ergus & Bix Restaurant and Beer Market is the kind of place that just screams Calgary: casual and unpretentious, yet surprisingly good and lots of fun. Wentworth is hardly the trendiest part of town, but in the case of Fergus & Bix this actually works in its favour. For starters, unless you're planning on putting together a picnic from Sweetgrass Market, there really isn't much other choice. Despite its location in West Springs Village, the community's socializing pretty much runs straight through Fergus & Bix.

As a result, you can expect the place to always be busy. But not busy in the same way the newest foodie destination is busy. You won't have to kill anyone to get a reservation and you won't go here to tell your social circle you were there. Instead, you can expect a lively but friendly collection of locals out for a good time. As such, nothing here is upscale enough to scare anyone off. But it's not lowest common denominator, either.

While the emphasis is on beer and pub food, it does these things better than your average watering hole. The partners, earlier involved in the original Original Joe's, know the importance of stocking a bar. Sure you can find Molson and Labatt here, but you can also find a number of rarer hop selections, including many local micro-breweries. There are 16 brands of beer available at the centre island bar and nearly every one is a winner.

Like I said, the food is mostly what you'd find on your garden variety pub menu, but injected with a sense of inventiveness and variety not usually seen from this type of place. You can easily the burgers, wings and pizzas that you would expect, but there are also some selections that will make you look twice. Try, for instance, the mussel and wonton appetizers with a side of crispy sweet potato fries. If that doesn't satiate you, go for the calamari, grilled rather than deep fried (at a pub!) and served with tzatziki. The main dishes are hearty enough that you won't find yourself walking away hungry. The Carolina style pulled pork and Montreal smoked meat sandwiches will more than fill you up.

All in all, Fergus & Bix will not be the kind of place that you're going to write home about. None of the line cooks will be ca led up to challenge Morimoto for the title of Iron ChefBut at the same time, you'll be able to sit back with a few friends, grab some good food (not great but good) and watch the Flames game. Sometimes that's all you really want.