David Ciccolo and Ailish Gilligan, co-owners of Anam Cara Publick House , not only are students of beer -- they have 24 beers on draft and 150 in bottles -- they know how to make great food, and they understand how food and beer enhance each other's flavors. (And they have impeccable taste in the mix of music they put in their jukebox.) Everything on the menu at this cozy, comfortable beer bar and restaurant is excellent, from the baked brie en croute to the mussels steamed in Belgian-style white beer. Take the suggestion given on the food menu for a beer to match your dinner choice, and you'll have a meal that will take your mind off the thesis you're trying to formulate on Foucault's writings.

Anam Cara Publick House is at 1648 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-277-2880. Open Sun.-Fri. 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sat. 5 p.m- 1 a.m.