PBC - Prescott Brewing CompanyPopular & Proud of itI ran into a guy the other day who said " I never go to that restaurant, it's too popular". After an extended pause, I asked him why being popular was a bad thing - his reply? "because if it's popular it can't be very good". I really need to watch the kind of company I keep. Prescott Brewing Company (PBC) is, indeed, a popular Prescott restaurant. It also does a very good job of consistently producing high quality food and award winning craft brews. Located in the Bashford Court building at 130 W. Gurley 
on the Northern boundary of the town square, Prescott Brewing
Company is in the perfect location to take advantage of Prescott's
numerous tourists, day-trippers and just up from the valley to cool off
- ers. PBC gets it's fair share of Prescott's seasonal traffic. What tells the tale though is the local trade that PBC enjoys. Ask almost any local to name the top 5 restaurants in Prescott and PBC will be among them. Ask a local to name his or her favorite restaurant and, often as not, Prescott Brewing Company pops up. So, while location and easy access from the square are certainly desirable there must be something else going on here that engenders such devotion among the locals. There is. My wife and I stopped into PBC at around 6:00 pm on a week night expecting to experience the restaurant on a slow night. Wrong! The downstairs dining room was full and the upstairs was packed! Well, no problem, lets try the pub. As we worked our way through the patrons standing around the bar and around the full high top tables we were warmly greeted by at least 3 different host/servers - kind of nice considering the crowd. We finally found a table on the outskirts of the atrium - a pleasant "outdoor" seating area in the atrium of the Bashford Courts building. As we settled in, the 2 tables next to us rearranged the tables and shanghaied chairs from any available source  to
accommodate their ever growing group. By the time we left there were a
dozen or so friends having a great time, talking, laughing, eating and
drinking. To me, this is exactly what a pub should be. Kelly, our server, took our drink orders, beer of course - we are at a brewery- Liquid Amber for my wife and a Willow Wheat for me. The menu is big and the choices are varied and yet Prescott Brewing Company has managed to avoid the "all things to all people" trap. The menu is focused on foods that you will recognize. You won't find any sea urchin in papaya foam here, rather you will find hot wings and fried pickles on the Pub Bites menu, Pub pizzas, fish and chips, Pot pie, Bangers and Mash, burgers and Po'Boys', Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad, wraps, chili, soup and bbq - and a whole slew of other stuff. All familiar, with just a bit of a twist. Kelly delivered our beer and we placed our order - fried pickles and hot wings to start - then an Oven Baked Italian Grinder ($8.99) for me and an Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad ($8.49) for my wife Disclaimer - I am not a big time beer drinker, my wife on the other hand... Anyway, we both really enjoyed our brew. I would highly recommend the Willow Wheat for those of you who are not crazy about hoppy beer, it's very mellow and full of flavor. The Liquid Amber got a big thumbs up too. We dug into our fried pickles and wings. The pickles, jalapeno battered kosher spears, were excellent, the best I have had since Texas  - and that is saying something!The wings were very good too, nice and meaty with pepper flakes added to boost the heat. Good stuff. My wife's salad was served in a giant tortilla shell, which was interesting, with lots of romaine, tasty chicken, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar and zucchini-corn salsa. She loved it. My grinder was stuffed with Italian deli meats, provolone, onion, lettuce and tomato. Dressed with Italian dressing and served on a hogie roll - man that's hard to beat. Since our dinner at PBC I went back again - this time for lunch. Same menu, same excellent service (courtesy of Bill this time), same good food. I ordered a Pub Burger ($7.99) - a 1/2 pound of freshly ground beef and your choice of roll, cheese and other toppings ($.99).  I finally settled on a Challah roll, Virginia smoked bacon, sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese- with pub fries. You know, the waist watchers burger. The burger was excellent, never frozen, cooked as ordered. The bacon added a nice smoky flavor and the schrooms - I just plain like schrooms. Good burger, friends and neighbors! Bring a group of friends for a beer and some Pub Bites. Bring your wife or girlfriend for an un-pretentious - very good meal. Bring your hubby or better yet have him bring you - because you deserve it and besides he owes you one. Prescott Brewing Company works for most any kind of gathering - and for those who enjoy a good beer - it is the place to go. Yes, PBC is popular, but is it good? - you bet!
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