Tripps Bar & Grill

Cheap drinks, plenty of TVs, and smoking in the bar. This place is the last vestige of a dying tradition.
The food was not bad — the spicy mac and cheese bites were definitely a winner. Be careful of the ribs — I ordered a full rack because I was hungry and have been conditioned to expect little meat, lots of bone in my ribs here on the East Coast… but come to the Midwest and you get lots of meat, some bones. I couldn’t even finish my meal which is impressive.
Beer selection was solid — definitely a good place to catch up with old friends if they live in the area.

The quality of food seems to have declined over the course of the years. The tenderloin sandwich used to be a favorite of mine, but the size of the portion has decreased. The onions, lettuce and tomatoes that topped the sandwich were pretty sad last time, looking like remnants from the course of the day.

Tripp’s is an ok place. I haven’t really had the chance to sample their menu but the atmosphere is typical for a sports bar. Big open bar that has plenty of room for those of you who are looking for the bar fly stool. They have some TVs but not as many as they should. Biggest downfall of this place is their size and their parking lot which they share with the other businesses located at the business park where they reside.

This place has some promise, but it really only gets 3-​stars because I’ve developed low standards for this part of town.
The pomegranate martini (the «Pometini») was just about the worst drink I’ve ever had. I won’t even say that it tasted like cough syrup because that would be unfair to the makers of cough syrup.
In the end, the beer selection was acceptable … but finding that out was like pulling teeth. First, the beer lists on the table only listed the same, easy-​drinking crap you find everywhere else. But when I walked up to the bar itself to ask the owner a question (the waitress was useless), he did some digging behind the bar and eventually unearthed an Upland IPA and even an Upland Barleywine (which really isn’t anything special, but at least has some novelty-​value in this part of the world).
Not bad, but not really that good, either. I’d go back to give the food a try, but it’ll take a lot to be impressed.