on the cheap

Neighborhood Restaurant and Bakery Royal India Lee’s Beehive Paris

We’ve had many a fine night’s drinking at the White Horse Tavern, the deep red, hard-to-miss watering hole that’s becoming a landmark on Allston’s Brighton Avenue bar strip. Though it’s a bit more classy and low-key than its frat-boy neighbor the Kells, we’ve still seen our share of drunken revelry at the Horse. But get those bacchanalian pictures out of your mind and think White Horse for dinner. The classic bar menu of burgers, steak, and pizza is usually supplemented by specials such as pasta dishes, chicken dinners, and down-home casseroles. And, of course, you still have your choice of nine beers on tap and countless other alcoholic libations.

Watch the Sox fight to stay in the pennant race on one of the bar’s many televisions while working your way through a plate of steak tips and chunky mashed potatoes ($8.95). If you’re aiming to show off your pool skills later in the evening and don’t want a heavy meal to weigh you down, the White Horse offers a number of sandwiches big enough for dinner. The chicken parmigiana sandwich ($6.50) and chicken-and-brie sandwich ($6.50) both hit the spot. And you can top off the pizza — cooked in the restaurant’s brick-bottom oven — with extras like shrimp, barbecued chicken, and caramelized onions ($5.95 to $7.95).

If you really want to save pennies, though, you can’t beat the specials offered all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The self-proclaimed " best deal in Allston " — and we’re certainly not arguing — features huge plates of cheeseburgers and fries, chicken sandwiches and fries, or wings for a mere $3. Now if only our bar tab wasn’t triple our food bill ...

The White Horse Tavern, located at 116 Brighton Avenue, in Allston, is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. Call (617) 254-6633.