WiFi Work Lunch Hideaway

I'm looking for a place for workday lunch with the following criteria:
WiFi is a must right now.
Ratings 1- 10

1. Location - Closeness to work.
2. Escapability- Is it possible to avoid any co-worker drones?
3. Food - Average to better food.
4. Beer - Duh. Has to be a good selection 5 = BMC
5. WiFi - Free is better. Is it a hassle?
6. Intangibles - Thanks rdwj

Seems like the Wifi is the deal breaker. That's been the focus of my search... that and beer.

I'll post my notes and stuff here. Anyone can play along.

Have you found the Holy Grail of luncheries?

Monday:
Pizza Heaven

Location - 6 10 min drive.
Escapability - 8 Out of the way and places to hide inside.
Food - 7 Good menu - well executed
Beer - 5 BMC
WiFi - 8 Free- but you need to ask for the passkey
Intangibles - none

I'd add hot waitress / bartender to the list. That ALWAYS helps

Today I am going to Hazelwoods - 16 beers and WiFi.

Here's mine.

I don't think it'd score very high on your list, though...

These people need beer in their hands!

I don't often lunch there, but this would be a good choice here in the 'burgh: https://www.fatheads.com/

Location - 9. Moderate walk from my office; 2 min on the bike
Escapability- 10. No one I work with would lunch there
Food - 10. awesome bar food, and the best wings I've ever had.
Beer - 10. 39 taps, 200+ bottles, carry-out sixers upstairs, very little BMC
WiFi - 9? I think they have free WiFi (I have a VZ card, so not sure). If not, I'm nearly certain you could pick up a signal from one of the neighbors
Intangibles - Outdoor seating; reasonably hot servers.

In Chicago (former and future home) I'd go with Goose Island. Either location is good, but the Wrigleyville one is a zoo on Cubs home game dates, so Clybourn might be better then

Location - 9. Easy access to either from downtown office via public trans
Escapability- 7. Better at Clybourn (Wrigley location is too big and open
Food - 8. decent bar food.
Beer - 8. All housebrewed (though there's hidden BMC if you ask), solid across the board lineup
WiFi - 10. Free and easy
Intangibles - Outdoor seating at the Wrigley location

I'm actually at Gallaghers. I'll edit in the notes as I go.

Location - 9
5 min drive.
Escapability - 8
Out of the way... no reason for anyone to head that way and places to hide inside.
Food - 7
Good menu - well executed
Beer - 7
Beers on tap (BMC) and
Fat Tire,
Breckenridge Brewery Vanilla Porter
Alaskan Amber
Stella
Guinness
Bitterroot Brewing Moose Drool
Blue Moon

this is an acceptable baseline (best so far)

WiFi - 10
Free- multiple nodes
Intangibles - mondo sports bar plasma

olllllo said:

Today I am going to Hazelwoods - 16 beers and WiFi.

Click to expand...

Ok, I'm here now.

Notes to follow.

Bad omen:
Tucker Carlson is on TV
Too many "premium tap beers" are light lagers:
Grolsch
Stella
Kronenborg

Edit: HORROR of HORRORS AB Beach Bum Blond

Location - 8
7 min drive.
Escapability - 9
Out of the way... no reason for anyone to head that way and places to hide inside.
Food - 6
Average menu - Buffalo Chicken was - meh
Beer - 6
See above. Not one good beer.
WiFi - 10
Free- multiple nodes
Intangibles - good TV coverage.
Right next to where I get my oil changed, so I will be coming here 4 times a year. I better get to know the Bar Manager.

Goose Island

1. Location - 10
   On the one hand it's 30 miles from work, on the other hand, it's half way to home and only about 10 miles out of the way. If I worked in downtown chicago, it'd be a couple miles away or less.
2. Escapability- 5
   About 5 different separate rooms to hide in, but it's a big place.
3. Food - 8
   Really tasty eats. Not a 4 star restaurant, but fantastic guy food with a touch of class.
4. Beer - 9.
   No commercial brews, but alway 10-12 craftbrews on tap
5. WiFi - 10
   Free. No hassle (I don't think)
6. Intangibles - 7 Nearly all the waitresses are hot. Almost all the bartenders are ugly guys. But they know their beers and they can pour a pint. And they work hard. Your glass doesn't sit empty for long, even on a busy friday night. If you want to flirt with stupid bimbos, sit at a table and leave the bar to the serious drinkers. The decor is very woody and classy.

# Beer - Duh. Has to be a good selection 5 = BMCv5f

Click to expand...

So what is 4-1?

Gotta get me to that Goose Island.

Never even had the beer.

Everyone raves about it

BTW: Goose Island draws a bad picture in my mind.

Word association wise...
Goose - ****
Island - No escape from the Goose ****.

I might have to make Cheese check a bag and bring some, next time he comes to PHX.

orfy said:

So what is 4-1?

Click to expand...

1 Place smells like beer, but there is no beer.
2 Cans of Keystone light
3 Ralph Nadar
4 Alcapops

point taken though

Is there a lunch place with Wifi that you go to orfy?

Picked up this baby so that I can expand my search:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/89d1/

I went to Gallaghers and the WiFi was down

neat thread....I like hiding sometimes

olllllo said:

Is there a lunch place with Wifi that you go to orfy?

Click to expand...

Nope. I spend all day dealing with crap emails.
Lunch is lunch away from any work. (Npt that I do lunch)

orfy said:

(Npt that I do lunch)

Click to expand...

typo, or am I just slow and hungover today still?

I had lunch at Uncle Billy's Brew & Que in Austin today. 5 minutes from the office, good BBQ & tasty brews. You can see the three 10 barrel fermenters, the boil kettle and the Mash Tun from the dining room. It's Austin's newest brew pub which opened about 3 months ago. Tuesdays are 2 dollar pint days.

They have the tastiest Domestic Hefeweizen (bavarian style) I've ever had from a brew pub (mine is still better though, SWMBO confirmed).

As far as Internet goes, my Sprint broadband card goes where I go.

Did a little wardriving this time and found Half Moon - a sports bar.



Also, who knew that Peter Piper Pizza has on open AP? and a FastFrames?

Half Moon

Location - 9
5 min drive.
Escapability - 9
Out of the way... no reason for anyone to head that way and places to hide inside.
Food - 7
Good menu - very good corn chowder, but Buffalo Chicken is textbook.
Beer - 6.5
NO Beers on tap
Fat Tire,
SNPA
oddly no Blue Moon
but... AB
and not the one you're thinking
Arrogant Bastard
WiFi - 10
Free- multiple nodes
Intangibles - sports bar plasma, outdoor patio with misters ans a high rdwj factor

98EXL said:

typo, or am I just slow and hungover today still?

Click to expand...

Probably both.

Orfy - You like that Wi-Fi sniffer?? I been looking for a good one but haven't found any I like.. I usually end up WarDriving with an external antenna.

SpamDog

SpamDog said:

Orfy - You like that Wi-Fi sniffer?? I been looking for a good one but haven't found any I like.. I usually end up WarDriving with an external antenna.

SpamDog

Click to expand...

It's actually mine.

It's Ok. Nothing will touch the range of your laptop, netstumbler and an external antenna. It's not responsive enough to get a definitive hit if you're driving at normal speeds on city streets. I use it walking or if I find a cluster of buildings that likely have wifi.

Likes:
More manageable then a lappy. Shows whether it is encrypted or open or broadcasting or cloaked. That's really the key.

Dislike:
Battery holder sucks (cheap). Hard to position the batteries and close the hatch without losing power. Limited range and speed. Clunky feel to it.

Canary is supposed to some out with a new version of theirs in the fall. I couldn't wait though.

I need a good food/real ale sniffer

Show me one of those and I'll buy it.
All I need then is the anti loud mouth mobile user device and I'm sorted.

you need a dogfishhead ale pail to hold your lunch in, and it holds a 12oz-er too!

http://store.dogfish.com/item/Dogfish_doesn_t_call_it__lunchbox___/714/Knockdown_Prices/5/index.htm

98EXL said:

you need a dogfishhead ale pail to hold your lunch in, and it holds a 12oz-er too!

http://store.dogfish.com/item/Dogfish_doesn_t_call_it__lunchbox___/714/Knockdown_Prices/5/index.htm

Click to expand...

Only one 12er??? Not much of a lunch!

Allan

it's better than nothing

If you're ever in San Diego, Obrien's pub has great food, crazy beer and free wfi.

If you're ever here, you'll be on vacation or on a business trip so you wont have to worry about coworkers finding you.

I stand corrected. Maybe Goose Island isn't the best place to use WiFi.

As I was sitting there yesterday, I would up introducing a guy to their Bourbon Barrel Doppelbock. Then we got to talking and it turned out he was the web designer for sams wine and spirits. We wound up chatting about the site, what they do right, what they do wrong and he invited me to show up at corporate HQ at some point to talk to some other folks.

Then I wound up turning the other way and got into a conversation with two homebrewers, both of whom have recently upgraded to 20 gallon batches. We talked recipes and equipment for a few hours. And I drank more than I intended to as a result.

Somewhat related as it uses the web to unite me with beer.

http://mappyhour.nerl.net/index.php

Was BoingBoinged so site may get the /. effect.

that is a cool ass site!

I just put my local on. Can you find it?

orfy said:

I just put my local on. Can you find it?

Click to expand...

When I visit. I'll meet you at The Tavern.


6 Real Ale taps is the giveaway.

You'd be most welcome.

Take a look here http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wire123/index.htm
Hit the pubs button.

I'll make it a point to block off a substantial amount of time.

It looks like there's plenty of work to be done!

Soma Cafehttp://www.somacafe.com/

Location - 7
10 min drive.
Escapability - 8
I have heard that people go to Tacos del Mar next door.
Food - 8
a little on the healthy side, but good.
Beer - 7
NO Beers on tap
Shiner Hefe,
Firestone Walker Double Barrel
Pete's Wicked,
Pete's Rally Cap
WiFi - 10
Free- multiple nodes
Intangibles - No TV, Nerdy chicks

George and Dragon
Central Phoenix

1. Location - 5, about a 15 minute drive
2. Escapability- 9
3. Food - 8 English Fare
4. Beer - 9 Lots of English Pub ales 28 taps, some bottles
5. WiFi - 10 FOC
6. Intangibles Skinny, tatted goth wait staff, punk tunes, dark and cool inside!

I'm currently having a Belhaven 60/- and a cornish pasty!

A little bit of trivia learned here. Apparently Genessee Cream ale can be re-badged as [insert your name here] Cream Ale. Not a big seller here at the G&D.

Carolina Brewery - Chapel Hill, NC
http://www.carolinabrewery.com/

1. Location - 8 - 10 minute walk, right on Franklin Street
2. Escapability- 8 - It's a college town, if you run into other people, they're drinking too.
3. Food - 7- Decent bar food, nothing special.
4. Beer - 9 - The best local microbrewery in town. Just tried their Alt - awesome.
5. WiFi - 8 - Free compliments of Chapel Hill. Don't know how great the signal is, but you can pick it up.
6. Intangibles - Not really. Good place to fill up a corny or growler though.