by the eu professional drinkers
There is no doubt that there are plenty of bars on the Southside, apparently it is where most transplants to our city move to first. We tried to focus a good deal of our attention on the Town Center, to fit in line with our feature this week, but there isn’t much in the way of watering holes in the Town Center, much to the chagrin of fathers and husbands that might not be as interested in retail shopping. So we ventured out to experience the Southside from Tinseltown, the landmark that started turning this swampland into a viable economic area, to Town Center, the newest of the new that Southside’s “uptown” has to offer.
Address: 4372 Southside Boulevard, Suite 101
Type of Place: A cigar, wine, and martini bar with a dining area.
Serving: A wide selection of mixed drinks and flavored martinis, very good scotches and whiskeys, gourmet food, and 700 different types of cigars.
Atmosphere: Upscale establishment with 3 different bars, one of which is a private club.
Amenities: Very clean dining area and bars, a large humidor with any kind of cigar you desire and a cool ice bar to keep your drink cold without watering it down. They also feature live music on the weekends.
Specials: Happy hour is Monday - Friday from 4 pm-7 pm, $1 off beers, $2 off liquor drinks, and $1.50 off wines. Thursday nights they have a DJ and $1 Bud and Bud Light on draft all night. They always have a cigar of the month at 20% off. For the month of April the brand is Camacho.
Puff, puff, give! Aromas must have been invented by the most genius of guy’s guys. This upscale bar is nice and casual during the day, which is great for sitting with some pals and shootin the sheet while you puff on a tasty stogie and sip a fine scotch. At night there is a business casual dress code, so don’t come straight from the beach in your flops. Their bar features the best scotches and whiskies, as well as hard-to-find bottled imports and microbrews, and a great selection of wines and flavored martinis. The food ranges from ahi tuna appetizers to crab stuffed flounder entrees, and the waitresses serve you in cute corsets and skirts. Buy a membership to the private club or belly up to the other two bars and enjoy yourself. And don’t forget to check out the Thursday night party scene.
-John Dooling
Address: 9735 Gate Parkway (Next to Tinseltown)
Type of Place: Restaurant, microbrewery, and full liquor bar
Serving: Microbrews, premium and call liquor drinks, house wines and a full menu.Atmosphere: Classic northern bar décor with industrial fixtures. Expect brick and steel everywhere you look in this spacious one-room restaurant with plenty of outdoor patio seating, including a beer garden.
Amenities: Tournament-sized pool tables, live acoustic music on Thursday and Friday nights, open mic in the beer garden on Monday nights.
Drink Specials: Monday – Sunday, 4 pm – 7 pm
Is there such thing as corporate chic? This Southside bar boasts microbrews like you will find at other Gordon Birsch locations (A1A Aleworks, Ragtime) but with different names. The beer may be brewed here on the premises, but the crowd is all owned by Merrill Lynch, Blue Cross, and other area mega-employers. Find yourself a wife with high-expectations or land a man on his way up the corporate ladder. You can’t get your regular beer here, but if Steve is bartending, ask him to play cocktail and toss some bottles or blow fire. He does it all. Watch them prepare your food in the open kitchen or chill on the patio and try to ignore that nagging desire to put your resume on Monster.com.
-Johnny St. Thomas
Address: 9734 Deer Lake Court
Type of Place: Pizzeria with a bar and outdoor patio
Serving: Specialty pizzas, hoagies, calzones, pretzels, salads, and a full bar.
Atmosphere: A comfortable, casual, retro 60’s-style dining room with a small bar and an outdoor patio.
Amenities: The restaurant is very clean from the dining area to the bathrooms. 24 imported beers on tap, bottled microbrews, and liquors range from top-shelf to well drinks. Live music 6 to 7 days a week.
Drink Specials: Happy hour Monday - Friday from 3 pm – 7 pm & 10 pm – Close: $1 off drafts and wines, liquor drinks are 1/2 price. On Tuesdays they offer 2 for 1 margaritas and Thursdays are ladies’ nights with $2.50 Stoli drinks and $1 wine from 6 pm - 9 pm.
I’ve seen the pie in the sky and it’s at the Mellow Mushroom. Round up your friends and drop in for a good time. The first thing you’ll notice when you enter is the cool painted decor, mainly the gigantic psychedelic mural on the wall featuring all of the greatest 60’s rockers sharing a pie. Then you’ll notice the smell of delicious food. There are a myriad of pizzas, calzones, salads, and hoagies to choose fromm and they are all good. If you’re in the mood for a drink, try one of their many imports on tap or a top-shelf liquor drink. Sit indoors and take in the atmosphere or rest outdoors and groove to the stylings of one of the many bands that regularly play. It’s mellow, it’s casual, it’s fun and it’s worth the trip.
-John Dooling
Address: Town Center, next to Kilwins Ice Cream
Type of Place: Restaurant and Wine Bar
Serving: More than 120 domestic and imported premium wines by the glass or by the bottle.ATMOSPHERE: Upscale and intimate wine bar.
Amenities: They feature live jazz every Friday and Saturday night.
Drink Specials: Wednesdays, from 5 pm – 7 pm they have a tasting featuring 3 half-glasses (2.5 oz) white for $10, 3 red for $12 and premium half-glasses for $20. On Saturdays, from 1pm – 4 pm they feature 2 white half-glasses and 2 red half-glasses for $10.
From the outside it looks like another yuppie trap, but it is actually tasteful in its burgundy tones, wooden adornments, and various illuminating fixtures. While the art is monolithic and dull, the dominance of wine bottles, glasses, and stylish fixtures give the eye plenty to absorb without being too much. The atmosphere is smartly balanced and subdued to make the wine and food the main attraction. Outside seating is available and to nobody’s surprise, Dave Matthews is the album of choice.
–Brenton Crozier
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