Miller's Ale House

Miller's Ale House
2160 W. Int'l. Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(386)255-2555
www.millersalehouse.com

With the Vikings in the playoffs I just had to find a place to watch that game and get after it. Kraig suggested the Ale House in Daytona Beach as he wanted some of their chicken nachos. Since I really didn't care where we went, I quickly go on board and we decided to meet. It was Kraig, Fourth Meal, Gigi and myself. After I arrived I found a text from my friend Kim inviting me to the Ale House the night before. How I missed that text I'll never know, but I immediately invited her out to join us and she did. She knows what a big Vikings fan I am and her brother is one as well.

At first I was a little hesitant about the Ale House as I thought their television situation wasn't that great. Since I haven't been there in a while, I was proven quite wrong. They have plenty of flat screens all around the restaurant with a clear view from virtually every table. Once that was all settled, I figured we would have a pretty uneventful day. How could I have known that was about to change?

Our challenges start when Kraig asks about their drink specials. Turns out they have a special on Miller beer products with a bucket of five costing $10. Kraig asks if he can have one MGD Light to see if he likes the taste and if he does, they can bring him the other four. If not, he'll just be charged for one beer and switch to something else. The waiter and the trainee we have say, "Sure, not a problem." You really can't blame the trainee for what happens here since she is new, but the waiter comes back with a full bucket of five MGD Lights with the tops cracked off, which means Kraig is going to have to go the distance whether he likes them or not. I couldn't believe this got so screwed-up since we made it pretty clear what he wanted, but that's how it goes. He should have been drinking an A-B product anyway. Waiters never screw-up Budweiser orders.

If you have ever been to the Ale House, you know that their nachos are legendary. I am not a nacho fan, but I can appreciate what they do with their orders. The chips are piled high and then covered with cheese and shredded chicken, then served with a healthy portion of salsa and sour cream. Kraig orders the chicken nachos, Kelly orders a sampler platter and I order cheese fries a while after they place their orders. I really was not that hungry when we first got there. I think Kraig had asked them for a double layer of cheese or something different from the usual order and the waiter seemed to understand, but Kraig didn't have any real confidence he would get what he ordered. Turns out he was right.

We can see the nachos sitting in the window from the kitchen waiting to be served. They easily sat there 8-10 minutes while they prepared Kelly's order. Why they didn't just bring the nachos right away I cannot tell you. When the nachos got to the table, the cheese had already started to harden. Kelly thought the chicken zingers on her platter were overcooked, but the wings I tried were fine. She also stated the the buffalo shrimp were pretty tiny. I did think the loaded cheese fries were pretty good. The fries were hot with melted cheese, bacon bits and green onions. They are served with a ranch dipping sauce that I thought was great. It was all pretty typical bar food that serves the purpose of giving you something to nosh on while watching the game and drinking beers.

While everything didn't hit the mark, it was quickly overlooked given the fun time we all had with each other. It is always good to get together with friends and hang-out when you have the chance. Plus, the Vikings really put it on the Cowboys, so I was happy.

There are a number of Ale House locations throughout Florida. If you are looking for bar/pub type food, you really can't go wrong here. There is something for everybody on the menu. I suggest their burgers or their chicken zingers, which they claim are world famous.

For this visit to Miller's Ale House, I have to give them three Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry