Only when strip plazas are involved does it take me months to notice that certain restaurants have long taken root in them. Apparently others overlook these places too. In just the past 10 days, two friends asked if I’d eaten at the “new” Wit’s End located across the street from the Crest Café on Robinson Avenue. Curious over its jaunty name and touted beer list, I soon found myself washing down an artichoke sandwich with a cold French ale inside this funky little joint, which turns out, has actually been around for a year and a half!

So unpretentious and casual, you can settle in with a board game, catch an episode of “Queer Eye” or gawk endlessly at the 100 bottles of beer on the wall. Better yet, the food is cheap and maintains an unexpected level of high quality considering that the kitchen comes equipped with only a few omelet burners and tiny oven. Thankfully, the owners have no interest in squeezing in a microwave.

Neal Wasserman is the sole cook, which might explain the reasonable menu prices. He runs the place with his wife, Laurie Katherine.

“If I’m not here, we close,” says Wasserman, as he keeps pace with a steady stream of orders from patrons who seem more intent on chilling out than wolfing down a fast meal. And the demographic is modern-day Hillcrest. “We get the best cross-section of people – about half our clientele is gay,” he adds.

My dining companion and I took a crapshoot with the beer list, an emporium of international beers that even includes brews from Jamaica, Brazil and India. What we tried, we liked – a heavy glass bottle of crisp Fischer La Belle from France and a hoppy Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic.

From the appetizer list, we skipped over Seared Ahi (a yawner in my book these days), and zeroed in on a buttery-tasting Chicken Pesto Quesadilla and the Tomato Basil Mozzarella plate drizzled with the right balance of olive oil and balsamic. A cup of French Onion soup capped off our first course, which revealed a hint of hot spice and scads of sweet, wilted onions at the bottom.

For our main courses, my dinner cohort opted for Gary’s Bowl. We’re not sure who Gary is, but he definitely likes his meat, rice and soup combined. You choose from either meatloaf or pot roast, then pick from “today’s” or “yesterday’s” soup – and viola. The ingredients are mixed with rice and result in a warm, slurp-and-chew meal that we found thoroughly invigorating.

I landed in the menu’s vegetarian zone with an Artichoke Heart Sandwich on sourdough that was punched up with roasted garlic spread and melted mozzarella. A side of tarragon-infused potato salad with some of the skins left on was equally impressive.

Returning a few days later for lunch, I tried the Sloppy Crab & Shrimp Sandwich, a sweet medley of chopped shrimp with imitation and real crab meat stuffed between your choice of toasted bread. Compared to those typical noontime tuna and egg salad sandwiches, this one takes the prize. The mayonnaise is kept at a minimum and the fresh tomato and avocado slices add a blooming essence.

Though the menu features a lot of the usual suspects you’d find in most neighborhood joints (omelets, salads, paninis and BLTs), things like Soba Salad, Stroganoff and Ginger Crème Brulee exceed the played-down atmosphere. There are only about eight tables inside, plus a lunch counter that works as both a beer bar and eating mantle. Two televisions are perched above. Napkins and silverware are scattered around in glass mugs. And magazines and newspapers piled near the front door add to the loafing ambience.

The Wit’s End is a refreshing and friendly cheap-eat kind of place. What you read on the menu is what you get. No bad surprises. No unidentifiable flavors. Just good homey fare that stoops to the taste buds before fueling you up.