READERS' PICK: This A-frame house in the hub of activity just west of the UA campus has seen many restaurants come and go over the years, but it seems the Frog & Firkin is here to stay. Must be the extensive menu of burgers, sandwiches, baked pastas and other hearty fare the pub serves up piping hot and with lots of cheese. A favorite here is a triad of potato skins -- red, yellow or green -- featuring such unexpected variations on a theme as sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, pesto and mozzarella.
READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Bison Witches Bar & Deli, 326 N. Fourth Ave. Bar food is not typically listed among varieties of haute cuisine, and no one who has any experience with pub grub expects béarnaise with their French fries. What makes for good bar food is the quantity of carbs delivered, and Bison Witches has mastered the formula: dozens of sandwiches sold whole or by the half, always on inch-thick slices of white, wheat or rye; hearty cheese and cream soups in edible bread bowls; appetizers fresh from the deep fryer, and all of them tasty enough to make Bison Witches one of Fourth Avenue's most bustling eateries. Good bread, good beer, good prices -- simple.
