Eau Claire Regional Arts Center

I thought I would not ever drink here, but back in February, they held a “birthday party” to celebrate their 82nd birthday. [They have a new Executive Director who is ratcheting up the visibility of the organization.]

The bar was a simple “hotel/catering” bar, so no fancy drinks. The facility is great, and if you get to see a show there, I recommend it. Tuesdays in March they are featuring

JAZZ AT FIVE

which is free, and (no surprise) at 5 pm. Each week there is s different group playing. Go!!!

Survey

Even though this is a test, I will report on all responses received up to 100 responses, or one week.

Take the survey.

Bars not receiving a second review – Part Two

The following are not receiving a separate repost for reasons noted under each:

• Jericho’s (Day’s Inn)
  [Closed, the roads in the area are being re-configured, the hotel restaurant are is being remodeled, and the bar is closed.]
• Boston’s (pizza restaurant on Hastings Way)
  [It is a chain, it is loud, and it is mostly a "sports bar."]
• Green Mill (Holiday Inn)
  [It is a chain.]

Water Street: The Joynt, She-Nanigans/Lucky’s

I found myself on Water Street on a very frigid night. After my errands, I decided to visit a few watering holes.

First I wandered down to The Joynt. It is the only bar in town without any exterior sign announcing its presence. It is very clearly an established institution, and I did blog about its unique coasters.  However, you can’t beat the $0.75 drafts….even if the glasses are small. There was a regular crowd, and it seemed like it would get hopping.

Next I wandered the length of the street to Dooley’s for a quick draft. As a non-smoking bar, it is always a great place to stop.

Then it was back to the car. I was walking by She-Nanigans and decided to stop it. It was quite early and I was almost alone. I did notice that the place next door, Lucky’s was also open, and when I got inside, I could see that they were connected! Lucky’s has been under construction for a while, and I asked the bartender. He said that they are the “same place” and that Lucky’s plays different music (country, etc.). It is done in light colored rustic logs, and looks clean and bright. When I asked if the weather was keeping business down, he noted that the UWEC students return this weekend for classes to begin on Monday.

I had a quick drink at the Wigwam, and then home to bed.

Happy New Year

The new year has begun. This blog took a break for the holidays (families with bars don’t count for me, and besides are not any where near Eau Claire) and a further break for a trip to one of the Coasts. More following.

Bars not receiving a second review

There are several bars on the initial list which are not going to receive a second visit/review. I have included my best recollections. Some are chains. Do we need to talk about chains????

 Boston’s (I did not know this was a chain…but it is fairly antiseptic!)

Green Mill [I first thought this was local...but I was naive! They are all over!]

Stay tuned for the rest, and the other area bars (thanks Volume One!).  There are some others…but that will be a separate post!

The Blog is Famous

The latest issue (December 13) of Volume One features a box on page 48 with a few comments about this blog.

Thanks Volume One!

Porter’s (formerly Bistro)

The bar at the Ramada Inn, formerly known as Bistro, has opened under a new name. Today’s Leader-Telegram has a story on it. That inspired me to stop in this afternoon after my 4 pm meeting. It was happy hour time. I did not try the LIIT, but had a draft. However, no Leine’s. I had to settle for a New Glarus “Spotted Cow.”

It is a nicely appointed room, and the bar is separate from the restaurant, as the article points out. It has an intimate feel, and does not seem like a hotel bar, or part of a chain. Nicely done!

Wigwam (again)

I have posted about the Wigwam Tavern before. They were on the original list, had a brief reference on St. Patrick’s Day, and the first photo. I did talk about their “branch for the summer,” the Sports Depot, in a summer time review. They are the nameless bar which was referred to with a good bartender and great fried onion rings in the post about what makes a good bar. However, I have not written about the bar itself.

From the photo, you can probably guess that it is a downtown bar. It is a free standing building, and Dave, the owner, lives upstairs. About the only drawback is that it is not smoke-free. Behind the bar is a great art-deco styled bar with mirrors and hand painted scenes of wigwams. It has a cove ceiling in true art deco style. The bar itself is curved and the linoleum top is worn in spots from years of service. Most of the bar stools have backs (a huge plus). There is a pool table, and game machines (darts among them), and there are booths.

Our favorite bartender (Todd) works every other Sunday, but lucky for us has been there the past two Sundays for our visits. He makes a killer LIIT, and is great to talk to. When we don’t understand some aspect of bar life, he can always explain it to us (like Shake-A-Day).

They have a great food menu, and the daily specials (bottom of the first page) are great. In good weather, there is a sandwich board out front on the sidewalk to remind you of today’s special. There are people who go there for the food…and don’t even have an alcoholic drink! (Guy next to me yesterday had two large glasses of milk with his meal!!!) Not shown on the menu is the Sunday morning special “Wamlet.” That is a three egg omelet with your choice of meat (bacon, sausage, ham), vegetables (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes — we even got olives once), and cheese. It is served with hashbrowns and toast. Great choice for breakfast.

The Wigwam is a favorite!

[Oh, and they have other good bartenders, too! It is just that Todd is our fav!]

Dooley’s, Clancy’s, Houligans

It was a snowy day, but there were errands to run. very late morning found us on Water Street, and we decided to go back to Dooley’s. It is very clearly an Irish-themed bar (witness the big Irish flag on the Fifth Avenue side of the building). It has an appeal as a smoke-free establishment also.

They do serve food, although we did not eat there this time — we had a luncheon engagement. But there was a party of 8 or so in the back corner there for lunch, and a group which was clearly a UWEC student and his parents who came and sat at a table as we were preparing to leave. At the same time, it is clearly a bar, and has an interesting mezzanine level (which is probably worth exploring some time). Good Long Islands, and Leine’s on tap!

Later in the day found us downtown, early for an event at Houligans [the next part of the post]. We slopped through the snow into Clancy’s. It is a typical smoky tavern with tropical paintings on the walls, and sports on all the TVs. They have good Long Islands, and several beers on tap. The occupants on either side of us were having an extended conversation about the NFL Playoff picture, and it was fairly quiet on a snowy early Saturday afternoon.

Then it was time for the party at Houligans. I have commented on Houligan’s before, but need to add more. They had several parties there that evening, some just for dinner and others in separate rooms. There was a pretty full bar in our room, but no draft. At one point I ordered a Honey Weiss for which the bartender headed to another room and came back with a draft. The Long Islands were “city-priced” at $7 each, but the drinking partner really liked them (I thought that they had too much sour and not enough cola).

The food for the party was great, and the staff did a great job of keeping the food warmers full. One of the women there told a funny story about having been at a bar to watch the Packer’s game last Thursday. [It was one of those NFL Network deals, so unless you have a dish you could not see it. Since many bars have dishes, they advertised heavily and drew large crowds.] It was a long, sad (for her), smoky night. The next day she washed her sweatshirt, sweater, and blouse. She did not wash her brassiere because, as she said, “I wear these for more than one day!”She then went to get dressed. Her husband said “You reek of smoke!” She realized that the smoke in the bar had penetrated to her brassiere! That is a smoky bar!!! Houligans appears to be smoke-free.