Despite a 45-minute wait for a table at the Hot Stove Saloon on Saturday night, it didn't take us long to figure out why the cozy sports pub is so popular.

First of all it's a very friendly place. The employees are all smiling and cheerful. We chatted with bar patrons while we waited for a table and struck up a conversation with a woman at the table next to us once we were seated. (It seems no one understands the women's curling event in the Winter Olympics, which was playing on all seven high-definition TVs in the two rooms.)

The Hot Stove Saloon is small, with only six tables and seating for eight at the smaller bar in the dining room, and three tables and a larger bar in the actual barroom. There are seven high-definition TVs in the two rooms. Every inch of the place is covered with historical baseball memorabilia, and the slanted ceilings and dim lighting create a homey feel that is pleasantly welcoming.

The menu is simple and remarkably inexpensive. The priciest dish served is the Steak Tip Garden salad for $13. This is true pub fare, with more than 20 sandwich choices, pizza, nachos, wings, salads and five everyday specials that are complemented by a few extra things on the specials board.
There were three servers in the dining room, and they seemed to work with a team approach, meaning we never waited for anything. Dirty dishes were whisked away immediately and extra napkins appeared without our asking. When my steak tips arrived too rare, my french fries were still warm when the meat was returned to me cooked perfectly.

We started with a "small" Caesar salad ($2.50) and basket of wings ($7). The salad was a hearty bowl filled with crisp romaine tossed with a nicely flavored dressing and topped with grated Romano and croutons. It was a terrific value.

The wings were meaty, juicy and nice and spicy. There were eight of them nestled with carrots sticks, sliced celery and mild blue cheese dressing. The extra napkins came in handy.
From the specials board, the ribs ($9) were a generously sized slab of falling-off-the-bone tender pork. They were crisp on the outside and coated with a smoky sweet barbecue sauce.

On the regular menu, the steak tips are a half pound of tender chunks of beef that come with three choices of seasoning: steakhouse, teriyaki or bourbon. I actually could taste the smoky flavor of bourbon in the slightly sweet marinade, and the housemade horseradish dipping sauce was so good we dipped our fries in it, too.

Our dinners came with a choice of steak fries or curly fries. The steak fries were good, but the spicy coating on the curly fries made them our favorite. The coleslaw that came with the ribs was fresh but unremarkable.

Best of all, the prices were so affordable that we could splurge on a cocktail to enjoy with our dinner. My husband ordered a glass of the always tasty Cape Cod Red beer for $4.50. I enjoyed a glass of Viu Manent, a medium-bodied Malbec from Chile, that was a great bargain at $5.50.
We were so full and happy that when our bill arrived we actually marveled that it was only $37.49 (pre-tax). No doubt about it, the Hot Stove Saloon offers a lot of value.

Hot Stove Saloon
551 Route 28, Harwich Port
508-432-9911
<b><a href=http://www.hotstovesaloon.com>www.hotstovesaloon.com</a></b>

By LAURIE HIGGINS