#3 Spiro's Scioto Inn

3140 Riverside Drive, 43221 (map)

SNAP! CRACK! "Aaarrrggghhhh!" "Where is it?"

Andy was crashing through the woods, growing more and more frustrated.

"DAMN IT!" "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?"

He was screaming now, at no one in particular. We were looking for a little yellow Frisbee. A golf disc, to be precise. He'd thrown it into the woods just a few minutes ago, and now we couldn't find it. Actually, it was more of a thicket than a woods, and you could see well worn paths through it from the many other people that had lost their discs there.

"WHERE THE HELL IS IT?" "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

We'd stopped to play Frisbee golf after work last Tuesday, before checking out Spiro's Scioto Inn. A few minutes turned into five, then eight, then ten. People were waiting now, wanting to play through.

"Should I wave them on, Andy?" I asked.

"ITS GOT TO BE HERE SOMEWHERE!" he screamed back.

We finally found it, a few feet above ground resting on a branch, hidden in plain view.

The same thing could be said for Spiro's. It's sits right by the side of Riverside Drive in the Upper Arlington area, but you may have never noticed it. And if you had happened to see the sign, you might not have realized what kind of place it was. Andy said he originally though it was a bed and breakfast or something because it was called an Inn. But he's been coming here for a while now on Tuesday's after Frisbee golf. That seemed true, as the waitress and bartender seemed to know him, and they kind of jokingly treated me and our other friend Steve as newbies. Ha! Yeah, that's funny.

The place did seem to be filled with what you would call "Regulars," though. The small, freestanding building is divided into two halves, with one side making up the well stocked bar and the other strictly a dining room. Families and small groups were scattered about the dining room, and the bar was surprisingly full, with a slightly older crowd than I'm used to. Refreshing, actually.

With a predominantly Greek menu, but also featuring an alarming number of deep fried dishes, the food here is adequate yet not outstanding. Andy swears by the Gyro's, and his traditional gyro seemed well stocked with meat, vegetables and covered in sauce. Steve ordered the same and liked it as well, and he's a picky eater. He did say the cole slaw was strange looking, but was very tasty. I ordered the souvlaki appetizer, skewered pork marinated in Greek herbs and olive oil and red wine vinegar. My only wish, that I'd ordered more than one. Next time I will.

Rating: (1-5)

3 Pints

(I'd rate the restaurant higher than the bar, but averaged it comes out to a 3.)

Would I go back?

I probably will go back, especially for the Greek food. Since I visited on a weeknight, there wasn't much happening in the bar area.

Fresh as a Daisy

I'm filling in for Daisy as I'd scheduled this visit without consulting her and it turns out she couldn't make it. She has made it very clear to me that I'm not to do that again. Whoops, next week we're visiting Skully's and she'll be out of town! Hey Daisy, get your priorities straight.

Anyway, Daisy suggested that I sneak into the ladies room and snap off a few pictures and she could do the rating from that. No thanks, Daisy. I'd rather not risk serving time in the county jail just for some silly Ladies' room review. Oh, did I say silly? Sorry, I meant that it's the most important part of this whole blog, but probably not worth getting arrested over. You understand, right?

I think it's safe to say that we can interpolate from the men's bathroom that the ladies' room is very nice. Of all the places I've ever been in, the ladies' room is always nicer than the men's room. How do I know that, you ask? Uh, well, good question. But it's true, isn't it? The men's room at Spiros is very clean and modern, and well stocked with soap, paper towels, etc. A nice touch was the can of Lysol Spray Room Freshener on the back of the toilet. Must have something to do with the Greek food.

Rating: (1-5)

4.5 Daisys

(I'd say 5, but I'm not sure what a 5 bathroom would look like, exactly. I guess that would be the Holy Grail of bathrooms.)

As mentioned, our next visit is to Skully's (map, web) on Thursday, September 6th, for Ladies Eighties night. Hope you can make it.

#2 Andyman's Treehouse Tavern

887 Chambers Rd. 43212 (map, web)

"Are you a wussy?" the bartender said.

"What? I'm sorry?" I replied.

"Are you a wussy?" he repeated.

Did he just call me a wussy? I thought. What's this?, we've just walked in and this guy's calling me a wussy. I don't know how to answer, exactly, I mean, I'm not even sure I know exactly what a wussy is. I lean over the bar, to hear better. "Yeah, I'm not sure what you said." trying once more to understand. If he says it again it's go time, pal! I'm thinking.

"Are you here to see the Wussys?" He speaks louder now, so I can hear him.

"Oh, yeah, well no, I mean, I guess so." I manage to utter. "Is that one of the bands playing tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah", he says. "I figured you were here to see them, or maybe one of the other bands."

"Right, yeah, what time do they start?" I ask, trying to recover and at least sound mildly aware of why I'm there.

"Not till 10:00 - 10:30." he answers. "Not sure who's playing first."

"Oh," I say. "Oh," says Daisy, my companion this night. It's 8:30. We have almost two hours to wait before the first band starts playing.

One advantage to arriving early to Andyman's Treehouse Tavern is you can beat the cover charge. But two hours is a long time to wait around, and other than a pool table, there's not a lot to do. After a quick beer we decided to go get something to eat and come back later. Joe (Jejune Joe, who is not Snarky Tim) at the door was nice enough to give us a secret code to get back in without paying the cover. When we returned he remembered us so we didn't get to use the code, but we did get a shot of Joe with Daisy, in front of the soon to be reviewed Ladies Room.

The one feature of Andyman's Treehouse that you're not likely to find anywhere else is of course the tree growing up through the floor and out the roof of the building. Let me just say that the tree is really something to see. It's huge, and takes up a large portion of the room that the bands play in. Great, unless you got stuck standing behind the tree. I often found myself peering around the side trying to get a glimpse of the band. That aside, this is a great place to see a band, as the small room means that you are immersed in sound. After 3 or 4 songs, we had to take a break to the main room to give our hearing a rest. But, wow, it was intense. Really cool.

First up on this night was the Kyle Sowashes, who I liked a lot. For some reason I felt the desire to buy a t-shirt, probably because they were sitting on the table right next to me. I was gonna leave the money on the table, but Daisy didn't think it would stay there too long, so we tracked down Kyle to pay him. He was cool to talk to and we got a great pic of him making the face that is printed on the shirt. Thanks, Kyle.

Next up was Wussy and it was worth the wait. This band from Cincinnati really rocked the place. I'm no music reviewer, by any means, but I was impressed with the quality of the bands here this night. And all for only $5.00. The Cusaks were up last, and they were pretty good too, although by that time our hearing was so battered that we retreated to the main room for most of their set. I was a little disappointed that neither John nor Joan Cusak were in the band. Oh well.

Rating: 1-5
4 Pints

Would I go back?
Yes, Definitely. Just not too early.



Fresh as a Daisy Bathroom Rating

I am so excited to write my first review for "Fresh as a Daisy". As you may have already read in Chris's posts, the blog will be hosting a women's bathroom rating.

I know this seems to be an odd thing to rate, but if Chris can rate 80 bars in Columbus, why can't I rate 80 bar bathrooms? Besides, I think this will be helpful for both men and women. Men, if you are taking a woman out on a date, wouldn't you want to know that the bar bathroom your date will use will be pleasant? Women, if you know you are going to a certain bar, wouldn't you want to know what to expect? Exactly.

So, on to Andyman's...when I first walked into the bar, my first impression was "dive". As Chris mentioned, we were very early and the place was dead. Immediately, I was thinking this is going to be a long night. The place looked like a basement with a stocked bar. There was a leather sofa sitting area, accessorized with an Elvis lamp and a little coffee table. The bar stools are that 1970's black vinyl high back kind that squeak when you swivel. Needless to say, I was expecting the bathroom to be comparable.

The women's bathroom is tucked away in a corner of the bar. It's a single stall long rectangular bath with light purple walls. What impressed me most was that throughout the night, the room was well stocked with paper towels, toilet paper, and hand soap. Being a healthcare professional, hand soap and paper towels are a necessity. The bathroom, was clean and there were no apparent plumbing problems. Ladies, bad luck if you are looking for a full length mirror. The only mirror is a gold framed mirror that is directly above the sink basin, with adequate lighting for makeup touchups.

Rating: 1-5
3.5 Daisys.

Definitely would go back just to watch some of the bands, and will probably have to visit the bathroom during the course of the night.



Next stop, were going to visit Spiro's Scioto Inn on Tuesday, about 6:30, after Andy and Harry play frisbee golf. Join us!

Spiro's, 3140 Riverside Drive, 43221 (map)

Taking Off?

I sent out an email to a lot of my friends this week, and all in all I got a pretty good response to my new adventure. I had some interesting comments/questions though, and want to address them here.

1. I want to make this clear, in case any young impressionable people read this, that Around Columbus in 80 Bars is not about the drinking! This is an effort on my part to expand my experiences, go beyond my ordinary routine, and add a new dimension to my life. I could have chose to go to 80 parks, or 80 restaurants, or 80 anything really. The idea that came to me was 80 Bars, though, so that's what I'm going with.
   
   
2. I had several people suggest that I should do 80 bars in 80 days. Umm, I don't really want to have to enter rehab after this, so I think I'll stretch it out a bit longer than that. Plus, again, it's all about the experience, kind of like savoring a fine wine. (No wait, scratch that, I just said it's not about the drinking.) It's kind of like a fine cheese, spread on the cracker of...life, to be eaten one at a time. (I can't believe I just said that.)

Going to #2 on the list tonight, Andyman's Treehouse Tavern. While this may be a well known place among a certain crowd, I think it fits my criteria as an out of the way, unique place. I mean, c'mon, how many bars have a tree growing through them?

Something that I had considered a potential problem had cropped up already, though, and that is getting people to go with me on these little adventures. Sure, people say they might go, blah blah blah, but somehow things always seem to come up. I'm understanding of course, but this experience will be greatly enhanced by having companions. I thought I was going to have to go solo tonight, but then things turned around when my friend Daisy called and said she was going! Another plus is that Daisy has promised to write, and there's no way to be delicate about this, bathroom reviews. Women's bathroom reviews, specifically. I think were going to call her feature "Fresh as a Daisy" or something like that. Now you really have something to look forward to!

The List - 80 Bars

This is the list of 80 bars I (and hopefully you) will be visiting. Since I can't come up with 80 places off the top of my head, send me your ideas by email or leave them in the comments. I'll be updating the list regularly.

1. Mickey's Old Timers Tavern , (map) Friday, 8/10
   1230 W. 5th Avenue, 43212
   Old timers are always interesting.
   
   
2. Andyman's Treehouse, (map, web) - Saturday, 8/25, 8:00 pm
   887 Chambers Rd. 43212
   There's a tree, in the bar!
   
   
3. Spiro's Scioto Inn - Tuesday, (map) - 8/28, 6:30 pm
   3140 Riverside Drive, 43221
   A great place for a cold one after Frisbee Golf.
   
   
4. Skully's Music-Diner, (map, web) - Thursday, 9/6, 6:00 pm
   1151 N. High St., 43201
   A well known place, but I had a request for a visit on Ladies Eighties Night
   
   
5. MOMO 2, (map, web) Friday, 8/21, 5:00 pm
   2885, Olentangy River Rd. 43202
   Drinks, bowling, pool, karaoke. All the ingredients for a great time.
   
   
6. Johnnie's Tavern, (map) Friday, 8/28, 8:30 pm
   3503 Trabue Rd. 43204
   Fried bologna sandwiches. I feel sick already.
   
   
7. Glenn Avenue Grill, (map)
   1491 Glenn Avenue, 43212
   I used to live on Glenn Ave, back in the day, but never visited. It's time.
   
   
8. High Five Bar & Grille, (map, web)
   1227 N. High St., 43201
   
   
9. Thirsty Ear Tavern, (map, web)
   1200 W. 3rd Ave., 43212
   
   
10. Betty's Bar (Not Betty's Fine Food & Spirits) (map)
    
    435 W Nationwide Blvd., 43215
    
    
    
11. Barrister's (map)
    560 S. High St. 43215
    
    
12. Byrne's Pub, (map, web) Friday, 1/11/2008, 5:30 pm
    1248 W 3rd Ave, 43212
    
    
13. Mac's, (map)
    693 N High Street, 43215
    
    
14. Club 185, (map)
    185 E. Livingston Ave., 43215
    
    
15. The Rack, (map)
    1605 W. 5th Ave., 43212
    
    
16. BOMA the Bar of Modern Art (map, web )
    595 E. Broad St., 43215
    
    
17. Otie's Old Hilliard Inn & Pub (map)
    5344 Center St., 43026
    
    
18. High-Beck Corner Tavern (map)
    564 S. High St. 43215
    
    
    

The 80 Bars Mission

Around Columbus in 80 Bars is an idea that came to me one day, as I said in this previous post, when I was invited to a bar I'd never been to, but that I'd known about for probably 15 years or more. I wondered why I'd never been there, or even considered going there, really. I realized that sometimes you just need a reason to go to a certain place; someone invites you, a good band is playing, convenient location, etc.

Then I started thinking about how to come up with some reasons to go to those places without relying on pure chance or circumstances. Reasons to go to those places that you never even considered going to because they just didn't seem like your kind of place. Reasons to go to those places that maybe you'd wanted to go but just never got around to.

But I couldn't come up with any, really. Not any good ones anyway. Then I remembered something from my college days down in Athens, at Ohio U. A place called, well I can't remember exactly, but I think it was O'Hooley's or something like that, (Help me out here, fellow Bobcats.), had a thing called Around the World in 80 Beers. The gist was you sampled beers from around the world over time, and when you reached 80, you got a t-shirt. (Woohoo!) College students are easily entertained.

So, taking these two disparate ideas and creating a new one, I came up with Around Columbus in 80 Bars! It also plays to the fact that Columbus was an explorer, and the book titled Around the World in 80 Days, and...oh well, you get the idea. Yeah, maybe I'm thinking about this a little too much.

So the mission of Around Columbus in 80 Bars is to visit those places that are tucked in out of the way places, neighborhood bars, local establishments, and the like. We will not be visiting any BW3's, bars with tv's all over the place, or sports themed bars. We may visit some popular places, but ones that have a unique aspect to them, that are out of the ordinary.

I'll be making a list and keeping it on this site, but I need your help. I can probably come up with about 10 places, but I need your ideas, places you've noticed in your travels around town, or heard about, and think would be good candidates.

Then I want you to go there with me, and tell me what you think. This idea would be much better experienced as a group, with old friends, and hopefully some new ones too. I'll try to create some kind of schedule, or we can make impromptu visits to places. Leave me your email or some way to get in touch, and we'll go from there, on a trip around Columbus, in 80 bars.

1. Mickey's Oldtimers Tavern

1230 W. 5th Avenue, 43212 (map)

Let me just say that this place fits the bill of a place I normally wouldn't have gone into without good reason. The "good reason" this night was the appearance of The 5th Order, or something like that, a reprisal of a high school band from the 70's that was apparently pretty popular in Columbus, back in the day. A friend from my kickball team's husband is in the band, and one of the original two members. The band was pretty good, I must say, for a bunch of old guys. Not that they're much older than me, really, it's just weird to see a bunch of grey hairs rocking out.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about the bar, and not the band, but I couldn't help mentioning why I was there. Driving over, I was a little apprehensive about going in by myself, so I was relieved to see Carol, another of my kickball team mates standing out back talking on her cell phone. Thankfully, Carol is always on her cell phone. I waited a few seconds for her to finish the call and we walked in the back door together. The first thing I noticed was the funky odor that greeted us as we entered. At first I thought it might be because we were near the bathrooms as we came in the back door, but the smell lingered as we approached the bar, and indeed, it was coming from the bar.

Nice.

I ordered a bottled beer, just in case. A bottle of domestic beer was $2.50, a little higher than I thought it might be in a place like this, but maybe was higher because of the band. There was no cover after all.

While listening to the band and talking with some of the other people that had come out to see the band too, I tried to remember to look around and make some mental notes for this entry. Some of the things I noticed:

• Couple making out at the bar near the stage. Are they with their parents? I guess it's a place the whole family can enjoy.
• Female boxing on the television. Not as exciting as it sounds.
• That smell.
• Clientèle lives up to the bar's name. Highlight - guy playing air guitar, on his cane.
• Petite, very attractive woman on a date with a, shall we say, "rather large" man. How does that happen? Why would he bring her to a place like this?
  
• Two pool tables - something to pass the time.
• That smell.
• Large windows to the street behind the stage - people walking by can look in and see the band. Some even made faces and gestures!
• No kitchen, so pretty much just drinking going on here.

Rating:
1 pint


Would I go back?:
Probably not, unless to see a band.

All those bars you'd probably never visit unless you had a reason to.

Going to Mickey's Old Timer's Tavern in half an hour. Never been to Mickey's before, even though it's not far from where I've lived for the past 20 years. I was thinking about that, and then, about all the other bars I've never been in and probably wouldn't ever go in unless I had some reason to. Tonight, a friend invited me to come see her husband's band play there, so I'm going. I'll let you know what it was like. Since I just started this blog a few minutes ago, I didn't have time to go in to the thought behind it. I'll do that too, soon.