Rod & Rail — Local services in Bourne

I had not been to the Rod & Rail since the first day it opened about 2.5 years ago. I am not a craft beer drinker however I will be speaking at a craft beer conference later this year so I thought I would stop in, try a few beers and lazily waste a Saturday afternoon.

The experience was so much more. Like any successful bar/brewery/restaurant it is the personality, professionalism and playfulness of the person serving you that creates and makes the experience.

I had the good fortune of meeting one of the best I have ever come across, Ally (Not certain on the spelling but 110% on this review)

Let's start with the most basic and certainly one of the least used or appreciated openers. EVERYTIME she heard the door open and a new patron was coming in whether she was busy serving, cleaning or speaking with a customer she lifted her head up, turned to the door and welcomed the people coming through, EVERYTIME! Always with a smile and always with an upbeat voice.

As for my lack of craft beer knowledge and what to order. She took the time to ask what I typically drink, share a few options available and WHY they each made a good choice (she made excellent suggestions). I believe the first one which was more like Bud Light was called 'Neponset' and the second one which I asked for something a little more rugged that would taste like the equivalent of an arm wrestling event (There is a story behind that!) She is a professional salesperson, not pushy, but playful not aggressive, but assisting. She is a leader, self confident combined with extensive craft beer expertise ... I watched her treat everyone the same way ... as if who she was speaking to at the time was the only thing that mattered ... yet aware of everything going on around her simultaneously (The door opening)

For my second beer Ally came back with a beer called 'Lucky Goat' and a slight warning that it was 10% alcohol, which I can verify had the requisite and expected effect. It was a the perfect suggestion for what I was looking for.

To add to the challenge many of my college friends who I am in a an online group with knew I was stopping by and wanted to share in the experience (Obviously bored with retirement) so I asked Ally if I could video her suggestions and she played along with a huge smile. Her descriptions and personality made fans from Cape Cod to Hawaii and British Virgin Islands to Spain.

The experience was great, everyone their was having a great time. I watched another server interact in the same way Allie did with her customers and she even let me know when they would have live music. I only stayed an hour but in that time the bar filled up fast, the talk was lively, the atmosphere festive.

I enjoyed my experience immensely, when you have the chance stop by for the beer stay for the experience.

Photo and video...

Go! Three of us came for dinner on a busy Saturday. We were seated right away. The well-versed bartender recommended a few cocktail options and we thoroughly enjoyed the Trainberry Lemonade and Smoke Ya Greens. Both were uniquely garnished and delicious. Clearly they have perfected the Tater Tot Poutine (add braised short rib as an option). We enjoyed the oysters on the Specials menu which were large and fresh. Everyone talks about their Smash Burger so one of us had that and raved about the generous onions and brioche bun. The Fried Chicken sandwich was so good, big and juicy. We are not sure what the “R&R Secret Sauce” is but we all agreed they should bottle it! We shared the Donut Sundae when we learned the donuts are made fresh. It was huge and amazing. The prices were reasonable and we all left with enough leftovers for lunch the next day (except the Donut Sundae was completely polished off). Don’t drive by this place...

My hubby and I love heading down to Rod n’ Rail. Whether it’s for an afternoon drink & snack, dinner with friends, or a Sunday brunch (bag o' donuts included of course), the food, cocktails + mocktails (spicy not saucy is my fave), service and atmosphere are always a 10! Baked oysters, honey sriracha cauliflower, falafel smash on the arugula salad with tarragon dressing, burgers and tots are some of our faves! If you like coconut, make sure to try The Rita Rita coconut margarita. Matt & Jen have really brought a good thing to Main Street Buzzards Bay. We adore what they’ve done so much, that we knew we needed to share it with our family & friends. We cannot thank them enough for hosting us the night before our wedding. Our family and friends loved everything and we were so excited to share a piece of home with them. Thank you and see you soon (probably...