Bar Review - Upstairs, downstairs at Shillings

From the outside, Shillings has a sort of musty mystique about it, a top-hat flair. I could easily imagine the Monopoly man in there yukking it up with the New Yorker cartoon guy. Inside, the Marietta Square watering hole exudes down-to-earth charm.

The place is really two joints in one. Upstairs is the Top of the Square, a white tablecloth dining area with a piano bar. It's quiet and warm, with sparse decoration and great mood lighting. If you're lucky, Joann (who's been a hostess there for 18 years) will be working. She's likely to give you a big-time history lesson, and an even bigger hug.

Downstairs is Shillings, more of a true bar. It's smaller than it looks from the outside, but that only adds to the comfortable dark-wood neighborhood bar vibe. Shillings patrons tend to be a mature late-20s to swinging-60s crowd and are just as understated and cozy as the bar itself.

Upstairs and down, the bartenders know how to pour a drink. Upstairs, a Glennfiddich on the rocks ($7.45) had just the right balance of scotch to rocks. My partner in alcoholism had a Beefeater and tonic ($5.95) that "rocked his world." Downstairs, the bartender Jim (himself a 10-year vet) suggested an excellent glass of red — Casal la Postolle Merlot ($6.95)-- and then tossed me a fine margarita. The best part is I drank like a fat cat without paying too much. I may not have had enough to afford Park Place, but I certainly left with enough to swing my utilities.

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Shillings. 19 North Park Square. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight. Drink prices: Beer $2.75-$4; mixed drinks & liquor $5-$10; margarita $5.95; wine by the glass $4.95-11.95. 770-428-9520.??