Way back in Aught Nine, "1834 Bar & Burger" was a charming little wine-bar called "Perle". When news of its transformation spread, I was a bit apprehensive, as wine bars are rarer than burger joints in the area. However, their bacon-wrapped tater tots instantly hooked me, and "Perle" is now a distant memory. While there are some areas that could use improvement, I'll chalk that up to growing pains; the future looks bright for "the only sports bar in the financial district".

A review of 1834 absolutely must begin with their happy hour special. From 5 pm until close, you can get a burger and a beer for five dollars. FIVE DOLLARS. Other than street-meat and the five-dollar footlong, I challenge anyone to find a meal for that price. And while the beer may be limited to Bud-like variations, the burger is of high quality. A substantial patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a lightly toasted bun. It's really good, and worth the price of admission on its own. The beer is just the icing on the cake.

Have I mentioned the bacon-wrapped tater tots yet? Ok, just checking. In addition, their fries are decent and I've also enjoyed the pulled-pork sliders and mac-and-cheese. I've never had their fancier burgers, but my friends have been satisfied each and every time.

On one or two occasions, the service has been less than perfect, but I believe that's only because there are some new people working there. There is a difference between a server who tries, but makes a mistake, and a server who just doesn't care. Luckily, nobody from 1834 falls into that latter category. The intent of the new servers is clear, and they probably just need a little bit of experience under their belt before they become top-quality servers.

The only real negative of 1834 is subjective to me, and might actually be considered a selling-point to others. 1834 is a restaurant/bar on the top floor while the basement is more lounge/bar. We recently went to the basement part to watch March Madness and were subjected to a loud DJ that made watching the games impractical. I know this reeks of a "Get off my lawn" mentality, but the music was REALLY loud. And the music choices were, shall we say, interesting. It felt like someone grabbed an ipod and made a mix of all 3-starred songs. I heard music that I liked in the late 90's early 00's, but hadn't heard since. Because really, if I never hear James' "Laid" again, I think I'll survive.

But while the club-ish feel wasn't my cup of tea, there's always the upstairs restaurant as a sanctuary. So, this is really 2 bars for the price of 1. As 1834 becomes more established as THE sports bar in the area, it will be interesting to see if the basement evolves back into a sports-friendly vibe. There are a lot more TVs downstairs and they are situated in better locations.

As a final note, I had a small issue with 1834 during my last visit, and emailed them to explain my problem. I received a reply almost immediately and one phone call later everything was more than taken care of. It's that kind of customer-friendly atmosphere that has me going back there a couple of times a week. It also inspired me to write this review, as I have an active interest in seeing them succeed. And not just because I'm addicted to their 5 dollar burger/beer deal. Well, ok, that's a big part of it.