Neighborhood bar essentials: good beer, free popcorn, lack of pretense and the guy drinking at the end of the bar who is obviously there every night. Quenchers Saloon, at the corner of Fullerton and Western Avenues, provides all these and the joys of an in-bar photo booth. You can't ask for more.

In the main bar area you'll find tables and couches abound, with plenty of room to sit back, relax and talk with friends while enjoying one of the many beers on offer from the far reaches of the globe. An extensive list above the bar, helpfully separated by country, presents an assortment of the usual and unusual, from England's Newcastle to Namibia's Windhoek. The Beer-of-the-Week will let you sample something you've probably never heard of for around $4. Standard bar fare is available, but unnecessary except for the most famished, given the aforementioned free popcorn. If conversation becomes heated, a copy of The Baseball Encyclopedia rests on a bookshelf behind the bar, available to settle all debates.

For those looking for entertainment rather than conversation, live music is played almost every night in an adjoining room with a small stage and more seating. The schedule of events includes an eclectic mix of styles, with the limitless possibilities of an open mic on Monday nights. If it's a slow night, the performance might turn into a casual jam session, providing the proper soundtrack to a laid-back evening at your local saloon and making that Nicaraguan beer you took a chance on all the better. Cash only.

Centerstage Reviewer: A.J. Weiss