The Old Port's neighborhood bar: Dock Fore

Every night spot needs a niche. There are places to be seen, dance halls, rock clubs. Then there are neighborhood bars. You don't go to eat. You don't go to dance. You go to drink.

Dock Fore is a "neighborhood bar in the nicest neighborhood," says owner Shaun McCarthy. His description rings true. Opened in 1980, the bar is nestled in an old grocery facade amid the cobblestone streets of the Old Port’s Fore Street. Sitting in the shadow of the decadent Portland Regency Hotel, Dock Fore can attribute its longevity to regular customers, great drink specials and a wide selection. One loyal customer boasts that she often goes alone, because she knows her friends will be there waiting.

The bar is small. Not cramped, but it maxes out at around 50 people. It is not constructed for dance parties or death metal bands. It is a place to chill, watch the Celtics (lose to the Bobcats) and enjoy a relatively quiet night out. Besides occasional free appetizers, there is no food.

I ventured out during $1.95 Bass drafts, which must be the best deal in the city (50 cent Scud Light drafts in Dixie cups notwithstanding). Any place that offers a drink for $2 every night knows what the people want. The mixed drink (sprite and cherry vodka...not my choice) was tall and delicious, which made up for its $6 price tag.

If you are a Patriots fan, Dock Fore has another, potentially harmful, drink special. Shots become one dollar when the Patriots score. With Randy Moss and Tom Brady playing so well this year, there will be dollar shots. Be afraid.

The inside of the bar is relatively generic. If you bought a "build your own pub" set from Sears, it would look like the inside of Dock Fore. For entertainment, there is a Golden Tee video game, a touch screen bar game and four TVs. The bar, chairs and tables are all solid wood and the place is clean relative to the 1000s of beers spilt inside during Dock Fore’s 28 years.

There are a couple of things that stick out amid the “Any Bar USA” interior of the pub. The TVs are awesome and it is a great, intimate environment to watch a game (during their respective seasons, the bar has the NFL and MLB packages). Also, the walls are covered in prints from local artists, with a price tag affixed to each picture. Pretty rare to see local art in a bar and it is a nice touch.

One man sat watching the Cs while a group of friends milled about having the sort of loud, giggling conversation your parents' late night dinner guests might have. After one patron became unruly, our bartender convinced the group to leave by shouting last call, though it was not yet closting time. The trick worked and sent the group of friends spilling into the street. A bad seed can show up at any bar, any time, and it's reassuring when the staff knows how to deal with it.

Neighborhood bars are a fickle bunch. On the one hand, they represent community. They are a place for people to gather after a hard day’s work and a preferred alternative to drinking on the street corner. But what's so interesting about this neighborhood pub is the Old Port isn't residential. Yet here Dock Fore sits, 28 years later, a testament to its loyal crowd, cheap drinks and familiar atmosphere.