Monthly Archives: November 2008

Cheers | Boston, MA

By pdo | Published: November 25, 2008
Sooooooooo, it’s not what you expect.  That’s the first thing you should know.  It’s correct on the outside — the view from Beacon Street is perfect.  The inside is different.  You want to sit in Norm’s seat?  Head to Faneuil Hall and drink at the TV set replica. That said, you’ll have to go and [...]
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Hard Rock Casino | Las Vegas, NV

By Grayson III | Published: November 25, 2008
I say, old chap, what a jolly place to get a drink!  All you do is sit in front of one of the whirlymajigs and a chesty barmaid brings you cocktails.  Of course you have to keep depositing those funny American coins into the contraption to keep it spinning, but as long as it keeps [...]
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Elephant and Castle | The Loop, Chicago

By Ben | Published: November 24, 2008
A concept bar (I didn’t realize this for a long time, the three Chicago locations probably should have tipped me off, but I think that speaks to the quality of the place. I’ll also go out on a limb here and say this review is interchangeable for all three of those, and maybe the rest [...]
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Bar Jamón | Gramercy Park, Manhattan

By pdo | Published: November 24, 2008
“Go at 5, so you can get a seat,” was my sister’s advice. Which is good advice for a bar with 10 stools. We didn’t heed it on our second visit. Strolled in at 9ish after dinner. It was packed. We looked at each other. Did we want to fight this? Did we really need [...]
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Violet Hour | Wicker Park, Chicago

By pdo | Published: November 24, 2008
Less is more. So true. You know what you’re doing, you don’t need choices. Make everybody the same perfect drink. Start to slide? Bring on choice. Like a Denny’s or an Olive Garden — too damn many food choices. Violet Hour is starting to slide. And it’s too bad. I don’t line up to drink. [...]
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Burwood Tap | Lincoln Park, Chicago

By pdo | Published: November 24, 2008
I hate this place. I cannot be more clear. I hate it more because it should be great. It should be a neighborhood bar with regulars in overalls and cheap beer and jovial, coarse barmaidens (with ample cleavage). It should be the place where your usual is getting poured as you walk in after work. [...]
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Rulloff’s | Ithaca, NY

By pdo | Published: November 23, 2008
Named after the robber and murderer Edward Rulloff, whose famous last words were “Hurry it up! I want to be in hell in time for dinner,” you go here for the cheap pitchers of beer, scantily-clad under-age women, and the loud music. It is a college bar in Ithaca’s Collegetown. It is a perfect college [...]
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Club Lago | Near North Side, Chicago

By pdo | Published: November 23, 2008
If you get a 16-ounce drink at a bar, it should be a beer. If it’s a martini, leave. Say goodbye to the Cheesecake Factory, or wherever you happen to be, it’s a shithole. Cocktails are supposed to be 1) strong and 2) not huge. Ever wonder why Hemmingway was able to down so many [...]
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