First look: Cock & Bull

There is a large variety of beer on tap. (Credit: Joe Simon | Special to Metromix)

Summer 2005 - I get my first assignment as an intern at a local weekly. My very first professional assignment.

"Are you 21?" my editor asks. She tells me I need to review a bar. My choice. I go with an obvious one. Cock & Bull English Pub in Covington. After what seems like a week of note-taking and phone interviews, I report that it has some of the best beer in town. It still does.

Flash forward to 2011. It's early summer and I'm reviewing the newest Cock & Bull, located in Hyde Park Square. It's the successor of the Vineyard Cafe, bustling on the corner of Erie and Edwards roads. The beer here is unbelievable. The food? It's munchable.

The look: As a combo, the brews and English fare are drawing massive crowds to the pub, and those crowds are descending upon the two patios fronting it. The patios are divided by a walkway that leads you to the inside, where small tables and bar seats are plentiful. Jess and I drop by on a recent Tuesday evening around 6 p.m. We get an open-air table.

The crowd: We enjoy fresh air, cold microbrews and fried appetizers. From the looks of the outdoor scene, so do 50 other people. They sip refreshing draft beers, and some stay for (root) beer ice cream floats à la Graeter's. They're sporting shades and catching rays at their tables.

The drinks: With 59 beers on tap, we had trouble picking our first brews. The decision gets complicated when we see floats such as Sir Arthur's, which mixes Guinness with Graeter's chocolate ice cream and Belgian Berry, a mix of Liefman's Cuvee-Brut and strawberry.

We go for drafts. My 20-ounce of Troeg's Sunshine Pils ($5) has hop-tastic flavor making it a golden drink for the season. I dig it. Jess opts for a 20-ounce of Two Brothers Domaine DuPage ($4.75), a French-influenced light brew that has a tinge of caramel. Her second order is heavy, a 20-ounce of Founders Red's Rye ($5.75).

I raise the stakes by ordering a 10-ounce Delirium Tremens ($10.50), a Belgian (power) pale ale with potency of 8.5% alcohol by volume. Have two and you won't be driving. I soak up the delicious beer with our dinner.

The grub: Between brew sips, we split two appetizers. We decide the Queen's Nachos ($9.49) are far from a royal presentation - they are like a mishmash of tortilla chips baked under a layer of fried cheese and shredded chicken surrounding a bowl of mild salsa. They're an easy pub snack, and that's it. The stein of shrimp ($9.99) is another story. We peel the jumbo shrimp and dip them in spicy cocktail sauce, a delectable pairing.

The pub has plenty of appetizers, entrées and burgers. Faves here include the wings and the Bull's Long Late Nighter, a fried heart-stopper consisting of turkey, ham, bacon, provolone and cheddar wrapped in a flour tortilla.

The verdict: I've had drinks and apps at the Cock & Bull pubs of Covington, Glendale and Hyde Park. Which will you pick this summer? Glendale has a second-story patio, while the others have expansive outdoor seating near public squares. If you're favoring the Eastside bar, just remember the sacred number: 59 draft beers.