Toby's Public House

Issue: Find a bar in the South Slope that will let us linger for a bit.

Rule: Many bar/restaurants have strict rules about how long you can sit at a table without ordering a ton of food. On Saturday I took my cousin and some of his friends on a tour of Brooklyn which ended in the South Slope. We wanted to sit in a place at the end of our four mile hike that wouldn't hustle us out, especially since it was before 6:00.

Application: We found Toby's on the corner of 6th Ave and 21st Street. We had heard about awesome pizza and a great location for South Slopers. During our long exploration of Brooklyn we had grabbed lunch so none of us were that hungry, but the pizza was impossible to resist.

The room is small but has plenty of outdoor seating available. There is only one bathroom and it is wallpapered with old Playboys. The wood burning stove is in the back of the bar, visible to all. This helps to make the wait time for pizza almost non-existent. As soon as we arrived (all 5 of us) we were gently warned that if a party came in that wanted to eat, we would be kicked out. It didn't happen until we had drank a few rounds and were prepared to go anyway. We had plenty of time to enjoy the interesting beer selection which included Toby's Cheap Beer (Killian's) as well as a Peak Organic Amber. The menu is small but the pizza is important and there are plenty of varieties to taste. We just had the simple margarita with delicious cheese and a thin but solid crust. Yum. I can't wait to go back and sample all the other pizzas.

The bar also had home made beef jerky. Normally something I avoid, but darn, it was pretty good. Salty and oddly sweet. I had 3 pieces.

Service was good and attentive. Our waitperson was friendly, a ball-buster and a bit over the top. I kept replaying the line from "It's a Wonderful Life" in my head. "We serve heard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast, and we don't need any characters around to give the joint 'atmosphere.'"

Conclusion: A lovely place to sit inside as the sub pours in, or when the weather is a little warmer, to sit outside and enjoy the quiet corner of South Slope. With friends who recently moves just around the corner, I am excited to go back there.