If you look at an Irish pub and think fish and chips and beer, the Celtic Knot Public House will be a pleasant surprise. With a deep red, elegant bar area and a library-inspired dining room (complete with bookshelves), the restaurant feels more intelligent and sophisticated than the typical pub.

For starters, "warm the cockles of your heart" with the Irish farmhouse vegetable and chicken soup. Continue on with the Guinness beef and mushroom pasty, a puff pastry filled with pieces of beef tenderloin and button mushrooms cooked in Guinness and red wine. Most of the menu options are characteristically heavy, but salads and lighter sandwiches are also available.

Like any good Irish pub, Celtic Knot has a wide variety of beer, with 15 in bottles and nine on draught. And in a college town replete with Bud Light and Old Style, the availability of Boddington's, Newcastle Brown Ale and Franziskaner Weissbier is a welcome draw. Live musicians play most nights; check the website for details.

Centerstage Reviewer: Laura Brown