The toothpicks, for one. Meaty buffalo fajitas are among the more interesting possibilities, and Mrs. Chow's sizzling shrimp with snow peas is one of the zippier salads. The Brew Burger gets pizzazz from smoked cheddar, hickory bacon, and a sauce made from house stout. Brewery beer turns up in several of the hits on this menu. Brown-ale chicken, a tender breast adrift in shiitakes and buttery ale sauce, for once doesn't make eating boneless chicken breast seem like purgatory.
Brown ale is also the secret ingredient in the dough for the brick-oven pizzas.
Which brings us to the beers. Generally, the cask-conditioned Radio Towers Red and Spout Run Porter are headiest, with regular versions of both a close second in the flavor sweepstakes. Potomac Pale Ale mates well with fiery food. But Mother Martha's Light and Ballston Brown lack the oomph one looks for in brewpub beer. And if you fall in love with one and want to take it home, there are gallon bottles to fill up right from the tap.