The Maple Lounge is attached to a motel, and is tucked away on a stretch of Hastings Way which has been cut off from the main drag by the rebuilding of Business 53. I find it fascinating that it is across the street and slightly south and east from Ole’s Southside Tavern which is in Altoona, but the Maple Lounge is in the City of Eau Claire. When I pulled in, it was hard to find a parking spot. I thought it odd that on a Wednesday night, it was so crowded. The bar is nice, with high ceilings, and lots of wood. (Are you surprised?) I hit the end of happy hour, and the bar was full. I then noticed that the next door restaurant was full also….but folks did not seem to leave very often. Then the light bulb went on — it was poker night! Decent Long Island, and Leine’s on tap.
Manny’s Cocina is a Mexican restaurant on the back side of the mall. It is a new building, definitely styled to reflect what people think is Mexican-style. Drinks were good. I had the beef tacquitos which were not bad. Drinks were expensive (for Eau Claire). It was very quiet on a Thursday night, and the bartender was quite friendly. A plus is that as a restaurant, it is smok-free.
Chuck’s is #1 on the original list of 30….back before I knew how many there were. When I first drove by, because of the A-frame style of the building, I thought it was a church which had been converted. Once you go inside it clearly is not a conversion. It can be a busy place, but it is smoky. It is, however, sometime convenient.
