self-declared Reuben aficionado, thank you very much.

Liquid consumption: Seeing as how Grandpa's Place is a pub, you better bet Guinness is on tap. Also available on tap is Bass Ale, Harp, Killians Red, Leinenkugel, Blue Moon and Miller Lite. Grandpa's has a selections of bottles (Rolling Rock, Coors Light, Heineken and Hacker Pschorr) as well as a full bar with wine.

Crowd: An extremely friendly neighborhood crowd awaits you at Grandpa's Place. The folks sitting at the bar with me included me in on their conversation as if I was one of their buddies. OK, the conversation ridiculously centered on whether I would save them if they ate chocolate cake that was "to die for." I assured them that I still recalled the lifesaving skills I learned when I was a lifeguard. Thankfully, I did not have to use it, but if necessary I can perform CPR. Ladies?

Service: Not only is the crowd friendly, the service is, too. The Guinness was poured just right, and the food was served hot and on time.

Sounds: I noticed an online jukebox near the bar that might get more use later at night, but during this visit, the chatter of patrons and televisions dominated the sound waves throughout Grandpa's Place.

Parking: Plenty of parking on the street around Grandpa's Place.

Overall: Getting a drink at Grandpa's Place is a long-standing tradition in Glenview, and it's easy to see why. The atmosphere and the crowd are very welcoming at this downtown spot. And it's nice to see a pub whose name does not start with 'O or Mc. Grandpa's Place is like your grandparents' place if they had a full-stocked bar, Guinness on tap, delicious food menu and a lot fewer family situations. No offense, grandparents!

Grandpa's Place

1868 Prairie St.

Glenview

(847) 724-1390, www.grandpasplace.com

Hours: Kitchen 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. other days. Bar open until 2 a.m. weekends, closes earlier on slow days.