As I sat the bar and noticed Peter Gabriel's “Salisbury Hill” playing quietly, I surveyed the impressive number of brews they had on tap. Some, like my Guinness, were old standbys. Others appeared to be local brews. Still others, specialty brews. Clearly, whatever your preference, Von's has what you want on tap. The bar was topped in copper and the rest of the place was done up with dark wood, comfortable and not prone to sensory overload with bright colors, flashing lights, and too many competing sounds.

For a rather late lunch -- though my body was still on Eastern Time, so it didn't seem so to me -- I ordered Flav's Gusto Classic Chicken Roast. (I half-expected it to be delivered by someone wearing a clock around his neck. Alas, it was not to be, though I suspect that I received vastly superior service as things were.) I enjoyed it.

Several days later, I returned to Von's a bit after 6:00 p.m. and found it to be quite a bit more crowded. Space around the bar was tight but everyone seemed to be getting along perfectly well. I was able to see one of the most curious wall decorations that I observed actually put to use on my second trip: a large wheel with drinks named around the outer edge of the wheel. A large martini-glass-shaped pointer gets spun and ultimately points to one of the drinks, which then becomes the special for the next half-hour. On one hand, it seems like a pretty silly gimmick but it might well avoid having bartenders get into particular habits of issuing the same specials all the time. Maybe it even encourages people to try new drinks that they might not otherwise have tried. But who knows, by the time the game started, I was well into my Guinness.

The next time I find myself in the neighborhood, I'm quite likely to pay the place another visit.