250 Western Ave., Albany, 427-0091. Serving daily 11:30 AM-1 AM. AE, MC, V.

Cuisine: pub fare

Entrée price range: $4.75 (small pizza) to $15 (full rack of ribs)

Ambiance: pub classic

By B.A. Nilsson

My last visit to the Washington Tavern, I’m ashamed to note, was in June 1983. At that point, owner Michael Byron had been running it for slightly more than a decade, and its reputation as the area’s friendliest watering hole already was solid.

I was reeling from the news that my wife was leaving me; my best friend had just broken up with his longtime girlfriend. We needed beer. A couple of burgers would be nice. And we found exactly what we were looking for. Too heartsick to even consider conversing with the more comely guests—and the WT, as it’s popularly known, attracts its share—we at least found consolation in camaraderie.

We downed some pints and traded war stories in the smoky barroom. He soon patched things up and married his girlfriend, and remains married to her; I met another shortly thereafter, and am still married to her.

You may enjoy a similar success, but I won’t guarantee it, except to note that during my recent visit I was privy to a conversation in which a concerned trio tried to dissuade a friend from throwing over his wife in favor of a much younger married woman.

This was but one of the attractions of the newly refurbished patio, where your al fresco dining is enhanced by a view of the neighborhood. My daughter loves to dine outside, and we indulged her this pleasant evening, giving us a respite from the many TVs inside. What I’d forgotten was that there’s no longer a smoky barroom, and those who wish to dine while firing up a gasper have to do so outside. On the patio.

But here’s the kicker: My wife, who can work herself into a big PC snit over secondhand smoke, actually was able to relax and ignore (and it wasn’t really that bad; it just looks stupid, this sea of young, would-be sophisticates clinging to the notion that there’s anything attractive about their addiction).

Servers are young and swift, able to hustle armloads of drinks and platters to tables, whisk away empties, keep up with orders and new requests, and still smilingly parry the importunities of love-struck singles.

Twenty-three years after my last visit, I’m a middle-aged family man, and still I found a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere. It’s not just a kids’ bar. Byron also owns the Ginger Man, the excellent restaurant down the street that’s also known for its wine list, and, he explains, he owns most of the rest of the block.

“I have 60 tenants,” the ebullient Irishman said, “so it’s in my best interest to keep the neighborhood top notch!” With that in mind, and to increase the WT’s banquet capacity from 35 to 50, he recently refurbished the place. And it looks great, with lots of new tables and chairs and a brighter feel to the rooms.

Byron came to the States in 1966 and worked for Schraft’s in Manhattan, which soon sent him to a motor inn in the Albany area where he handled the foodservice (and a customer base of state legislators, who had far fewer choices in those days). “I was about to get married,” he said, “and it was time to move on. The Washington Tavern became available, and we bought it.”

The Tavern itself has been in operation since 1884, back when its thoroughfare was the Great Western Turnpike. No longer just a coach stop, it’s now surrounded by colleges, professional buildings and, of course, residential neighbors. It offers a pub-fare menu, and just as the façade has been rebuilt to reflect the look of a classic Irish pub, so too has the menu evolved into a classic array of what goes best with beer. Or even a flagon of soda.

Appetizers—I don’t even have to list them. You know what they are. We sampled the crock of chili ($5), which I’m guessing is on the apps list rather than with the soups owing to its density, and it’s a decent bowl of the stuff that sports more-than-usual heat-spice. French onion and a soup of the day are always available, as is the greens & beans I sampled ($2 for a bowl; $3.75 per crock), a mix that’s thinner than I expected (probably explaining why it’s listed with the soups rather than the apps) but certainly flavorful.

My daughter, the ribs fanatic, got an appetizer portion of a meaty St. Louis cut ($7, also available as an entrée for $10 or $15), and, although they lacked the smokiness of true barbecue, they still were tender and satisfying.

Salads are bounteous, at least from the example of Susan’s chicken-breast salad ($7), which turns out to be a big mix of fresh greens with tomatoes, onions, olives and cucumbers, topped by deep-fried chicken breast strips, much more than she could handle for a starter.

She went to further decimate the poultry population by ordering a chicken fajita ($8.25), which brings sizzling strips of seasoned meat on a hot platter along with the cheese, peppers, onions, salsa and sour cream with which to wrap your concoction in warm flour tortillas.

Hot, cold and club sandwiches are available; paninis and wraps for fancier sandwich fare; pizzas of all stripe and, of course, burgers. My Black Forest ham and cheddar burger ($7.25) boasted plenty of meat, a good charbroiled flavor, and a side of thin tavern fries that gave just the right touch of old country exoticism.

Food here is exactly as expected, affordably priced and efficiently served; there’s Guinness and Newcastle on tap, so what more could you ask?