Just around quitting time, when you get ready to head back to your homestead, it's easy to feel like a lone ranger as the herds that crowd the Financial District and Downtown shopping boulevards suddenly scatter. The Ladder District is deserted so quickly after dark, you wouldn't be surprised if tumbleweeds rolled across your path. That's why it's refreshing to know that among the handful of watering holes that dot the landscape, urban cowboys and cowgirls can belly up and knock back a few at an oasis where the familiar friendliness feels modeled after Sam and the gang on ''Cheers.'' At J.J. Foley's, the old-school cozy Irish pub glow and boisterous crowd -- a hearty mix of tattooed hipsters and business types with loosened ties -- is no mirage. Neither is Jim Foley himself, who's often found greeting guests at the door on the weekends.

There's an expansive beer selection (which always includes $2 Pabst pints) and an impressive roster of Irish whiskeys as well. Many who frequent here may not necessarily arrive with dinner in mind, but with the entrees listed on an oversized blackboard alongside mirrors branded with Bellhaven and Guinness insignias, you might find your appetite quickly stirred. The nachos, BBQ buffalo-chicken tenders and burgers definitely qualifies as "pub food'" -- but only by name. You know you're playing in a different dinner league when the heaping pile of chips, salsa and peppers arranged like a mini pyramid lands on your plate, or you bite the veggie quesadilla wedge and it melts like ice cream. And for the record, the hand-cut fries are a great compliment to any beer.

Categories: Restaurants

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