Date Night goes trendy and for our 20th edition, we visit Little Five Points. Some things never change, and we can report that the area is still a hotbed of hippies, hipsters, hustlers, hussies, harpies, the homeless, hookers and hookahs. In just one evening, we get to observe and interact with many.

One of our readers (thanks, V.S.!) pointed out that The Porter Beer Bar has an amazing beer menu, and since Date Night is always open to tips and suggestions, we decided to check it out for ourselves. We are overwhelmed with a 23-page beer menu (and we are talking small print with minimal spacing). Choosing one beer is extremely difficult, and while we are narrowing things down, we notice that there are flights available. Date Night loves sampling, so ordering 2 (different) flights seems like a reasonable solution to our “problem”!

We love the presentation (each flight is 3 tulip glasses with about 4 ounces of beautiful brown beer) as much as we love the names (Brown Cow, and Box of Chocolates). The “Brown Cow” grouping is Dogfishhead IBA, Avery Ellie’s Brown and Terrapin Moo Hoo. The “Box of Chocolates” features Bell’s Cherry Stout, Terrapin Moo Hoo and Jared’s Peach Porter. We taste and do a little beer trading as we wait for our starters, the shrimp and pork spring rolls.

Four nice-size spring rolls really take the edge off our hunger while we enjoy our beer tasting and pick out the main course.

The menu is not huge, but there are more than enough pub-style classics to choose from and we go for the fish and chips. Since we are sharing one entree, we cannot resist ordering Sweetwater spent grain bread.

The bread is made with the mash from the Sweetwater beer and is served warm with butter (if you go, you’ll want to try it). The kitchen is kind enough to split our fish and chips. As a result we probably get extra herb and garlic oil fries, which are beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection!

When we arrive at The Porter, it’s early (around 5pm) and the place is pretty empty. This is a deceivingly large establishment. There are multiple rooms and lots of tables for large and small groups. A few hours later, when we are leaving, it’s completely full and people are waiting for tables.

The waitress is probably ready to turn our table, so she delivers the check without asking if we want dessert. This does not deter us from ordering the hot apple beignet with home-made ice cream on top.

It’s always important to peruse the entire menu and scope out dessert (this way you know to leave some room). The beignet certainly lives up to our expectations and proves to be a delightful end to another successful Date Night. With a beer list as extensive as The Brick Store in Decatur, The Porter is a big plus in LFP. Next time you are feeling hip and trendy, check it out. You won’t be disappointed.