The first thing you notice about Bar on Buena is the space. Whereas most city bars squeeze themselves (and their patrons) into a long, narrow gap, the Buena Park saloon is a spacious bar room that is roughly as wide as it is long. Couched in a red brick building a stone's throw from the lake, Bar on Buena's expansiveness begs you to kick back and stretch out.

Around the outer ring of the bar wait booths and a couple of couches to lounge in, with plenty of space to move and mingle in the interior. With televisions galore, Bar on Buena is a sports fan's and a claustrophobe's dream.

Rather than the drinks serving as a complement to the food, the menu acts merely to support the beverages. With bar-food standbys like quesadillas, burgers and Caesar salad, the kitchen is not going to produce the world's next Wolfgang Puck, but there are a few diamonds in the rough. The sandwich list includes a grilled turkey steak, served po' boy and marinated in buffalo wing sauce. Among the entrees, which are served until 10 p.m., the foremost entries are the Cajun shrimp pasta and a mushroom-covered rib eye. The Atkins platter, which provides further evidence that the ubiquitous diet plan is taking over the world, consists of a half-pound patty of ground chuck served over sauteed spinach and topped with bacon, mushrooms, onions and cheese. The food won't break the bank, with sandwiches ranging from $6 to $8, and the entrees coming in at twice that number.

Centerstage Reviewer: Patrick Corcoran