On Saturday afternoon Toney and I wanted to go out for our traditional two pints each, but neither of us had much enthusiasm for the yuppie bar. It always smells like disinfectant in there, and there are far too many socks-less loafers shuffling around.
Bennigan’s offers a surprisingly good lineup of beers, but the place has the atmosphere of one of those display kitchens at Home Depot. And the clientele is often a little… sad.
We don’t like to venture too far from home, so what to do? Jim Dandy’s is gone, Toney won’t set foot in the dive bar, and those are pretty much our options. We’ve basically been adrift, without a decent public house to call our own.
Then one of us suggested a bar/restaurant we wrote off several years ago. I can’t remember exactly why we stopped going there, the food was pretty good, I think. But I seem to remember it smelling like a wet dog all the time, like the carpeting had been mildly moist since Watergate.
And I also recall having a few beers in their bar, when I first moved to Pennsylvania, and it was so smoky you practically needed a miner’s helmet to navigate the joint. I know bars are often smoke-filled (oh, I know bars), but this place was ridiculous. I always felt like throwing my clothes away, and taking a bath in tomato juice.
But, Toney reminded me, smoking isn’t allowed in bars and restaurants anymore… So maybe it was worth a revisit?
And it most certainly was. The place has a real pub-feel, there were lots of neighborhood folks in there enjoying the golden elixir, and a respectable lineup of drafts was available. We both chose a Sierra Nevada to start, and the bartender was friendly and welcoming.
Wow. And this was available to us all along?! For some unknown reason we’d canceled it out in our minds, to the point where we didn’t even see it when we drove past anymore. You know how that happens? A decision is made, and that’s that, even after the original reason is forgotten?
We went with Bass Ale for the second round, and marveled at the collection of regular folks, just out having a few beers on a late Saturday afternoon. I didn’t see any chronic drunks, white trash itching to stab something, or anyone sobbing uncontrollably. It was our kind of crowd.
The only small downside? The beers were $4.50 each. If they’d been one dollar cheaper, I’d be ready to proclaim it PERFECT. But after our long tortured search for an appropriate drinkery… I‘ll pay the extra four bucks per week without (too much) bitchin‘.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we might’ve found our place. Our quest might finally be at an end! …I’m sorry, I’m getting a little emotional here.
Next weekend, however, we’ll be doing a rare birthday edition of the Saturday two-pints, and going all the way to (gasp!) Scranton. Toney’s birthday is on Sunday, so we’re going to start the festivities at Cooper’s (300 bottled beers, 35 taps), and see where that leads us.
And if all goes well, we might do it again in a couple of weeks, when it’s my birthday. Dat’s right.
Unfortunately, on the same day we experienced our grand pub breakthrough, we also found out the local Don Pablo’s has gone out of business. And that eats it from the ass-in.
Yeah, I know it’s a chain restaurant, and completely Americanized, blah, blah, blah. But we enjoyed it. In fact, it was one of our favorites.
When we lived in southern California we were spoiled by the kick-ass Mexican food on almost every corner, and I always wondered if I was losing my edge by liking Don Pablo’s so much when we got to PA. Every time I scarfed down another of their delicious platters of goodness, I had a nagging concern my standards were slipping.
And that might be true, but I don‘t care. I’m going to miss that place. We ate there at least once a month, for eight years. It’s in our blood.
Why are you abandoning us, Don?! I thought we were friends? Please come back! We need you!!
There is another Mexican restaurant nearby, but I had one of those (ahem) Sunshine-style run-ins with the management staff the only time we were there.
I think I might have to lobby the family for a revisit, since the one on Saturday worked out so well… I’ll let you know how that goes.
Some of you might already be aware of this, but today is Election Day. Right after I hit PUBLISH on this update, I’m going to cast my votes, over at the school administration building.
I’m not going to tell you my choice for president (longtime readers shouldn’t have a problem figuring it out), but I will tell you who I voted for in my FIRST presidential election: Walter Mondale in 1984.
And my guy received 13 electoral votes, versus 525 for Reagan. Heh.
Let’s not get into a big political brawl here, I think we’ve all had just about enough of that particular turd fiesta. But I’m interested in the first presidential candidate you voted for, in a general election. Use the comments link below to tell us about it.
Also, did anything interesting happen to you while voting today? Or do you even plan to vote? Bring us up to date, won’t you?
I’ll leave you now with yet another sign I’m getting really old, and tie it all together with a punk(ish) song about drinking and Election Day. I tried to think of one about drinking, Election Day, and Mexican food, but couldn’t come up with one. So this will have to do.
See you guys tomorrow.
Brandy,
Love that picture. WOO HOO! Cute.
Yeah, it’s the same people. The rubber neckers, the people that stomp their brakes at green lights, the assrabbits of this world. Thank God for making it so that all people eventually die.
To the death of such sluts I go rejoicing.
I’m starting to get a hangover. I’m up to my ass in alligators over here. I don’t do hangovers. So I guess I’ll go get some more booze and attempt to stay drunk indefinitely – that seems like a good idea.
Hey Lew in Bama,
Q: What do you tell a woman with 2 black eyes?
A: Nothing. She’s already been told twice.
Since I’m Canadian, and liberal atheist commie, my first vote (’79?) was for was Pierre Elliot Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, still our best ever Prime Minister.
We don’t vote for leader seperate from representatives or Senators.
In Canada, the ballot’s real simple, you only have to make a single X with a pencil, and you’re done.
ID, check your name on the the list, recieve ballot, make an x, fold it, drop in the box, bye bye.
We had an election a couple of weeks back, I don’t think voting took me 2 minutes.
I voted for the Liberal this time too, but the Conservatives took it, locally and nationally.
Of course Candian Conservatives, are probably a bit left of American Democrats.
I just love capturing a moment like that… one person taking a photo, another taking my beer from me, and yet another trying to give me a napkin to wipe the beer out of my eye.
Some call it a rough night, I call it SUCCESS!
Hair of the dog, Jason. Hair of the dog.
I would like to announce myself as a candidate for President in 2012. Now everyone can spin in yhier graves.
yheir = thier
Lew in Bama, Don’t be sexist, Bitches hate that.
I AM a bitch…haha I’m a traditional woman, believe in traditional roles. Think the 50’s and 60’s.
And I’m serious, I really don’t think women should be leaders in politics or religion.
Only in the absence of a qualified man should a woman lead.
Lew in Bama, it pains me to say this but women have been in power since Eve. I could go nowhere with out my leading woman Tiff. Now I will be quiet and crawl back in my corner.
Lew?
Damn. We are worlds apart.
No Don Pablos, No Macaroni Grill and No Nothing But Noodles. And these places were always packed? Why are they vanishing? *weep*
Oh Jeff I just had a flashback. In ’82 I got my first real job in radio in Nashville Tennessee. I was 21, the perfect age for the ’80’s after the dismal ’70, When I started at WKDA it was a music of you life station with NASCAR and the Nashville Sounds baseball games. As luck would have it within 3 months the station experimented with “New Rock” and we became the “Rock of the 80’s” . GD I was hot shit and lovin’ life. Listening to X New World made me feel young again not old. I went on to a career in radio but nothing ever beat those first years with fresh new music in a New World. Many Thanks, erin
wow. looks like i’m done with this website! women who willingly take off their shoes and stay in the kitchen, and people who actually believe that war is good and the constitution is bad.