The Bank Gastropub

This Main Street eatery in a carefully preserved 1901 bank building feels a little unpredictable to us, but overall, in a good way. The first thing you notice when you walk up is the pretty white facade and the "German Bank" sign from the orginial building, which opened in 1901. The next thing you see is a sleek, polished interior reflecting modern sensibilities in a century-old bank vault. You can grab a seat under pendant lighting at the long bar or settle into comfortable, high-backed leather booths. Flat-screen TVs over the bar play whatever game is on, and during our visit, a sign invited patrons to a drag show at the restaurant that weekend, which seemed out of place for a farm-to-table bar and restaurant.

But the food is worth the trip. We stopped in for lunch on a Friday and found a robust list of appetizers, soups, salads, wraps, burgers and sandwiches priced from $6 to $10, and those come with either soup, salad or fries (onion rings and sweet potato fries are available for $1 more). A generous portion of hand-cut fries nestle alongside the char-grilled Bank Burger, which comes topped with your choice of three toppings (Swiss, cheddar, provolone, pepper Jack, bacon, mushrooms, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, raw onion and jalepenos). Our burger came cooked to order (medium rare) and juicy. The Vienna Beef hot dog we ordered snuggled inside a poppy seed bun that would make Chicagoans proud. A combination hot sauce/ranch dressing flavored the Buffalo grilled chicken wrap. A snickerdoodle cookie accompanied each dish, a just-right sweet treat to end your meal. In all, we were glad we passed up the fast-food places on our journey in favor of this classy spot.