In an attempt to find the best Buckeye bar in the Akron/Canton area, The BBC is visiting a different location each week during the 2008 season. Each week, a review of the location will be posted, rating the following features; quality of food, quality of drinks, game visibility, and atmosphere.
Locations will be graded, and the best spot will be the place where we watch our bowl game.
Week 1 location – Fox And Hound English Pub, Canton, Ohio
Quality of food – I don’t expect much from the menu if I’m out watching a game, but Fox and Hound surpassed any expectations. The appetizer menu was extensive, as was the selection of your basic staples of bar food.
We ordered a sampler before kickoff and it was more than three of us could nibble on (we would have punished it but were saving room for a pizza). I can’t recall seeing soft pretzels on a sampler before, but maybe I don’t get out much. It was perfect. Later we grabbed a pizza…ordered it with 2 minutes left in the half to beat the rush, and it arrived before the teams headed to the locker room. Again, our choice was perfect
Quality of food – yes, I would recommend Fox and Hound.
Quality of drinks – The bar is large and there are three banks of taps. I neglected to count the number of draft beer taps, but I’m probably underestimating when I say they have 30 of them. Beneath the taps were refrigerated bottles by the dozen. I counted at least six beers that I had never heard of and another six that I didn’t know was still bottled.
I went with a Berry Weiss. As a matter of fact, I went with a Berry Weiss three times.
And by the way, the best part of losing the game that night….I didn’t have to try an Iron City Beer, which my friend Teresa convinced me I would drink if we won. Who the hell carries Iron City anyway? Well, Fox and Hound does.
Quality of drinks – yes, I would recommend Fox and Hound.
Game visibility – Fox and Hound has three rooms to choose from. The main entrance leads into the bar area, and there is a room to each side. Above the center of the bar is a very large screen, and several televisions (15-20) line the perimeter of the room. In each side room there are large screens and more television sets. If you couldn’t see the game, it’s because you were in the restroom….and they have the sound on in there, so you’re not likely to escape the game without going outside.
And hell, you can even see the screens from outside.
Game visibility – yes, I would recommend the Fox and Hound
Atmosphere – I walked in Fox and Hound at 630, and immediately saw scarlet and gray balloons at each table. The walls were decorated with banners and various Ohio State memorabilia, and the servers and bartenders all were decked out in Buckeye jerseys. A very good start.
Also, nearly two hours before kickoff, and there was at least 40-50 people at the tables and the bar in Ohio State clothing. The public must know this is a good place to watch.
At 7pm, the DJ started playing the Buckeye Battle Cry (the song, not me) and various other songs from TBDBITL. We also heard “Thunderstruck” and “We Will Rock You” and a whole mess of songs designed to get the crowd pumped. One of the bartenders did an occasional “O-H” in my direction during Sloopy. Clearly, this place knows how to cater to a Buckeye crowd.
By the end of halftime, people began filtering into the building who clearly were not there to see the game (Fox and Hound is a nightclub normally, a rather popular one), but they kept the game volume on until midway through the 4th quarter (and let’s face it, by then even I didn’t want to hear the game). I was impressed with the attention paid to Buckeye fans, even in the face of the whining fluff chicks behind me who wanted to hear some muuuuuusiiiiiiiic (that’s how she sounded, I swear).
Atmosphere – Yes, I would recommend Fox and Hound, very much so.
Overall grade – It’ll take an outstanding effort to top this place. You hear that, Canton/Akron? When The BBC comes to your bar, be ready. Fox and Hound has got it locked down for the bowl game, unless you can shine. Get ready.
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