Venice Ale House is a worthy stop on the boardwalk

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Just before sunset on a recent Tuesday night, two women sit drinking red wine on the patio of the new Venice Ale House on the Venice boardwalk. A man in sunglasses shuffles up on the sidewalk beside them and asks for a dollar. The women uncomfortably reach for their purses before one recognizes the man and smiles broadly.

‘Oh, it’s you!’ she exclaims, relieved.

‘Gotcha!’ he says, happily walking around the patio enclosure to join the women at their table.

That’s called boardwalk humor, and there’s plenty of it to be had at this month-old bar and restaurant, which occupies a prime slice of real estate along one of the city’s most colorful pedestrian thoroughfares.

Opened by Thomas Elliott and his wonderfully named friend and roommate Spoon Singh, VAH is attempting — successfully, so far — to achieve what has long been considered difficult: bringing quality, organic, locally sourced food and drink to the boardwalk.

To read the rest of Jessica Gelt’s story and see a photo gallery, click here.