The People's Pint
24 Federal Street, Greenfield
413-773-0333
Open daily 4-p.m. to "around midnight"; breakfast Sat. 9 a.m-1 p.m.
Entrees $5.95-$13.50
When a recent heat wave brought sticky 90 degree temperatures to the Valley on a weekend, I wanted nothing more than to nestle into a dark, cool bar and sip my way through the blistering hours.
I drove up to Greenfield to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon tooling around and then meet some friends, but quickly decided it was just too hot. Even at five in the afternoon, the People's Pint was already filling. Wilted from strolling the hazy sidewalks, my companion and I quickly ordered drinks and a snack to hold us over until our friends arrived.
I started with a Shandy, a mix of lemonade with the brewery's own Sprocket Kolsch (a light beer akin to German lagers). The pint was perfectly refreshing, not too sweet and with a hint of crispness to remind me my drink was no virgin. My companion went for the Irish Red Ale, a darker, more vivacious brew. In the hot afternoon, the beers went straight to our head until we had a chance to mollify their effects with the daily sausage plate, Thai curry.
A fat link filled with ground pork and chicken burst forth with strong and fresh kicks of cilantro, garlic, ginger, and a curry sauce made from fish sauce, clam juice and coconut milk. The flavor was outstanding and complemented our beverages flawlessly, but proved difficult to eat as the meat crumbled out of the casing under the pressure of the knife. A structural flaw couldn't stop us, though, as we dipped our forks into the sweet chili sauce and munched through the spicy kim chi (from Real Pickles) and hunks of El Jardin bread.
When the rest of our party appeared, we had nearly drained our first round and were getting hungry again. Soon our table was covered with full glasses and overflowing plates.
The pickled eggs reminded me that more restaurants and bars should be bringing back this classic bar snack. Soured a bit from a vinegary brine, the eggs screamed to be served at summer picnics, surrounded by slices of spicy white onions and glorious in their simplicity.
My shredded pork with pinto bean enchiladas, which promised a spicy chipotle kick, elicited such comments from the table as "Someone must've unscrewed the hot sauce cap by mistake." We all pushed aside the dense casserole, layered with Monterey jack and corn tortillas, in favor of the flavorful salad which sidled up to it, nicely garnished with a peanut lime dressing. From there, however, the entrees perked up. Cold peanut noodles were perfectly al-dente and proved an excellent choice on a hot day.
For me, a New York native and a snob about my City foods, the house-made pastrami sandwich was a pleasant surprise. Slices of tender and well spiced pastrami were tucked between soft buns and topped with understated Swiss cheese. The meat was sliced too thick for my New Yorker taste, but the flavor was so reminiscent of Katz's Deli and other famed sandwich spots that I left off making condescending comments to enjoy it.
A big scoop of homemade cole slaw was a surprisingly tasty accompaniment, crisp, colorful, and not overdressed. The roasted rosemary potatoes, however, disappointed with their desiccated chewiness and lack of flavor.
The pulled pork sandwich was full of sweet barbecue sauce and tender shreds of meat. Young local asparagus was grilled to a bright, tender green and well (if a bit over-) salted.
Plate after plate was washed down by consistently excellent beers ranging from the pleasantly hoppy IPA to the girthy Helles Bock Lager. The People's Pint is the kind of place where you want to spend one evening after another—casual, without ego, and with a neighborly draw that had us considering a return the next night.
