"We're both from up north, where you have a lot of neighborhood taverns. Down here, you don't really have that — you have commercial sections with restaurants and retail, and you have residential sections. They don't coexist. All of a sudden, you put a tavern in the middle of a residential neighborhood and all the neighbors know each other, and it becomes a popular hangout. It feels like a real community." —Dan Soronen, current co-owner of Old Northeast Tavern (Soronen is in negotiations to sell the business; see Brian Ries' feature on the tavern in this week's food section.)
