Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE

Media Credit: Jonny Carroll

Media Credit: Jonny Carroll

It's not as though we expect a bar to serve gourmet meals, but even Sweetwater could have managed to not mess up fried appetizers. Sadly, it let us down.

Sweetwater, a grill and tavern at 115 S. Elm St., wasn't very busy when we walked in. However, we weren't welcomed by a host or hostess, so we were unsure whether we should seat ourselves or wait for someone to come.

After a few moments of impatience, we finally sat in a wobbly booth and waited nearly five minutes for our waiter to come.

The friendly server asked for our orders, but we could not respond without menus in front of us.

More waiting.

Menus in hand, we placed our drink orders.

One of our guest food snobbers, David A. Lucio, went against the waiter's warning and ordered a frozen margarita.

Because margaritas were on special that night, he told David they wouldn't have as much tequila as usual, and he was right. Though it was frosty and tart, the small margarita had a pure sweet and sour flavor which lacked that tequila taste.

The drinks weren't the only things to disappoint us.

We thought a bar would have decent appetizers, but they turned out to be under par.

The onion rings were pretty standard, but for $5.99 they were few in number and hardly worth the price.

As for the fried pickles, they were cheaper in both price and taste. Compared to most other restaurants' versions we tried, these pickles were too sour and not salty enough for our palettes, and the side of ranch dressing was not enough to redeem their failures.

After placing our orders, Shaina went to check her makeup in the ladies' room and had trouble finding her reflection in the dirty mirror, which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in several months.

Meanwhile, Brooke visited the jukebox and was aghast when she couldn't find any Journey or Aerosmith songs to jam out to.

Brooke took the waiter's recommendation and ordered the beef chile relleno, a large chile pepper stuffed with beef, cheese and other accoutrements. While this entree was hearty and filling, it was nothing to write home about and she lost interest halfway to its middle.

Shaina's grilled shrimp pasta came with a tangy marinara sauce, which was poured over the colorful pasta swirls and the baked cheese topping. It was a good mixture of flavors, but it also could have been something anyone could make at home for a much cheaper price.

Tenderloin nachos were a hit all around. It was the best solo dish of the night, but the servings of sour cream and guacamole had to be purchased on the side and were in larger servings than the nachos themselves. Aside from that, the cheesy, meaty and bean-smothered chips were delightful.

Another guest food snobber, Kirk Cooper, graced us with his presence that night.

He ordered the bacon cheeseburger, which was a pretty standard hunk of meat adorned with more meat. The skies failed to part and the Cow Gods didn't "moo" pleasingly with the first bite, but overall, it wasn't bad.

Portions were satisfying, and Kirk said he'd eat it again. The fries that came with the burger got a mixed review. Kirk thought they were decent once salt and pepper had been applied, but David complained they were too soggy.

All in all, we left with disappointment in this local hangout. It was a tavern without pool tables and a grill without good food. Sweetwater's doors are open 11a.m. to midnight Sunday and Monday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

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