Mousetrap, Houligans, Bottle and Barrel

The latest adventure was downtown. There, the bars are close enough together to park once and walk, although last night was plenty chilly. It wasn’t the cold as much as the brutal wind out of the North.

Our first stop was the Mousetrap. It is an interesting bar in the northern end of downtown. There were a bunch of regulars. The Long Islands were acceptable.

Houligan’s is the most “upscale” of the places we have visited so far (except perhaps the Bistro in the Ramada Inn). We walked in the door on Barstow Street, but sitting in the bar, it looked like there is at least one other entrance. I’ll have wander more during the day — when it is warmer. The Long Islands were not great, and were the most expensive we have had. They were the same price as in St. Paul! While they have a wide selection of beers, I did not see any Leinies on tap here.

Our last stop on this jaunt was Bottle and Barrel. From the outside it looks like a real dive, inside is not nearly as bad. This place is clearly set up to do a lot of “off premises” sales. There is a huge area in the main bar which is stocked like what a New Englander would call a small package store. I have even seen packies with less selection than this store! The Long Islands were good, and were cheap.