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Harry's Bar and Grill, 3549 N. Oakland Ave., is the epicenter of NStars restaurant group. Located north of The Knick and south of North Shore Bistro, Harry's is the most casual of the three and radiates neighborhood restaurant and upscale sports bar with a menu that can be simply classified as "better than bar food."

Visits to Harry's were lighthearted and upbeat. We found a mix of diners on dates, groups of friends chatting away and baseball fans with their eyes glued to the many televisions. The interesting mix of people and the long, prevalent bar and island seating in the midst of Harry's promote drinking, eating, and socializing for all age groups, but it was quite obvious that many of the diners at Harry's are regulars, and likely live in the surrounding Shorewood neighborhood.

We found the food at Harry's to be above par for standard bar fare, but the service my two tables received on separate visits here lacked both professionalism and speed.

Harry's menu is a wonderful mix heavy with appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and home style entrees. A Mediterranean platter ($12.99) came piled high with hummus, black bean honey chipotle spread, a deliciously ripe tomato stuffed with kalamata olive tapenade, marinated feta cheese and country olives, and a radiant cucumber and carrot salad that worked well as a palate cleanser. The hummus was a bit too thick, but other than that, this plate was a great way to start a meal and went well with our wines (Harry's carries an impressive selection of wines by the glass.)

All the sandwiches and entrees sampled were spot-on, and unique enough to really make you take your time reading through the menu. Nan's Yankee burger ($9.99) drew me in immediately, since I have always loved green olives on burgers and have had trouble finding this guilty pleasure until recently. I added cheddar cheese to the compilation (for 75 cents) and was more than pleased with the juiciness of the burger and the tang of the green olive aioli.

A Harry's chicken pita ($10.99) carried Greek influence with feta cheese, roma tomatoes, cucumbers and kalamata olives. Both sandwiches came with seasoned waffle French fries, which were not quite as crisp as we anticipated but still quite good.

Peasant style tilapia ($15.99) and cedar plank salmon ($15.99) both came out fresh and exceptionally prepared. The tilapia was dredged and pan seared a lovely golden brown, and served over wilted spinach in a white bean and saffron tomato broth dotted with chorizo. The fish was flaky and the flavor pairings excellent. The salmon arrived pleasantly pink, layered with sections of fresh grapefruit and cucumber salsa, and accompanied by a delicious wild rice pilaf and freshly steamed broccoli for a well-presented, well-flavored meal.

Harry's also features daily dinner specials, with an appetizer, entrée and seafood selection, and a fairly substantial dessert menu. After another table's server brought out the dessert tray on one visit, we couldn't resist, and dove into a banana and cranberry cake ($5.99) with a rich cream cheese frosting and creamy consistency similar to a carrot cake.

Had we been served water, been able to order the beers we requested (our waitress didn't realize they carried Schlitz), informed of menu items that were sold out before we tried to order them, or had silverware before our entrees arrived at our table, I would have nothing but exceptional things to say about Harry's.

Thankfully the food and the warm atmosphere are enough to help overlook a few server snafus, and the Bloody Marys we saw served at the bar make me think this would be a great place to return to watch a game and perhaps try their beer battered burger ($9.99), since the thought of an entire half pound burger battered and deep fried still intrigues me.