he hostess doesn’t blink when I walk in the door with my toddler. In fact, she smiles. My senior-citizen mother-in-law likes to eat here, too, as does my teenage nephew. That’s the way owners Matt and René Greff want it. As a self-congratulatory note on the menu points out, they work hard to make their brewpub all things to all people. Can any one restaurant really do that? Well, no, but Arbor Brewing’s low-key atmosphere and simple, satisfying food do attract a good cross-section of Ann Arbor.

It starts with the beer. The Greffs consider themselves brewers first; they won the 1999 "best brewpub in the Midwest" award from the National Brewpub Conference and Brewpub magazine. The menu is designed to complement their house brews. Servers don’t suggest beers to go with certain meals but will gladly give you a small sample of any beer that looks interesting, before you commit to a full glass.

My friend did a little happy dance in her chair when we ordered the roasted garlic plate appetizer ($7.25). After tasting a bite, I was ready to dance with her. A plump head of mellow, slow-roasted garlic is cut in two for spreading on French bread. The plate also includes little dollops of pesto, chive cream cheese, and caramelized onions and grilled peppers, for mixing and matching. This appetizer is perfect for sharing with a group, although it was so good, I wanted to hog the whole thing for myself. It paired nicely with the house-brewed Huxell best bitter, and also the more assertive Belgian-style beers. Another great starter was the vegetarian white bean chili ($1.95 cup, $3.25 bowl), a hearty stew spiced with tomato and cumin. I was disappointed in the veggie focaccia ($6.95). The crust was tough, the broccoli and other vegetables underdone, and the cheese meager.

ome of the best and worst things on the menu fall under the category "pub favorites." The best of the best has to be the ribs ($13.95 half slab, $16.95 full slab). The sauce is tangy and sweet rather than hot, partially baked onto the meat for a not-too-messy eating experience. The bones pull right off the meat, leaving behind little piles of barbecue heaven. The fish and chips ($8.95) are made with fat slabs of Icelandic cod, thinly coated in crispy beer batter. The "chips" are your choice of regular, garlic, or Cajun fries and come with a mild coleslaw. Not so nice were the Jamaican jerk sirloin ($13.25)–underspiced and tough–and the shepherd’s pie ($7.95). Some consider shepherd’s pie–ground beef and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and cheese–the ultimate comfort food, but I found everything about this dish unappealing, from its bland taste to its mealy texture. After eating two bites of it, I pushed my husband’s elbow out of the way to eat more ribs off his plate.

Restaurants often serve a token vegetarian pasta dish, almost as an afterthought, but Arbor Brewing has four creative and delicious choices. The garlic mushroom rotini ($11.95) are made with crimini mushrooms and caramelized onions, with more mushrooms in the very garlicky pesto sauce. The smoked cheese and sun-dried tomato ravioli ($9.25) are stuffed with smoked Swiss, ricotta, and other cheeses. I liked the smoky flavor a lot, although it was almost drowned by the abundance of rather plain marinara. Arbor Brewing will also substitute portobello mushrooms or bean burger for meat on the dinner salads. Replacing steak with portobellos on the fajita salad ($10.75) made an interesting and fulfilling meal. The black bean burger ($6.25) is also a good vegetarian choice, although the intense bean taste might be off-putting to people expecting the flavor to mimic meat.

As I mentioned, Arbor Brewing cheerfully accommodates children. Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and juice boxes are among the nice touches, in addition to the friendly attitude. Kids get to play with a neat little box of crayons and cards, and the women’s rest room includes a changing table.

			Arbor Brewing Company 114 East Washington +1 734 213 1393 Mon-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 1pm-1am

fter devouring his dino nuggets, my son scooped all the whipped cream off my "guiltless" mocha fudge pie ($5.25). I didn’t tell him it was low fat–I could hardly believe it myself. This layered dessert is chocolate pudding over a low-fat brownie, topped with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. The menu doesn’t specify calories or fat grams, so I’m going to trust the Greffs that this indulgence really is "guiltless." At the other extreme is Blondes Have More Fun ($5.75), a white-chocolate and dried-cherry brownie served warm, topped with white-chocolate cherry sauce and ice cream. It’s unapologetically sinful, and I had no problem eating every bite.

It may not quite be all things to all people, but Arbor Brewing is a welcoming place with good things to eat. And that’s all I need.