Classic neighborhood upscale dive hole-in-the-wall cheap burger beer joint...In other words, it's got a lot going for it...I say upscale dive in the sense that it isn't the kind of dive where you might find a gang planning a bank robbery huddled over shots and beers or where Uncle Frank gets snockered, pickled and plastered while contemplating his failures, squandered dreams, and being shorter of breath and one day closer to death before going home to the old ball and chain...No, this is a dive for regular neighborhood folks, adventurous families, collegiates, hipsters and seekers of meaning through food and beer in a confusing post-modern world.  A subterranean 8 lane old fashion bowling alley lies in the Nook's nether regions, just don't fall down the stairs after having a couple cold ones. We had one in the town where I grew up - a neighbor Jim Bouton of the Yankees and Ball Four fame used to set the pins. Another neighbor was John Dean of Nixon and Watergate fame...quite a neighborhood eh?...my mother did manage to instill in me that tattlers were just above scum...she scolded the neighborhood kids for trying to get me in trouble all the time...bless her heart..(I concede they provide a service in some cases...like for the good of the country...but not when it gets personal).  Good fresh hamburger on a bakery fresh bun. Fresh hand-cut fries. Being touted as among the best in the Twin Cities right now by the local media, that along with being featured on the Food Channel has caused all manner of sheep to come out seeking excitement and kicks and making it hard to get a seat. Can be a long wait. Sitting at the bar is an option. (Here's a tip - you can get the same great food at their other larger less crowded place - Shamrocks at 995 Seventh St W.)  My least favorite celebrity Barbara Streisand chows here when in town - I give her credit though...she did come here without having to have the Food Channel tell her to do it.  The Nook and Shamrocks have a St. Paul version of the Minneapolis stalwart - the Jucy Lucy (the way it's spelled at Matt's in Minneapolis)...they spell it Juicy Nookie here... Some like it better than Matt's. I'll eat either one without complaint. Note: jucy lucys' have the molten cheese seething inside the hamburger waiting to repeatedly squirt out and burn your fingers - gets real good and real messy. Not easy to make not easy to eat.  Small and cozy. Friendly. None of those upscale $10+ "gourmet" burgers favored by the better heeled seekers of meaning and diversion through food here. No, the real deal, a classic burger. Cheap place for burgers and beer. Drink specials. Good beer selection. Of course if you're going to do this right you need to get a PBR or better yet a Hamm's tap - that's right a Hamm's on tap...a nice rare touch considering this is St. Paul even if it isn't brewed there anymore...under normal circumstances you don't want to drink Hamm's or PBR by itself (I remember my former Czech boss referred to standard American beer as water processed through a horse or words to that effect - thankfully he turned me on to Pilsner Urquell while he waxed), you need to overwhelm that kind of brew with a tasty burger...so this is the place where it can be drunk with little noticeable ill effect..  ...From the Land of Sky Blue Waters. From the land of pines' lofty balsams, Comes the beer refreshing, Hamm's the beer refreshing. Brewed where nature works her wonders, Aged for many moons, gently mellowed, Hamm's the beer refreshing, Hamm's the beer refreshing. From across the rippling water, Through the whisp'ring pines and birches, Comes the beer refreshing, Hamm's the beer refreshing. Comes a call to cool enchantment, Comes a call to cool refreshment, Hamm's the beer refreshing, Hamm's the beer refreshing. Hints of lakes and sunset breezes, Dance and sparkle in each glassful, Hamm's the beer refreshing, Hamm's the beer refreshing...  A very well crafted song, eh? I have serious doubts about aging for many moons or being gently mellowed...especially like "Comes a call to cool enchantment" and the thought of all that Minnesota scenery dancing and sparkling in that glass sends tingles up around and down my throat and then out my spine.....I grew up in Chicago. Hamm's sponsored the Cubs/Sox TV broadcasts in the 50's-60's - so I have the song and the image of the dancing Hamm's Beer Bear imprinted in my DNA.   They have a Cheap Date Night - "40oz Miller High Life (The Champagne of bottled beer) served with 2 Champagne glasses and an order of fries for $6.95" It's that kind of place...if you're a gal pressing your guy to propose, there's an excellent chance he'll know in his stomach wallet and heart he's got the right one when you invite him out for this...if you're a George Constanza kinda guy and are looking for a way to breakup with your gal, short of having her lick 200 toxic wedding invitation envelopes, well why not try Cheap Date Night, it would be quicker, cheaper and more humane...