Take or leave Lennie's Brewpub

I don't know about you but when I think of pub fare, I surely don't think of pizza. Lennie's Brewpub appears to be trying to change this perception. Armed with an array of local beers and decent food, Lennie's is not your typical pub.\nMy first reaction to the restaurant was that it was rather loud. If you want to be able to have a quiet conversation while you're eating, this is not the place. \nOverall, the restaurant's interior is pleasant. Candle lamps add a soft glow to your table; wooden walls are adorned by serviceable paintings of the desert. The lighting was easy on the eyes and not overdone. \nThe service was quick and very helpful. Servers answered all of our questions and as soon as our glasses were drained, a filled one was put in front of us. I was very impressed with the friendliness and speed of the servers.\nMy companion and I started our meal with a focaccia with roasted garlic ($4.75). Along with this, I also had a bowl of chili ($2.95).\nStill warm from the oven, the focaccia was a decent start to the meal. Served with roasted garlic, olive oil and a marinara sauce, the focaccia appeared splendid. The bread was thick and dense and browned nicely. It was very hearty bread, not crumbling or breaking apart at all. The only problem was that it was excessively salty. Just a few bites left you reaching for your water glass.\nWhile it wasn't the best, the bread really just served as a medium to carry the various sauces and toppings that accompanied it. This made it all the more fun. The roasted garlic added a strong but pleasant taste. The olive oil was light and helped to cut the saltiness of the bread. The marinara sauce was decent; there was nothing exceptional about it, but it also helped hide the saltiness of the bread and complimented the texture nicely. \nThe chili was actually the high point of the meal. Thick and filled with meat, the chili was surprisingly spicy. This was real three-alarm chili, not some soupy excuse. The meat was soft and cooked thoroughly; the tomato base was thick and quite tasty. I would highly recommend Lennie's chili; it really hit the spot.\nFor the main course, my companion and I split a large red pizza ($10.95) topped with garlic, romaine tomatoes and black olives ($1.80 each). \nThe pizza was akin to Chicago-style pizza. About an inch thick, the crust was nice and crisp with a nice texture. Alas, the taste was somewhat flat and muted by the other toppings. The pizza served as a good carrier for all the other toppings and stayed crisp throughout the entire meal.\nThe sauce we opted for was the traditional red sauce, which was rather mild and somewhat disappointing. It did not taste bad, it just did not add much flavor to the pizza. Like the crust, the taste of the sauce was overwhelmed by the toppings. \nThe cheese was gooey and flavorful, adding a sharp dimension to the pizza's taste. This was the pizza's best attribute. The cheese layer was the strongest taste and dominated the rest of the flavors. The garlic topping was disappointing because not much could be found on the pizza.\nThe black olives were the typical variety you would get out of a can. This was fine by me. They added a pungent but soft taste. Unlike the garlic before it, there was a healthy amount of olives on the pizza. Out of all the toppings, the thick pieces of romaine tomatoes were the high point. \nThe pizza was acceptable, as long as you don't go in expecting amazing Chicago-style pizza. The chili was great; grab yourself a bowl. And lastly, avoid the focaccia unless you like rather salty bread. Overall, Lennie's is OK; just don't expect too much while you are there.