There are few college campus restaurants that serve a 12-ounce glass of beer that’s 11 percent alcohol. But Mad Mex in the South Campus Gateway accomplishes this grandiose feat.

The Gateway has graced Ohio State’s south campus with many new restaurants. The first critique on the eatery list is of the Tex-Mex restaurant Mad Mex.

The atmosphere at Mex is the first thing to hit a customer as they enter the front doors on a Saturday night. The restaurant is dimly lit, but not so dark that it’s hard to see. The music is there and recognizable – like A-ha’s “Take on me.”

There was no problem getting a seat and the waitress arrived and was surprisingly eager to introduce my guests and me to Mex’s specialty drinks and draft brews.

Being a self-proclaimed beer connoisseur, I was particularly interested in Mex’s draft selection, which is quite unique and extensive. The waitress said the restaurant is one of few that carry the entire Rogue line of beers, an Oregon-based micro-brewery. She decided that I would enjoy the $5.50 Rogue Imperial Stout beer (an 11.6 percent alcohol beer served in a 12-ounce glass), also known as the “Emperor of Ales.” Those with me decided that a $6, 22-ounce margarita can’t be beat and ordered it.

The stout was exactly that, yet regal, like some dwarven emperor sitting on his throne deep under the roots of some mountain.

The brew had a black color with brown foam and came in a wine glass that was short and stout – as it should be.

Going down, the Imperial Stout had more flavor than most beer drinkers could handle. It would be sexist to say that no female would like a beer like the “Emperor” – it’s harshly bitter – but some girls out there like that kind of thing.

I found the imperial brew’s taste quite fitting when used to wash down the spicy salsa’s that came with our appetizer, the Pickadippa.

The waitress said the Pickadippa is the appetizer everybody orders, so it was our appetizer choice of the night. The choice, however, was tougher than initially thought; we had eight salsas of which we could only pick three. We decided on the spicy hot pineapple-habanero, guacamole and Kaya Yucatan black bean dip. The supply of chips was endless, so we made sure to finish off each dip.

The guacamole was obviously made fresh before the order. No mistake there.

The bean dip was fresh as well and was a good basic food to get rid of the sting that came from the pineapple-habanero, which went almost perfectly with my imperial stout. As long as I kept the rotation from bean dip to habanero, then to my stout, all went well. The variety of tastes coming from one table was quite luxurious.

Before the salsas were gone, I spent a moment away from my lovely stout to look at the menu for a main dish choice.

Mad Mex offers a variety of dishes, but after a full inspection and sip from imperial stout, it came down to the carnitas quesadilla.

I actually finished my stout before my quesadilla arrived, but I had a good backup to go with it, a Stoney Creek Vanilla Porter ($5.00), which was also recommended by the waitress because she said it tasted like a Guiness with vanilla in it – meaning it’s a dark beer that even girls like, I suppose.

Still, the vanilla porter was a good addition to my carnitas quesadilla, which was well worth the $8.75. The tortilla was crispy and flaky, while the pork – slow-roasted in garlic, cilantro and beer – was juicy and tender; so juicy, in fact, that I couldn’t keep it from dripping off the table. When all was said and done, there was still room for some dessert.

With a quick glance at the dessert menu, it was blatantly clear the choice of the evening was Mex’s sopapillas. The description written on the menu captured our dessert interest right away leaving nothing but great anticipation after we ordered: “Fluffy fried pillows of fresh dough drizzled with your choice of honey or chocolate sauce.”

Almost needless to say, the sopapillas satisfied the sweet tooth. But they didn’t go too well with my vanilla porter. But water did fine. The sopapillas tasted as the menu described. I was not at all disappointed by the soft dough melting in my mouth accompanied by warm honey and powdered sugar. There are not many better ways to spend $3.50.

All in all the food, drink and atmosphere of Mad Mex is far above the average campus Mexican restaurant. But these comforts come with a price. With $5 beers and $8 quesadillas, Mex is a bit expensive, but still makes a good place to take that lovely lady for a nice dinner and alcoholic brew right on campus in the Gateway.