When you walk into Sauce Italian Grill & Pub in downtown Adrian, your first impression might be that it would be a nice place to meet a few friends after work, or after seeing one of the productions at the Croswell Opera House, located around the corner. Sauce’s entrance has a long bar on the left and some tables on the right with what look like vintage photos on the wall above them, and it’s not a large space.

But Sauce is more than that, you discover, when the hostess leads you down the hall to a large dining room with a view of part of the kitchen, more interesting photos on the walls, windows overlooking an attractive outdoor patio, and the sound of Italian music all adding to the atmosphere.