Shadowbrook

THE BUZZ ON SHADOWBROOK

Two-Fer Tuesdays, every Tuesday choose from the menu;

Appetizers, small plates and starters or pizza, two orders for the price of one.

$4.95 all well drinks, house wine and beer.

Shadowbrook Website

_________________________________________________________

 Julie's Review:

This was a special happy hour because we were joined by our friendsTeresa and Teri. So this is a J&J and T&T evening. Teri had said she didn't want to come on a dive bar crawl, she wanted to come to a classy happy hour. I had heard about the "Two-Fer Tuesdays"at the Shadowbrook from her, so we decided to check it out. From dive bars to the Shadowbrook is a leap, not a crawl.

 

I confess, I have lived in Santa Cruz over 30 years (that was a revelation when I did the math) and have never been to the Shadowbrook! How did that happen? I have heard about it for years, as one of the nicest and most expensive restaurants in Santa Cruz. Perhaps it was the price that kept me away, but looking at the dinner menu, it's not that expensive.

I love historic places and the Shadowbrook has a long and interesting past. It became a restaurant in 1947, though the building itself is over a 100 years old. It's theme has always been "Romance in Dining" and it is a very romantic and lovely spot.

The restaurant is located on a steep hill overlooking Capitola creek. There is both a long and short version history of the restaurant on their website. There have been many renovations to the different dining areas and bar over the last 50 years and they have created a sweet little paradise with lovely gardens and a waterfalls.

My favorite story is how in 1948 they were trying to get a walk-in refrigerator to the restaurant. They had to daily carry 300 pounds of ice up and down the hill before that. They tried to "zip line" it across on a rope tied to two trees, but the refrigerator was so heavy it pulled down both of the trees and fell in the creek. Fortunately it was cork lined so it floated, so one of the owners swam out to it and rowed it ashore. This sounds like something that would happen in Lompico, since we have had many adventures hauling things up hillsides. I can just picture it. What a great story!

The hardest thing about happy hour is getting there! Even though I am off work it was hard to make it in time. We had agreed to meet at 5:00. I was going to meet Teresa at her house and walk from there, but time got away from me as usual. As I was sitting in rush hour traffic, frustrated - thinking how am I going to be able to make happy hours in Capitola and beyond when you have all this traffic to deal with and they don't have weekend hours? It is a dilemma for the working happy hour connoisseur.

I picked up Teresa and we were only a few minutes late. We were going to try and hoof it over, but Josephine was already at the bar waiting for us.

I went over to look at their bulletin board and discovered there was a dress code. This turned me off, though I realize that being right up the hill from Capitola beach they must get a lot of beach goers. Still "untailored shorts, tank tops and flip flops" seemed a little extreme. It added to my general impression that the Shadowbrook was a bit snooty.

 

We had two options to get to the restaurant - the stairs (which I usually prefer) or the tram. It seemed to me that I had heard you could take a boat up from Capitola village, but no one else seemed to have heard of that, so I might have been confusing it with the tram.

The "cable car" was added in 1958 (the year before I was born). It takes patrons up and down the hill so they don't need to climb the steps. It is self operated and very cool. Their motto "Romance in Dining" is emblazoned on the side. Now whether this is a tram, trolley, cable car is up for debate. Teri insisted it was a funicular. Our response "what the heck is a funicular and how do you spell it?"

A funicular is a cliff railway in which a pair of tram like vehicles on rails move up and down a steep slope, with the ascending and descending vehicles counter balancing each other. Since there is only one car, at the Shadowbrook, it is not a funicular, but an inclinator, or inclined lift. Whatever you call it, it is pretty darn cool and fun to ride. You feel like your in a 1940 movie with the old elevators and the caged door.

Jo had arrived at 5:00 and was already settled with a glass of wine. She had gotten us a nice table by the fireplace. It's good to get here early because the place filled up fast.

The Shadowbrook does not really have a happy hour - they have a "Two-Fer Tuesday from 4:00 to 10:00 pm (closing). Well drinks, beer and wine are $4.95 and small plates and starters, appetizers, and pizza are two for one. This doesn't mean fifty percent off, you just order similarly priced items and get one free.

Our waiter Rob, looked like Willem Dafoe (I'm sure he hears that a lot) and was very patient and attentive with all our questions. I asked If I could get a Bloody Mary as my well drink and he said yes. You can order any mixed drink and as long as it was made with well alcohol it was $5.00. Well, hello, now!!!!!! I was liking this place more and more!

I ordered a spicy Bloody Mary and Teresa ordered a Cosmos. Teri arrived shortly and ordered some sort of "tini". I asked the waiter for water and he was quick to respond, with water for the whole table. The Bloody Mary was delicious, nice garnish, the right level of spiciness and a bit of a kick. Teresa and Teri enjoyed their drinks as well

 

Teri gave me a tour of the restaurant while showing me to the restroom. The restaurant is huge with many different dining areas, all with their own feel. There is the creek side, glass enclosed Greenhouse, the Wine Cellar, the Garden Room, the Fireplace Room, the Redwood Room, the main dining room and the owner's private dining room and the Rock Room Lounge which is where we were hanging.

Teri showed me the Cypress tree in the Garden Room, which is a live tree that the building is built around. It reminds me of the redwood growing up through my deck. I love when nature is incorporated into buildings. There were waterfalls with beautiful rock work. It truly is a five shot atmosphere. All of this overlooks Capitola Creek.

When we returned it was time to get serious about the food. We ordered three small plates and a pizza. The small plates average $10-13 and the pizzas are around $14. We started with the Cuban-style Pork Sliders made with slow roasted shoulder, dill pickle, gruyere and mustard. The House Smoked Salmon came with garlic-herb cheese spread, pickled red onion and caper salsa and roasted rye bread.

 

To balance out the price of the pizza we got the Antipasto Platter - assorted salami, marinated olives, roasted garlic, cornichons, fava beans, roasted asparagus, cured tomatoes and imported Parmesan. Our pizza selection was the Castroville with artichoke hearts, olive oil, spinach, garlic, gruyere and Parmesan cheese with roasted chicken.

At this point I was ready to try my second drink and wanting to stick with vodka, I had a vodka gimlet. We had moved the table so we could be closer, but this meant I was trapped behind the table. Everyone thought it would be great to get a shot of the cook tossing the pizza in the air, so thus began the game of "try to get the pizza shot". By the time I became disentangled from the table and raced over to take the shot, he was done tossing.

 

There is one shot with the pizza in the air - can you see it? I was so busy trying to get the damn pizza shot, that I missed the much more important photo of my vodka gimlet! In fact we got so carried away having a good time, that we didn't get any more drink photos- well maybe Josephine did!

One good thing with all the up and down of the pizza shot hunting - I was able to chat with several of our neighbors. One couple lives near by and comes regularly to the Shadowbrook. I also talked with a woman who had both hands in casts. She was leading a moonlight hike and had tripped and fallen. The waiters were attentive in bringing pillows to cushion her arms.

Teri kept us entertained with her stories of amazing feats of physical and mental endurance while passing the tests to become a Santa Cruz sheriff. The competition is stiff, but a woman of this strength, determination and compassion would be a great addition to the force.



Then the food arrived. It was delicious. The pork sliders were grilled like panini and were tiny, but quite tasty. We all enjoyed the many delicacies of the antipasto tray. The salmon was delicious, as was the pizza. The table was crowded with plates and the waiter kept trying to clear space, but we wouldn't let any plate go until the last olive or slice of pizza had been finished.

No doggie bags for us!!!

We had five shot service from Rob from start to finish. Kendall, the bus boy (or water boy as we called him) was right on the spot to refill our water glasses. He was really hustling, but always kept our empty glasses on his radar. He agreed to let us take his picture for the blog. He was a real sweetie.

The place was really hopping at this point. To the point people were trying to share the couch with us. It was great that Jo got there early and we had great seats. ( we know how much I like a good seat). We had a great view for people watching. Folks were in their casual finest. My friends Barbara and Bob showed up which was fun.

Teresa and I made another trip to the restroom and went down to the outdoor patio area. It was quite lovely. Teresa shared past memories of dinners at the Shadowbrook. We returned and ate and drank some more until every crumb was gone. It was a delightful evening.

Teresa and I are both on vacation, so we decided to walk down to Capitola Village. Teri joined us, even though she had to get up early in the morning. Josephine, working woman that she is headed for home.

In front of the restaurant, we discovered the Shadowbrook 1950 Dodge taxi which offers a complimentary pick up and return for the close hotels and locals who live close by (a several mile radius). How cool is that? Give them a call at  831-475-1511 .

I asked our T &T counterparts what their ratings would be: Teresa gives them a 5 shot rating, Teri gives them 4.5 as long as we are evaluating Two-Fer Tuesdays.

I was very impressed with the Shadowbrook. It is truly lovely and gets five shots for ambiance, service and food and drinks. The down sides are the limited hours and having a special only once a week, combined with higher prices. Still Two-Fer Tuesday is a deal and I will return to this lovely and historic restaurant.

Julie's Rating: 4.5 shots 

_________________________________________________________
 

Jo's Review

The shadowbrook is the type of restaurant that screams romance. It has a beautiful setting nestled on the hill above the Capitola creek in the quaint little town of Capitola-by-the-Sea. There are two ways to arrive at the front door. If you take the stairs down you are surrounded in a beautiful tropical setting of ferns, flowers, waterfalls and a Koi pond.

Or you can ride the romantic little tram up and down the hillside. Now the tram was a topic of discussion because everyone had a different word for it. We were joined by two of our friends for this happy hour, Teri and Teresa. I do enjoy having others with us on our adventures. Anyways as we were talking about the cool tram, cable car, trolley, thingy 

Teri pops up and says it's a funicular. I just smile because I have no idea what she is talking about so I'm glad Julie asked, “what's a funicular. According to the dictionary it is a cable type car that has both an up and down car to balance it. Well we had quite the discussion about it and let's just say draw your own conclusions about it. I must admit that was the first time I had even heard the word funicular but as were leaving a couple coming down the stairs were taking a picture that we jumped out of the way for. They said to us, “thanks we wanted to get a picture of the funicular”. O.K. so know I have heard the word twice. Anyways it's a fun ride up and down the hill.

So the restaurant has many levels. You start with just a small patio, kind of a waiting area I guess. The bar is also at this level and the dining area is down another level. The dining area is of course the romantic area that has a dress code and dining with that special someone if you want to fancy it up. The Shadowbrook has been known as the fancy restaurant you probably can't afford unless you have a rich date. Well that is no necessarily the case and I'm very happy about that. 

The bar area is large and sort of it's own entity. A large bar with stools and a smaller cooking bar where the chefs are busy tossing pizza dough and making platters of yummy food. The seating area has a number or regular tables, a couple of tall tables, and a couple of tables with bench seating just below the glassed in partial roof. 

The bar area which is called The Rock Room has their Two-Fer-Tuesdays night. Every Tuesday from 4-10pm you can get two menu items for the price of one choosing from the appetizer, starters and small plates, or Pizza menu. For drinks you get all well drinks, house wine and beers for $4.95. I arrive first (as usual) and start picking out the perfect place to sit and look over the menu. I decide on wine today so I go with the house red, a Merlot, very nice and a modest pour which always makes me happy.

 A fireplace is in one corner of the room and a small waterfall, garden area is in the other corner.

 

As I said earlier two of our friends Teri and Teresa are meeting us. I hope this is a trend. Julie and I always have fun with our happy hour outings but I say the more the merrier. So the rest of the girls show up at the same time and we jump right into grilling the waiter for information bout what we can get what the specials are and all the info. Rob is his name and he is very friendly and helpful and patient with us. So Julie goes for the bloody Mary, Teri a cucumber martini and Teresa decides on a Cosmos.

While he is off getting our drinks (and water of course which comes quickly) we look over the menu for the perfect combo of items. We have a pretty fancy menu to choose from and the prices are a little higher then I'm use to for a happy hour but it's a two-fer-Tuesdays which is why we are here. We decide on the Antipasto Plate, The Smoked Salmon Plate, pulled Pork Sliders, and the Castroville Pizza.

The sliders show up first and they were a bit of a surprise. First I'm glad we get 4 of them but what surprised me was that they were also grilled paninis as well. Toasted and tasty with melt in your mouth pork and cheese. The antipasto plate had a little bit of everything on it. Salami, prosciutto, fava beans, roasted peppers, grilled asparagus, a whole roasted garlic, pickles, cheese, olives and some slices of baguette to enjoy it with. I enjoy picking at different things on the plate and trying different combos of items together. A little bit for everyone to enjoy. 

While all this is going on the place is starting to pick up and we are ready for some more drinks. During all of this the bus boy with the water is johnny on the spot. Actually his name is Kendall and I don't think my glass was ever half empty. Once he new we liked that kind of attention he made sure we were always hydrated. Meanwhile we order some more drinks. This time Julie goes for a vodka gimlet and I think Teri decides on one of those as well while Teresa and I stick with our originals, Cosmos for her and wine for me. We are talking and laughing and drinking, the happy is starting to settle in.

The Salmon Plate has chunks of smoked salmon on it with a herb cheese spread, a tomato herb spread, some greens, and a few slices of rye toast. What fun we had building little open face sandwiches with everything on that plate, the spreads were yummy and the smoked salmon was just right.While we're enjoying all of this the pizza arrives. A thin crust pizza with both a red and a type of creamy white sauce on it, chunks of artichoke hearts, chicken and spinach. It was really good.

Julie is busy walking around to different tables and talking up our blog, (she handles the PR) and we keep noticing the chefs tossing pizza crust in the air. What a photo opt for us to get. Of course between all the drinks, food, and laughter they're tossing but we're just not fast enough to get the shot.

So all in all the Shadowbrook was great. It's definitely a bit fancier then most places in town and it's meant to be. It still has a very comfortable feel to it and well they let us in. The service was top notch, the food was tasty and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. I have to take off a ½ shot because it's just one day a week, but still a good time.

Jo's rating: 4.5 shots!

Dive Bar Crawl #1

Julie's Review 

The Jury Room

We decided to start our dive bar crawl at the Jury Room.  It is the quintessential dive bar institution and this year was tied with Brady's for the best dive bar in Santa Cruz in the Good Times.  It is located on Ocean street, right across from the Court House, naturally.

I was struggling to get there by 4:30.  I raced to finish up last details before starting my month off work.  I barely made the 3:00 Highway 17 bus, changed into leather and leopard skin and headed downtown.

 

Josephine and Mary and Elisa -  our dive crawl companions - were already there.  The Jury Room is what you would expect - dark and smoky.  Yes, Virginia, they really do let you smoke in a dive bar,  so you best get used to it.  I always felt it was wrong not to be able to smoke in a bar, even though I quit years ago, so this doesn't bother me in the least.

I had been to the Jury Room before and remembered the bar rail being covered in leopard skin which I loved.  Now it was just straight brown leather - maybe with a bit of duct tape.  We noticed my bar stool was broken and the end was duct taped.  The small touching details of a dive bar.

 

Happy hour is Mon - Fri from 12-6.  There is no food, but Jack recommended going next door to the Mexican place and getting the chips with guacamole.  Mary went and came back with a large container of chips covered with guacamole for $1.50.  A steal and quite tasty.

The bar was dark, a bit run down and already pretty full.  Jack our bartender, was friendly and quickly brought me my rum and coke.  Here is what the Jury Room is about - strong drinks, cheap!!!!! $2.50 wells.  That's hard to beat.  Got some kick to them too.

 

Mary had ordered a Bloody Mary - Jack's first.  Not much ordering of Bloody Marys at the Jury Room and Jack has only worked there several months.  The Bloody Mary wasn't on happy hour (this isn't the Crow's Nest, honey) and was $5.  Still a good price.  By the time we had ordered our two well drinks we were up to Mary's Bloody Mary!

I think we were the only folks at the bar without tattoo sleeves, it is definitely the fashion here.  There is a pool table and the brick wall was lined with red vinyl booths.  A dog was sleeping on a booth and someone had brought their bike inside. There was a photo collage, I assume of Jury Room regulars and events.

Mary told us that she had received a jury summons and was supposed to be in court this week, so we joked that she was reporting for jury duty at the Jury Room instead.

We chatted with Jack about the blog.  He was a friendly, nice bartender.  I asked the guy next to me if he was a Jury Room regular and he said "yes, but I'm really tired of this place"  "Why are you here then?"  "Because the drinks are cheap!"

I think that sums up the Jury Room:  cheap, strong drinks, lots of tats and smoke and a casual place to hang out.  I'm afraid now that they've taken the leopard skin away, it just doesn't quite do it for me anymore - though with an all day happy hour - I might pop in for a cheap one.

Julie's Rating: 3.5

*****

Callahan's Pub

 

The second stop on our dive bar crawl was Callahan's Pub on Water street. Just a hop skip and a bike walk away, we were already feeling a bit of the buzz from our Jury Room deliberations. Onward!

I liked the feel of Callahan's as soon as I walked in the door. It has a friendly vibe, fun people and interesting things to gaze upon. There were animal skulls on the walls and I like animal skulls! (One of my all time favorite birthday presents was the Hawaiian wild boar skull Mary gave me for my 50th). But, I digress.

 

Callahan's happy hour is mon - fri from 11 -7' with a dollar off well drinks and beer. Our first bartender was Jessica and she set us up in no time. She was friendly fast and efficient. She made us feel welcome and right at home, even though she was finishing up her shift.

About this time we discovered the two saddle seats at the table across from the bar. How can you not love a bar with saddle seats? These aren't the fake broncos, just a comfortable saddle to hop on and ride after a long day at the office. Yes, I had found my home.

The only thing that would have been better than a saddle on a dive bar crawl would have been a pole. Callahan's was the only bar in Santa Cruz to have a pole, a fact I was well aware of since I love pole dancing so much.

Lete, our new bartender told us about when they put up a pole for St. Patrick's day a few years ago and then were actually busted by the police and fined daily until it was removed. It was the only time I wrote a "letter to the editor" at the Sentinel, saying how much we needed a pole in Santa Cruz. (The only poles in the county are at the Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing and in a bar in Carmel - if Carmel can have a pole - why not Santa Cruz?) But, I digress.

Lete was a wealth of information and a lot of fun. She told us about her famous Motorboat shots - which she can make as a cocktail or a shot. Her own special concoction made of cranberry Stoli, ruby absolute, sweet n sour, cranberry juice and fresh lime. She normally puts on the "motorboat song" not sure what that is.... but she set up five free motorboat shots for us. Since 'Show us what you got, we'll give you a shot' is our motto and we have the fully patented five shot glass happy hour rating - how perfect was that?

Five shots to you Lete!! Those motorboat shots were fantastic! What a great bartender. The first truly comped shots for the J&J buzz!

 

There were two other women who were on their own bar crawl and they showed us their cool bikes. We took a picture with the whole group of crawlers and I believe there was some nipple grabbing, but I won't say by whom. (See the things that go on in dive bars?)

Next thing you know the one woman says to Elisa, "I know you, you're my son's school psychologist!" I say, "Awkward!" But, Elisa takes it all in stride, since this happens to her all the time and she is recognized wherever she goes. She finally breaks away from the woman to pose in the festive little phone booth and to take a shot at the pool table. (In addition, to being a school counselor, she is also a hot pool player)."

At this point we must bid adieu to Callahan's. I could have gladly hung there for the night, it is such a fun place, but we must crawl on. I will definitely come back here.

In sum, I loved the ambiance of the pub, both bartenders were great, the drinks were tasty, loved the free shots, very generous, happy hour 11-7 is a nice range. The only down side is there isn't any food. :-( and the prices could always be a bit cheaper. Still stop on by and ask for a motorboat shot - and tell them J &J sent you. I may be riding the saddle there!

Julie's Rating: 4.5 shots!

*****

Blue Lagoon

The third (actually 4th stop) on our Dive bar crawl was the Blue Lagoon. After leaving Callahan's we stopped at Tampicos for drinks and a quick bite. There was a UCSC retirement bash happening - Congratulations to Connie and Gloria! I left Jo and Elisa gabbing away and headed to the Blue Lagoon with Roy.

What exactly is the Blue Lagoon ? According to the sign it's a sports bar. It's also a gay bar (our private joke used to be if this is a gay bar what are all these damn heterosexual men doing here?) and a great place to dance on a Thursday night to 80's music. But how does it rate for happy hour? Roy and I went to investigate.

The Blue Lagoon has happy hour every day from 4-9, with $4 well drinks and anchor steam on draft. In addition, each night has its own special drink specials. I usually only go to the Blue on Thursdays for a double dance to aforementioned 80s night. This was an opportunity to belly up to the bar. Our bartender was Jordan and he was highly championed by two guys sitting next to us. "Jordan's the greatest!"

  

I have to be honest that this late in the crawl, my perceptions might not be at their clearest. I can usually count on photos to stir my memories, but my flash wasn't working, so the photos are dark, blurry and with many a shot of the sidewalk. All as it should be at the end of a crawl, but not helpful in coming up with details of interest.

There are two dance floors at the Blue. They were doing a benefit in the front dance room, not sure what it was all about and won't attempt to make a guess, but access was cut off. Roy had just come from a Zumba class and wasn't drinking, but kept me company as I checked out the well drinks.

We chatted with Jordan about happy hour. Jo and Elisa arrived and Roy headed for home. The rest was a bit of a blur, but I do remember Elisa showing us her new yellow purse. Having always been a black purse kinda gal, she felt she had passed a milestone into adulthood, by the purchase of this new tote. Very exciting. At this point, the music had started and we all headed to the dance floor. The rest is a blur.

In sum, I like the Blue Lagoon's happy hours - can't beat every day until 9. The service was good, the drinks standard, ambiance was fair and being a dive bar, they had no food which is always a draw back. To me dancing is what the Blue lagoon is all about if you find me here, it will be on the dance floor and happy hour will be over.

Julie's Rating: 3.5 shots

_____________________________________________________________

Jo's Review
And so it begins. Julie and I have come up with the idea of grouping the Dive Bar happy hours into a series of reviews. This may not of been the best laid plan but I must say it was a lot of fun. Dive bars have their own type of charm and the best way to experience them in my experience is fast and furious. Hit them fast, hit them hard, and move on before they throw you out.

*****The Jury Room 

  So we start at the Jury Room. As you can see by the sign it has gone through some changes, not sure when or how. This place has is your stereo-typical dive bar, dark, a little grungy, and stiff cheap drinks. The bar itself runs the length of the place, a pool table in the middle of the floor, and some booths on the other side of the pool table. Lots of interesting art work on the walls, pictures, funny signs, stuffed animals, dolls, well you get the drift. They allow smoking in the place so just be warned.

 











The happy hour Buzz is: Monday - Friday 12pm - 6pm. all day and night Wednesdays.
                                          $2.50 well drinks and domestic beers.

I decided to start with a Vodka Cranberry, very tasty and strong (I like that in a drink). On this occasion some of our friends decided to join us.  Interesting as soon as we say dive bar their all in. So Mary and Elisa join us. We are all enjoying the decor and chatting it up Mary decides on a non-happy hour price bloody mary and she loves it.  Julie shows up dressed for dive barring and soon the place is live with laughter. Now most dive bars do not serve food, but the place next door to them has food and you can bring it into the Jury room.  So the ladies decide on Nachos. The Nachos consisted of chips, a boat load of guacamole and some hot sauce.  Unusual to say the least but you can't argue when you have that much guacamole on the plate. We munch through the chips order up another round and the party is going on. Some lively banter with the bartender and we are off to our second stop. Now because most dive bars do not serve food, as far as rating it goes the highest I will be rating is a 4.

Jo's rating; 3 shots!

***** Callahan's

Callahan's has actually changed hands about 4 years ago we learned and they have really cleaned the place up, (O.K. yes I have frequented the place before). First it wasn't that dark, the back door was open so a lot of light was coming in and a gentle breeze was blowing through the place. Mary was looking for a place to lock up her bike out front but nothing was there,so we asked and they let her bring her bike in.

We're looking around and telling folks what we are up to (because we start taking pictures) and find out that a couple of ladies are indulging in their own type of dive bar crawl, we bonded immediately.  

 

This dive bar is big, it has a separate room with another bar, a stage, and an old fashion phone booth, you just don't see these things around anymore. 

The walls are decorated with skulls of cattle and other animals, some couches, a nice long bar and to all of our delight two horse saddle seats. The saddles were quite the hoot, we definitely had fun on them.

 
The happy hour Buzz is: Monday - Friday 11am - 7pm
                                          $1.00 off well drinks and beers.

  We had bartenders change hands while we were there both both of the ladies Jessica and Lete were great. There's a special quality to the dive bar bartender. They tend to be very happy and smiley and will put up with  a lot of shit. They definitely have a good amount of tolerance since they have to put up with a shall we say a more diverse type of clientele.

So the second bartender Lete has a specialty drink she makes and she wanted us to try it, well I am too well raised to refuse. She mixed up her Motorboat shots and lined up 5 shot glasses to fill (5 shots up), what a great idea ;-). 

We all had one including the bartender and it was delicious and our first freebie for the cause. Now we are not in it for the free drinks and food but hey every now and then is fun. I just opted for beer this round.



Everyone was so friendly at Callahan's and it was a great time. I will definitely be back.

Jo's rating; 4 shots!

***** The Blue Lagoon

So believe it or not I had a retirement party to go to in between  Callahan's and the Blue which was a good thing, it gave me a chance to eat.  You have to feed the booze. This made the Blue Lagoon the choice 3 stop.

The Happy Hour Buzz is: Every day of the week 4pm - 9pm.
                                          $4.00 well drinks, Anchor steam beers.
                                          They have specialty drinks daily and every day all day special drinks.

Let's just say there are a lot of special drinks going on at the Blue (which is what everyone calls it).  How did I not know this. So many drinks, so little time. One very important thing to know about the Blue before you go, cash only. They have an ATM on the premises so I guess at your own risk you can use that. O.K. so this is the 3rd dive bar and I'm feeling pretty happy. We lost Mary (no, no she just went home after Callahan's) so just the 3 of us.  I'm sticking with beer now so nothing special to talk about drink wise, Julie is having her usual Rum and  diet coke. 

  The Blue is a downtown DJ dance club with a gay following and an influx of straight people who like to dance and have good time. I can't describe much of the inside, a long bar, on the right another side room which I think has some pool tables and then all the way to the back a good size dance floor with the music pumping and the glittery disco ball spinning. We didn't get many pictures of the inside because there were a lot of people by then. So we got our drinks and ran our mouths a bit, Elisa knows everyone everywhere and these 2 guys were all smiles when we got here. Of course she knows them so into the blog they go.  Brad and Eric, fun guys.

Nine o'clock rolls around and it's time to hit the dance floor ( happy hours over as well).  By know we are all very happy and enjoying having the dance floor to ourselves.  As you know those that hang know that nothing gets started before 10 or 10:30.  So we danced and laughed and drank and yes it was a fun time.
  So the Blue has some cheap drinks, good drink special and a dance floor.  A good time was had by all but it's time to take my butt home.

Jo's rating; 3.5 shots!