For this week’s column, I really wanted to hang out at the Wilton House. With dreams of old Hobokenites, surely, that was a place where I would find the true meaning of Hoboken. But as it turned out, the Wilton House was completely empty, so my friends and I decided to try the Village Pourhouse, on First Street.

I know, they’re not very similar. The Pourhouse is a relatively new place (they opened in November), everyone’s young, and they play alternative rock music. I had just walked past during Sunday’s Jets game and saw a line outside just to get in.

A line! To get into a bar! To watch a game that was broadcast on everyone’s television for free! But then I heard that they had drafts for a buck during happy hour, so I was sold.

If you’ve never been to the Pourhouse before, when you go through the front door you have to walk down a hallway before you actually get into the bar. When you’re finally in, it’s a big, welcoming place. As I said, there are huge TVs everywhere, and the bar is long. There are tables for dining, and private booth seating for when you want to bring your entourage out and pop bottles (I’m assuming). There’s a bit of a rustic charm, with redwood paneling on the walls and a chalkboard announcing local brews.

They have a small menu, mostly bar food and appetizers (chips, fries or tater tots slathered with cheese and bacon, pretzel-crusted chicken tenders, calamari with cherry peppers and shallots, burgers of course), but my favorite bit is that they list the best beers to pair with your food. And their selection of beer is not too shabby, from the aforementioned dollar drafts of Coors Light to craft locals like Ommegang, Blue Point and Brooklyn Brewery, along with foreign brews from just about any country you could name.

“It’s a simple menu, but our kitchen is open until 1 a.m.” said Mike Sacco, manager at the Village Pourhouse.

Something else that sets them apart from the competition: they take reservations for their two private booths (known as “the Skybox” and “the Dugout”).

“As long as you call far enough in advance,” said Sacco. Obviously, this Sunday is already booked up for the game, so don’t even try.

He also mentions that the weekends do fill up, and lines outside of the bar will start around 10 p.m. If that’s not your scene, the weekday evenings are filled with plenty of events, like trivia, karaoke and games, and feature a much more subdued crowd.

Now, if you’re a loyal reader, you will remember how excited I got when I learned that you can basically treat the Wicked Wolf as your own weird living room, changing the channel on your booth’s TV to watch a “Designing Women” marathon, or whatever you want, really. Well, the Pourhouse has upped the ante, with little speaker boxes so you can actually hear Delta Burke while you’re chugging a beer tower (yeah, they have those, too).

“If people want to watch Jersey Shore, we’ll throw it on,” said Sacco, in what I can only assume was totally an invitation. Thursday night meetups, anyone?

But probably the best endorsement for the bar was by Gary, a Hoboken resident who lived close by and had popped over for a glass of wine.

“Two things go hand in hand,” he said. “Alcohol and girls. The main thing is girls, and they have a lot of them here. It fills the place out nicely.”

Gary then proceeded to ask if I wanted to see a photo of his pride and joy. Sure, I shrugged, let’s see some kid pictures. He whips out a photo of two bottles of dish soap: Pride and Joy brands, respectively.

“I have a thousand of these cards,” he laughed.

In all, the Village Pourhouse has earned eight out of ten frosty mugs by us. Points are only subtracted because we know we will hate it when we are getting pushed around on a Saturday night and people are stepping on our toes trying to get to the door to have a smoke. But for any other time, it makes a pretty good neighborhood bar. Prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly, their beer selection is great, and hey, maybe Gary will tell you a joke or two.