When I heard the name "Scotland Yard," my head conjured up images of the pubs I visited on my trip to England a few years back. At the new Scotland Yard Pub in the St. Paul Quarter, the closest thing I saw to that was the valet parking sign with an illustration of Sherlock Holmes on it. But this Scotland Yard is building its own identity, serving up bar food with a twist (wood-fired pizzas, "dragon" wings) in a comfortable atmosphere.

We first tried visiting Scotland Yard on a recent Saturday night, unaware that the bar had yet to officially open. When we entered, someone quickly stopped us to explain that it would open to the public later that week. We apologized for the intrusion, but before we could leave the man who stopped us kindly offered to let us look around before we left. We graciously declined. Little did we know that's the kind of friendliness we would come to expect from Scotland Yard Pub.

On our second visit my drinking guests and I were not turned away. In fact, we were met with a very friendly greeting from our bartender and various staff members. Upon closer inspection of the interior, it didn't look like much had changed since the last time I visited the establishments that formerly occupied this spot. Since it's based in renovated industrial space, it looked much like what you would expect: high ceilings and lots of exposed brick walls. The room itself is somewhat spacious, but long and decorated with many mirrors, which provided the illusion of a little more elbow room.

While most bars keep the lighting dim (sometimes to our benefit, depending on how much we drink), Scotland Yard has gotten it just right, with overhead lighting, well placed lamps, and candles around the room. Off to the side tucked away in their own little nooks are an electronic dartboard and a pool table. The one thing that seemed out of place were the flat-screen TVs playing sports throughout the bar area.

As we walked up to order our drinks, I noticed two large wine racks and a wine fridge behind the bar. In any other place I would be impressed, but in a bar called Scotland Yard I was looking for the drafts. Just as I was about to ask the bartender what beers were on tap, she stepped away to prepare my companion's beverage, revealing a small selection of nine drafts - among them Bass, Guinness, and Magic Hat No. 9. The short list of draft options aside (there are a variety of bottled beers, however), I was impressed by the bartender's pouring and mixing abilities, right down to one drinking partner's perfectly poured Guinness, with a shamrock etched in the foam.

We took our drinks and adjourned to the comfortable seating area around the front of the fireplace (another flat-screen TV loomed above the mantle). While we sat and enjoyed our libations, we saw what may be Scotland Yard's target audience: a small group well dressed young men - downtown hipster types coming home from the office - with some lady friends for what seemed to be a very late happy hour, or an early kickoff to their evening. They were offset by a few of the more eclectic residents of the St. Paul Quarter.

Overall I found Scotland Yard to be a comfortable place to hang out; an exceedingly friendly and attentive staff makes the pub even more inviting. But the place seems to be trying to make everyone happy with the TVs blasting sports and a digital jukebox in an otherwise relaxed atmosphere. It's also a bit noisy. Even the small crowd we shared the bar with it was difficult for us to hear our own conversation. Those things aside, I think Scotland Yard is off to a good start and has the potential to grow into a fine establishment.

Scotland Yard Pub is located at 187 St. Paul Street, and is open Monday-Wednesday 4 p.m.-1 a.m., Thursday-Friday 4 p.m.-2 a.m., and Saturdays 5 p.m.-2 a.m. For more information call 730-5030 or visit Scotlandyardpub.com.