Mission 1: Pub 500, Mankato

Mission Briefing: Grab dinner on a Friday evening at local-favorite, Pub 500. Eat, analyze, and report!

Tonight the Covert Diners went out with a few friends to one of the newest additions to downtown Mankato's so-called "Bar-muda Triangle" (which is actually a weird polygon these days). Pub has a great feel to it; there's plenty of tables and an often reserved back section for gatherings. They have a lot of varied entertainment - from live music to poker tournaments to weekly trivia, and they play host to a number of community events.

But enough background, let's get to the mission!

Mission Report: Apps and Dinner

We started out with the deep-fried mac'n'cheese and the Norwegian Hot Sauce boneless wings.

The mac'n'cheese is a tasty bit of comfort food; not exciting, but never disappointing. My pick for a great appetizer would be the wings! While Pub has 5 different sauce choices, you have to go with Pub's own creation: Norwegian Hot Sauce. It has the kick and flavor you expect in a spicy sauce without the burn. While not the hottest sauce, those who like things a bit mild should get it on the boneless wings as the sauce is baked in and less potent. For the full flavor potential, try the traditional wings dripping in sauce. In my mind, these are the best things on the menu!

Moving into our main courses: Pub's Signature Fish and Chips and the Downtown Smothered Turkey Sandwich.

The turkey sandwich was okay, but nothing life-changing. Your standard pulled-turkey (which is tasty in itself) covered in cheese sauce and topped with bacon and tomatoes. Unfortunately, the cheese sauce is the same sauce used for other cheese items. It's just liquid cheese and doesn't add much to the sandwich. But still, it's a decent choice along with the soup-of-the-day, Bacon Cheeseburger Soup - which tastes just like it sounds.

Fish and Chips is Pub's self-titled signature dish, and it's a good one to put their name behind. The beer-battered fish is crispy on the outside and moist and flaky on the inside. Their tartar sauce tastes homemade and adds a nice taste to the fish. Pub fries can be quite tasty, but they do lack seasoning - so, you'll probably want to grab your favorite dipping sauce (Pub does supply Ketchup and Vinegar, even though I dislike the latter). My meal also came with coleslaw (decent, but you rarely get to it) and a bun (which I've never received with this meal, and had no butter) - thus, the plate will fill you up.

Mission Summary: Experience and Scoring

Our experience was a little lackluster compared to other visits. Service was pretty slow for a mostly empty restaurant, waiting a while for an initial drink and refills and received no silverware until we had to request it. In our experience, this is not standard operating procedure - maybe just an off night. Pub 500 is still one of the first names that'll come up when you're looking for some good food, a great selection of drinks, and a relaxed atmosphere; especially if you want to avoid a chain. Here's how our scores breakdown:

Ambiance -            1 2 3 4 5

Speed of Service -    1 2 3 4 5

Taste -               1 2 3 4 5

Menu Selection -      1 2 3 4 5

Quality -             1 2 3 4 5

and finally, the Covert Diners "patented" Bang-for-your-Buck meter (measuring the price you pay to what you get out of it):

$$$ 1 2 3 4 5 Bang!

Mission Complete