Review | Brownie's not your typical sports bar

• Rating%3A 3 out of 4 stars
• Address and phone%3A 237 Whittington Parkway%2C %28502%29 326-9830%3B 1578 Bardstown Road%2C %28502%29 454-9402 Web%3A browniestheshed.com Cuisine%3A American with a taste of German. Alcohol%3A Full bar. Vegetarian%3A Yes. Price range%3A Inexpensive. Reservations%3A Yes.
• Credit cards%3A AE%2C MC%2C V%2C D Children%27s menu%3A Yes. Smoking%3A No.
• Access%3A Both locations appear to be fully accessible for people using wheelchairs without assistance. %28There is a ramp in the back of the Bardstown Road restaurant.%29 Hours%3A Whittington Parkway location %3A 11 a.m.-4 a.m.%2C seven days a week%3B Bardstown Road location %u2014 11 a.m.-2 a.m.%2C seven days a week%3B brunch %u2014 Sundays%2C 11 a.m.-4 p.m.%2C at both locations.

When a friend mentioned Brownie's and I told her I had never been there, she looked at me as if I had been living under a rock.

She said it's the "best sports bar in town." I'm the first to say I should probably be the last to rank sports bars. A room full of televisions on different channels broadcasting games or matches I mostly don't care about gives me a headache. The testosterone level runs high, and the quality of the food in most sports bars is low. Occasionally, well as infrequently as possible, I'm a good enough sport that I'll go. It was on such a night that I went with my son Alex to Brownie's The Shed Grille & Bar on Whittington Parkway.

Before I could even ask why The Shed is part of the name (there's a story, but I won't get into that here), we were given a menu that promised "American cuisine with a taste of German food, and an all around great time." American food? Sure. German food? That piqued my interest. I'm not a stranger to great times, but an all around one sounded better than just any great time.

Brownie's isn't the been there, done that sports bar I anticipated. Yes, there are televisions. Above your head, over your shoulder, in front of you and behind you. If you want to watch a game and have a drink, Brownie's is the place to encamp. But, don't write it off as an average sports bar. The menu is far more interesting, and the food is far better.

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I hear there are people in the world who have never eaten a fried pickle. They're missing the best thing that's ever happened to a cucumber turned pickle. Grouping Brownie's fried pickles ($5.99) among other appetizers and dips, such as nachos, sausage queso and pretzel nuggets, is an insult to the pickles, which should have a designation all their own.

I don't know how long it takes Brownie's to make their bean soup ($2.75 a cup, $3.75 a bowl), but every minute is well worth it. What a thick and hearty antidote to a frigid winter night! I'd even order it during the dog days of summer.

Too many French dips look and taste as if they are the last stop for beef scraps tricked out with some cheese. Not at Brownies, where the French dip ($8.99) is a hoagie mounded with loads of tender roast beef and unstintingly proportioned Provolone and a side of au jus. The French dip was served with steak fries that could have been improved with some salt.

Other sandwiches ($5.99-$9.99) include six types of burgers, three melts (turkey, tuna and chicken), brisket, barbecue pork, fish, Reuben and buffalo chicken. There's also a fried bologna sandwich that the menu says is "fried to perfection." That's absolutely the only way to fry bologna, if you ask me. Seriously, don't be snooty about fried bologna. You might find that you hate to love it.

So, you ask, where's the German food? The Shed German double bratzel ($8.99) is a soft pretzel filled with bratwurst and sauerkraut. Green peppers and onions imparted a hint of sweetness. Being a sauerkraut lover, I would have liked more sauerkraut, but that's simply a personal preference.

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All sandwiches are served with one side, including coleslaw, green beans, chips, macaroni and cheese, baked beans and mashed potatoes. With the German double bratzel, I naturally enough chose German potato salad that was traditionally made with just enough vinegar to pucker up the taste buds.

Eleven sauce flavors for chicken wings ($5.99 for six to $38.99 for 50; the wings are so good that a crowd of four or five could polish off 50) run the gamut of hot and spicy. Heat wimps might favor the honey glaze or teriyaki, the two mildest. "Hot" is only ninth on the scale. "Insane" is the hottest, with Alex's choice of Makers 46 somewhere in the middle. The folks at Brownie's go above and beyond the usual wings. Double-dipped wings ($9.99 for 10) are mixed in one sauce, then fried and coated with a dry rub.

Also on the menu are flat bread pizzas (chicken, barbecue brisket, beer cheese burger, Buffalo chicken and Hot Brown, all $7.99) and a variety of quesadillas and wraps ($5.99-$8.99).

March is almost here. Brownie's is a friendly, casual spot to enjoy the Madness. But, long after hoops season is over, keep Brownie's on your host list for casual, fun dining.

You can email freelance restaurant critic Nancy Miller at millermadison@aol.com. Follow @WhatNancyThinks on Twitter.