It was after work one day, and I just frankly didn’t want to go home. Thankfully, our Findlay Facebook friends had suggested many a time that I needed to get to Rocking U. Today was the day I was going to make that happen.

I parked right up front and walked in. I kind of wanted everyone to shout, “Norm!” when I did so, but I kept my disappointment to myself when that did not happen. Perhaps one should visit a bar more than once before one expects to be welcomed as a regular. But I digress.

I made my way to a bar stool at the bar and found myself sitting next to an older gentleman. I was with the regulars. This was my way into the real experience of what goes on at this place, and I was ready to grab onto it.

The bartender happily took my order and even helped me locate an appetizer that she thoroughly enjoyed. I then took a long look down the bar at those regulars that I now decided would be my new best friends, and boy did they quickly earn that title.

From yelling at the bartenders randomly to telling a cherished story that everyone (but me!) had probably heard a thousand times, this was the type of crowd that made the place feel like home. The bartenders flew easily between pouring brews, yelling insults and laughing at all of the appropriate parts of those cherished stories. They knew these people. They knew what they needed, and they had no qualms about giving it to them.

And then the inevitable happened. The bartender leaned over to me and said, “I know I don’t know you and everything, but the guy next to you needs to be punched. Can you take care of that for me?” I kind of froze. I had never been asked to randomly punch a stranger before. Heck, I couldn’t even remember the last time I punched something that wasn’t inanimate. I looked at the guy next to me, as he was laughing and waiting for what I’d do. I did what I had to do. I punched him. Playfully. On the shoulder. The bartender shook her head. “I’ve never been so disappointed.” And I sighed, defeated by my own shyness.

The food that I experienced also lived up to the feel of this bar. I started out with the breaded mac & cheese bites that one of the bartenders had recommended. The ooey gooey cheesiness made them the perfect comfort food on a chilly day. I probably could have eaten five of these and then proclaimed this the best place ever. I then moved onto a veggie sub. The crispness of the veggies and perfect amounts of cheese and Italian dressing made a standard sub tasty.

But let’s be honest… The reason to go to Rocking U is for the fun experience and plentiful brews. They thankfully don’t seem to be on the verge of ever running out of either, but you might want to get there soon. You know, just in case they run out of those awesome mac & cheese bites.