East Hampton - When a restaurant is named in honor of a turn of the 20th century boarding house that catered to actors and artists, its bar must be taken into consideration for the Oak Bar Series. Don't get me wrong, Rowdy Hall does not stand on the site of the boarding house itself, it sits in a courtyard known as the Parrish Mews at the eastern end of Main Street in East Hampton, but it definitely meets the Oak Bar criteria. The story goes that the local church goers were so incensed by the Sunday morning revelry that carried over from Saturday night, they would refer to the boarding house as a "rowdy hall" as they passed it on their way to worship.

Walking through the side door, main entrance of Rowdy Hall you literally bump into the waitress station, the very start of this long, straight bar. The bar top is not actually oak, well it may be, but whatever nature of wood used in the construction has been covered over in the classic style of hammered copper. This type of bar top has enough historical pedigree to suit me just fine. In the dead center of the bar, the copper top blends into copper pipes that lead to a central beer tap configuration, eight draught brews in all. There is also a nice selection of bottle beers available as well.

Alfresco dining at Rowdy Hall.

I frequently bemoan the fact that trendy, fruit infused vodkas frequently outnumber the total count of classic gins and scotches - not in this joint! Along with the usual blended scotches like Dewars, there are no less than 14 single malt selections and six, yes six, choices of premium gin for your "real" martini and, of course, none of them are flavored. Don't worry stylistas, there are plenty of designer vodkas for whatever happens to be this week's cocktail du jour whim. No matter what your poison, classic or trendy, the pros that tend bar at this favorite local watering hole, 23-year veteran Joe Gonzales (immortalized in a bar side painting) and Dublin born Dermot Hickey, offer a good pour in decent sized glassware, along with witty banter and superb service.

Do not expect to slide into overstuffed, designer upholstered bar chairs at Rowdy Hall, as about two dozen wooden, backless bar stools await you and the stool legs rest quite nicely along a traditional, always necessary, brass foot rail. All dimensions work here, as the bar height is perfect for both standing and sitting. Two flat screen televisions at each end of the bar provide sports and news all day, with a particular emphasis on rugby, which was on the screen when I walked in and on the walls in framed tributes to the Montauk based rugby team, The Sharks. Another nice touch is the newspaper wall rack filled with local and national publications so you can check the score on Wall Street, the Major Leagues, the Premier League and, of course, the Six Nation Rugby results.

This bar is no dark cave by any means, but thankfully there is limited direct sunlight in the bar area, and that is exactly how it should be during the afternoon when sipping the hair of the dog that bit you the night before. The back bar was actually built against a wall of windows, but in a stroke of genius the owners put up translucent colored panels that diffuse the sunlight into a muted, multi-hued glow. Regarding the owners, Rowdy Hall has great pedigree as it is part of the Nick & Toni's legendary restaurant group.

The Rowdy Hall back bar was actually built against a wall of windows, but translucent colored panels diffuse the sunlight into a muted, multi-hued glow.

Right off the bar is the dining area and the fireplace, which glows throughout the Hampton winter nights. Warm and woody, Rowdy Hall resembles an English pub or country French bistro, which is exactly the way they describe their cuisine: English Pub/French Bistro. Anything on the menu, from steak to seafood, can be ordered at the bar, but I highly recommend the Rowdy Burger. This is one of the best burgers in the Hamptons and the hand-cut fries are nothing short of spectacular.

The wine list is more than adequate for a pub/bistro menu but, and this is the only negative observation I can make, like too many East End restaurants the wine list is sorely lacking in Long Island wines. Come on guys, we are all in this together! If alfresco dining and Main Street people watching is your fancy, go for one of the half dozen outdoor tables in the mews.

Whether a summer weekender, vacationing tourist or year-round local, you don't have be a "rowdy" actor or artist to take an immediate liking to Rowdy Hall. It is a great Oak Bar: warm, comfortable, smart and unpretentious. If it were actually located in a boarding house, I'd probably rent a room and sell my car.

Rowdy Hall is located at 10 Main Street, East Hampton, 631-324-8555.