In a town where a reasonably-priced drink, plate of food or event space can be hard to find, the Rickshaw Stop is welcome to an overwhelming degree - it provides all three, with an abundance of space and style and zero pretension.

Operating as a bar as of early January 2004 on Friday and Saturday nights until 1 am, Rickshaw Stop serves cocktails, wine, and inexpensive beer as well as tasty small and large plates for noshing that hover between $4 and $7. An old television production studio, the two-level space is tall and doublewide, ringed with red velvet floor-to-ceiling drapes, floored with warm-blonde, finished plywood, and furnished with gorgeous old rickshaws and a scattering of infinitely moveable tables and chairs of various styles. Swell lighting, a foozball table in the large upper balcony lounge, friendly owners, and an intelligent clientele round out the appeal of the place. - Tracie Broom