EdITORIAL NOTE: Hops is no longer in business in Warwick. Even if you don't drink beer, Hops is well worth putting on your list of must-eat restaurants. Hops is more than a brew pub, it's an energetic restaurant with delicious food and friendly service.

I arrived during the prime dining time. Not only was I greeted with a smile, I found a comfortable waiting area and was treated to slushy "Frozen Raspberry Freezes", the non-alcoholic version of their hand-blended raspberry, rum, and raspberry liqueur "Raspberry Freezers".

But that was just the start. I nibbled on little mini-croissants drizzled with a honey-maple cream while I debated the virtues of the "Ultimate Nachos" and the "Uptown Pizza" for appetizers. I finally decided to go with their "Walker's Wood Shrimp". Five jumbo shrimp in a spicy-sour-buttery Jamaican "Walker's Wood" sauce. The sauce was so good that I sliced up the piece of bread that the shrimps sat on and dipped it.

Their house salad would have been great even without a sauce, with crisp greens and topped with bits of bacon and crispy shoestring potatoes. But topped with one of their four wonderful house dressings, the salads defy description.

For my entree, I had their 16-ounce prime rib. Tender roasted and then grilled. I chose the loaded baked potato, but could have had fries or black beans and rice, or their broccoli.

To top off my spree of hedonistic gluttony, I had a dessert of "apple walnut crunch", with baked apples, crunchy crumbles, and a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I didn't mention the drinks. Hops has a huge bar and prides themselves on their four house-brewed signature beers, ranging from a light colored "Clearwater Light" lager to their very dark "Alligator Ale."

Add to that their interesting wine list with wines by both the bottle and glass, mixed flavored beers, mixed drinks, and a selection of bottled beers, Hops is a delight for drinkers.

Non-drinkers will find a variety of juices and sodas, including their house-brewed root beer that tastes exactly like a liquid version of the root beer barrel hard candies. Their iced tea is fresh brewed and readily refilled.

The restaurant's dedication to good service was obvious when any member of the waitstaff or bus-staff seemed happy to accommodate our every request. Bringing more tea. Relighting our candle. Suggesting lower calorie substitutes for the fries that normally come with the ribs. Still more iced tea. Our waitress checked in on me regularly and was both friendly and knowledgeable.

It's not often I can say that a chain restaurant fulfilled every expectation I had.

Hops is on Bald Hill Road (Route 2) at Cowesett, next to the Warwick Musical Theater. To visit them on the web, go to www.hopsrestaurants.com

The restaurant is very busy and has no phone-ahead policy, so plan on a lengthy wait if you arrive during prime-time dinner hours. They serve to 11pm on weekdays and until midnight on Friday and Saturday, so late eaters might be able to avoid the crowds. The hours posted outside say that the bar stays open unil questionmark, which I take to mean that until the drinkers go home.

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Hops is fully handicapped accessible to the point of having sinks in the huge handicapped stalls. The smoking area is well separated from the non-smoking dining, though the entry area occasionally gets a little smoky. Expect dinner for two excluding appetizers, desserts, and drinks to run $30 to $40.

Tasty food, large servings, fair prices, friendly sevice, and hitting all of my plus-items like fresh-brewed iced tea makes Hops a must-eat if you want a fun and filling night out. [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]