World of Beer, Woodhaven, MI

Ok you know what the draw is supposed to be here--if the name "World of Beer" wasn't a clue--and there is a huge selection of beer, but as far as eats, it's more of the same: frozen finger foods, burgers, and fries. There were also some greasy tater tots everywhere you looked. A Caesar salad was mayonnaise, head lettuce, and a couple of stale croutons. There was a tater tot nacho platter with cheese whiz, scallions, and sour cream. There were flatbreads on the menu which, for me, have come to be cheap, pizza knock-offs: all the guilt of carb-loading like you're eating real pizza, without any of the satisfaction of actually eating it. And of course your run of the mill burgers were present--topped with everything but the kitchen sink, and priced accordingly, plus sandwiches, and wings. There's one steak option on the menu and it was disappointing. 

A small pail of fried pickles, green beans, and cherry tomatoes was an interesting appetizer, but, in the long-run, it was a bucket of fried stuff. Patrons at a nearby table had a giant Bavarian pretzel. It's served with WOB's "house-made stone ground mustard." That looked pretty good. 

So there's a variety of beer. There's craft beers, a lot of them locally brewed, as well as some main stays like Bud Light. If you've been around the Toledo area, this place reminds you of another "Bar Louie," but less fancy. 

Anyway, I got a flight of beers, all of the hop variety. I let the waitress choose. I wasn't displeased with the selection. The beers were crisp and full of flavor, bitter, but not overly bitter to where you couldn't stand it. Two of the beers, one of them "Greenstone", had a nice balance of hops and grapefruit, and another--"Fastback"--was a light amber with impressions of pine, but had a softer finish compared to the other samples. Not bad, in all. 

Some of us tried the chicken tacos. The chicken pieces were tough and chewy, leading one person to wonder if they were actually fried chicken feet tacos. The shrimp tacos were better. 

The "Steak Frite" was served on a cutting board with steak fries and garlic butter. At first glance, the steak--I believe it was flank--seemed appealing, but the taste just fell flat. It wasn't seasoned well. It had the grayish hue and texture of old meat. But, ok, it's World of Beer, not World of Steak. 

I tried a couple more beers. Atmosphere was convivial, waitstaff was friendly. In all, it's a place to hang-out, try some microbrews, and have a snack, but the WOB menu doesn't offer much that isn't pre-frozen or pre-made. There were a few fresh salads: tossed, spring mix, wedge with bleu cheese. Again, I was disappointed in the Caesar. In the summer months, the salad game at every restaurant should be on fleek; nobody wants to be loaded up with fried goodies unless they're at a street fair. This Caesar didn't even have Parmesan or Romaine. Like I said, a fun place, a nice outdoor patio, but WOB disappoints with another turnkey menu: more bar food.