You know this bar.� You might not know this bar, but it doesn�t take long after being bellied up to realize that it�s familiar in all the right ways.� Located in a small shopping plaza in Fairfield, it�s easy to overlook, tucked away like a hidden oasis in the middle of an ever-changing world around it.

The bar was first opened in 1964 after the pizza place that existed before it was converted by its first owner, George Brockman.� I wasn�t around back in the 60s, but I feel confident that the bar looks and feels today exactly like it did back then.� It feels like a safe little getaway from the chaos of day-to-day life, and that�s one of the biggest things that made me fall in love with it the first time I stepped foot inside.

Here�s the really fun thing about bars like this: It�s so easy to set expectations because there are so few changes.� The bar is a time warp.� When you walk in the front door, you�ll see the whole space (other than a small patio out back). The bar sits on your right � with plenty of seating that usually features a handful of regulars laughing and enjoying the company of like-minded drinkers.

Behind the bar is a small draft system that features your standard Macro lagers and usually something a little more craft-like (lately, as of writing this, Astra from March First has found a lovely little home there.) �There are chips, beef jerky, nuts, and your standard bar snacks available if you happen to get a little hungry while you�re working your way through a mug of something cold, yellow, and fizzy.

Along the opposite wall to the bar, you�ll find a TouchTunes jukebox if you want to play your favorite songs (or create a little entertaining chaos with the songs that you know your buddies with you can�t stand�) and a machine to get your Keno fix while you�re imbibing. �It�s the space that a lot of folks would call a �dive bar� � which, as we�ve talked about previously, isn�t an actual category of bar as much as it�s a spectrum that all bars dip into at least a little bit.

Queen of Hearts, some sort of mystery dice game, and the aforementioned Keno provide a backdrop of things to do while you�re drinking, but the real secret of a bar like this is to engage. �The bar is begging for conversations. �Too often these days, we find ourselves in soulless bars with drinkers who want to sink into a quiet bubble of solitude instead of chatting with each other.

That�s not the Elbo room.

Not that you aren�t welcome to lean back in your barstool and lose yourself in quiet thought as you stare up at the starry night painted on the ceiling� that�s ok. �But the folks at the bar most likely want to talk to you. �That�s why they seem to hang out here � it�s a social gathering spot, not a hideaway from the world.

It�s the experience you want when you want to get away without hiding away from the world.