lawrence bars and lounges

UPSCALE LAWRENCE BARS AND LOUNGES

There is no shortage of student bars in Lawrence, often with pool tables, no Perrier, lots of low priced beers, and poor choices of wine. As a result, the existence of some very sophisticated upscale lounges in Lawrence often is overlooked.

Restaurant	Review
Alvamar Country Club Dining Room (Quail’s Nest ) 1809 Crossgate Drive http://www.alvamar.com/ tportela@alvamar.com 785-842-0004	If you are a member of this private club, you can use the "grill" area next to the main dining room to stop for a drink. But on crowded nights, the grill area is filled with diners overflowing from the adjacent main dining room. Also you always must check to make sure that it is not in use for a private party, before you drive over for a drink. Also, although they have a good choice of wines by the glass and by the bottle, they have no Perrier or other sparkling bottled water---very odd for a club of this sort.
Applebee’s Grill and Bar Corner of 6th Street and Monterey 3900 W 6th St. http://www.applebees.com/ 785-312-9856 also: 2520 Iowa St. 785-832-8338	This well known chain has many things going for it as a place to stop for a drink. They have a good choice of wines by the glass, and a good choice of beers, including Boulevard Bully Porter dark beer, which I especially like. I f you ask, you can have the beer served with a frosted mug (much better than being a "good ole boy" and drinking from the bottle). In addition, they pass the acid test for a serious bar: they have Perrier.
Bourgeois Pig 9 E. Ninth St. 785-843-1001 Lawrence.com web	This very small place, just east of Massachusetts St. on 9 th St. is an excellent place to stop for a glass of wine, a glass of single malt scotch, or a cup of excellent espresso after a dinner at one of Mass. St's. restaurants. This is definitely not a sports bar and is not popular with that kind of crowd. If you are from out of town, you might want to buy a red Bourgeois Pig hammer and sickle T shirt. When you get home, you can tell everyone that you bought it on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, or in Beijing, or in the eastern part of Berlin (still different from the western part). If you would then like to add to your "Lawrence experience," stop at one of the more colorful shops on Massachusetts, such as the Third Planet at 846 Massachusetts (331-0880), where you will find Asian (mostly Indonesian) imports that are more interesting than those at the chain import stores.
Chile’s Grill and Bar 2319 Iowa St. http://www.chilis.com/ 785-331-3700	This well known chain has a separate bar area that can be a very pleasant place for a drink away from the diners in the next room. They have a surprisingly good selection of quality wines, including Kendall Jackson and Woodbridge (which is a better buy). They have good beer mugs you can request with beer. Unfortunately they have no Perrier or other bottled water. With the sophisticated lounge crowd, the lack of Perrier puts Chile's at a competitive disadvantage, relative to Applebee's nearby.
EightOneFive (Formerly the Velvet Room) 815 New Hampshire	Recently closed.
Eldridge Hotel Bar (The Jayhawker Lounge) 701 Massachusetts St. Pub web site info@eldridge.hotel.com 785-749-5011	This hotel's former little bar, dimly lit with elegant furniture, reminded me of the original Harry’s Bar in Jerusalem (minus Harry’s famous navy bean soup). No, I do not mean the Harry's Bar, made famous by Ernest Hemingway, in Venice, Italy. But following the historic Eldridge Hotel's renovation, the bar reopened as a much larger bar with modern décor and with the hotel's restaurant menu available in the bar. The restaurant, called Ten, serves ordinary, undistinguished American food, but does it well. The bar has a good wine list, including wines by the glass, but not Perrier. Both the bar and the restaurant, having only hard surfaces on all walls, floors, and ceilings, are noisy.
Free State Brewing Company 636 Massachusetts St. www.freestatebrewing.com/ 785-843-4555	This brewery and restaurant is a legendary place in Lawrence. The beer is excellent, the food can be fine, and sometimes live entertainment. The Free State Brewing Co. opened in 1989 as the first legal brewery in Kansas in over 100 years. But none of this is a secret. The restaurant and bar often are crowded with lines of people waiting to enter. As a result, we rarely go there.
Gaslight Tavern 317 N. 2nd St. 785-856-4330 www.gaslighttavern.com/	If I am looking for a bar where I can get a good glass of wine, this is among the last places I consider in Lawrence. The Gaslight has one and only one wine choice: a not bad red. But that is not the reason to consider going to this historic and fascinating tiny bar. It once was on campus and now is just across the river on Massachusetts St. north of downtown. To understand Lawrence and its history, you should go here, as well as to the Eldridge Hotel on the other side of the river. Both are historic, but about different time periods. At the Eldridge, you can learn about Lawrence at the time of the Civil War and the "Border Wars" between Kansas and Quantrill's Raiders in western Missouri. At the Gaslight Tavern, you can learn about Lawrence during the Vietnam War. If you don't know what happened at the University of Kansas at that time, you likely will be surprised (and shocked). Unfortunately both the Eldridge and the Gaslight Tavern do not make the history easy to learn. You will need to ask someone who works at each for details. At the Gaslight, there is a small room off the main bar, where there is a newspaper clipping on the wall. The newspaper clipping provides information, but oddly little detail, and sounds more like a "cover up" than an objective report. The Gaslight Tavern can be a fascinating place to spend some time, and provides serious "food for thought," if you are willing to put a bit of effort into learning. But for a drink and some food, exit the Gaslight and go next door to Johnny's Tavern, which has surprisingly good pizza (almost as good as Teller's). Also this is the place to be on the Fourth of July. Their parking lot is the perfect place to be to watch the fireworks, while enjoying a beer and one of their outstanding pizzas. Parking on the Fourth is essentially free at Johnny's, since they credit the modest parking fee toward your bill in the tavern.
Granada Theatre 1020 Massachusetts Avenue 785-842-1390 www.thegranada.com	This former vaudeville theater (opened in 1929 and converted to a nightclub in 1993) now sometimes gets surprisingly good groups on national tours. They have a full bar. But when they have a really big name band, they remove the tables and chairs; and there is standing room only. This place is scalper's heaven. If you buy the ticket from Ticketmaster, you will be sure to get a ticket (they sell out for their best bands), but Ticketmasters will not tell you how crowded it will get. If you are in doubt, go to the theater a few days before the performance, and find out whether you will be sitting comfortably at a table or standing in a crowd with inadequate air conditioning. If you buy tickets in advance at the box office, they will accept cash only. I went there once (to see Les Claypool along with the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey), and won't go there again. This is not my kind of place. But if you have not been through this sort of thing before, you might indeed want to go there---once. Similar entertainment under more comfortable conditions in bigger cities (e.g., Kansas City nearby) would cost you much more.
Henry's on Eighth 11 E. Eighth St. Lawrence, 66044 Lawrence.com web site 785-331-3511	Henry's, on 8th St. between Massachusetts St. and New Hampshire St, has a coffee shop on the lower level. After 5 pm, the upper level opens as cozy little bar with character.
Henry T’s Bar and Grill Corner of Kasold Dr. and 6^th St. 3520 W 6th St. Its menu from Lawrence.com 785-749-2999	If you are looking for a decent glass of wine at a bargain price, you can't beat Henry T's. At these prices, it easily pays to go a step up from the house wine. But on the other hand, their house wine is Sycamore Lane, which is a good one. No, they don't have Perrier, but that's not the nature of the place. In terms of upscale drinks, Henry T's is simply amazing. At bargain prices, they have Smoking Loon cabernet (a very good wine, at a real bargain price), Lindeman's Shiraz and chardonnay, Ketel One Dutch voldka, Absolute Swedish vodka, Grey Goose French vodka, Stolichnaya Russian Vodka, and Macallan 12 year old scotch. Henry T's price for a double of any upscale distilled liquor is about what you would pay for a single almost anywhere else. But their singles are not necessarily as big a bargain, except for their "well" drinks. The only Cognac they have is Hennessey VS (the Macallan scotch is better).
Hereford House 6th and Wakarusa 4931 W 6th St., #126 Its web site emailclub@herefordhouse.com 785-842-2333	Near the entrance to this restaurant, there was a bar. But unfortunately the restaurant's Lawrence location now is closed.
J. B. Stout’s Bar and Grill Corner of 6th St. and Wakarusa Dr. 721 Wakarusa Dr. Its Lawrence.com link 785-843-0704	This stylish sports bar is not the place to go for a bargain priced glass of wine (unless you go for the "house" wine). They have a good choice, and the prices are comparable to those at most good restaurants in Lawrence. They have an unusual red wine (yes, it is red) called "white shiraz," which is interesting and good. They have Hennessey VS cognac at a bargain price and Oban single malt scotch at a slightly higher, but very reasonable price. Better yet, they have Remy Martin VSOP cognac, and they know how to serve it properly. Unfortunately they do not have Perrier or any other bottled sparkling water.
Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall 943 Massachusetts St. 785-832-1085	Although not among the more upscale lounges in Lawrence, this one does sometimes have some very good live music. The decor is Old West. The nearby, and more popular, Replay Lounge, at 946 Massachusetts St., is less to my liking. But if you would like to check it out, see www.replaylounge.com/. I would not wish to make a steady diet of either.
Jazzhaus 926½ Massachusetts St. www.jazzhaus.com/ info@jazzhaus.com 785-749-3320 785-749-1387	This entertainment venue is very popular in Lawrence, and better than most for live music. Although it is downtown in a busy area, parking is easy in the garage behind it on New Hampshire Street. The choice of groups that perform at Jazzhaus is not always to my liking, and I view the amplification to be excessive for serious music listening. Despite the name, the groups that perform at Jazzhaus often are not jazz bands.
Crimson and Brews 925 Iowa St. Its Lawrence.com link 785-856-8800	This bar was once Fifi's restaurant, then the upscale Bella Lounge, then the downscale Key West, and then a gay bar. Now it is a place for sandwiches and the like. Who knows what it will be next?
Limerance Wakarusa Dr. and 15^th St. Its Lawrence.com link 1520 Wakarusa Dr. 785-550-2830	This sophisticated wine bar was one of my favorites, but unfortuately it now is just a coffee house.
Marisco’s Restaurant Corner of 6th St. and Wakarusa Dr. Its Lawrence.com link 4821 6th St. 785-312-9057	This is an excellent place to stop for a drink, in every way. They have a very nice bar area, but do not mind if you sit in the dining room for a drink. They have a good selection of wines and beers, including Bass Ale on taop. They also have Hennessey VS cognac at a reasonable price, and Perrier. Their sound system usually plays good jazz, and the atmosphere is attractively Southwest. Marisco's is high on my list of places to stop for a drink.
Old Chicago 2329 Iowa St. www.oldchicago.com/ 785-841-4124	If you are looking for a drink along with some food late at night, this is one of your few choices. Not only is Old Chicago's bar open until 1 am most nights, but also its kitchen. As should be no surprise at this modest restaurant, they have no Perrier or other sparkling bottled water, but their wines and beers are very reasonably priced.
On the Border 3080 Iowa St. www.ontheborder.com/ 785-830-8291	This restaurant has excellent "guacamole live," which is guacamole made at your table. To make it more authentically Mexican, ask them to add extra cilantro as they are preparing their guacamole tableside, and perhaps have them skip the salt. With a drink, that guacamole is far better than the trail mix that most bars pass off as a bar snack these days. On the Border's guacamole-live goes very well with Kendall Jackson chardonnay. This otherwise rather routine Tex-Mex restaurant has both.
Pachamama’s New World Cuisine 2161 Quail Creek Dr. www.pachamamas.com/ info@pachamamas.com 785-841-0990	This wonderful restaurant has a small bar area, which we sometimes use for receptions for distinguished Kansas University guests. The restaurant can arrange for trays of excellent appetizers to go with the drinks, if you make the necessary arrangements in advance. In addition, on some evenings, Pachamama's has excellent live entertainment in the bar area, usually either jazz or classical. But as a place for just the two of us to stop for a quiet drink, we often find this bar area to be rather crowded. If the restaurant is not crowded, you can sit at a table in the dining room for drinks, but we usually feel rather uncomfortable about taking up table space at this outstanding restaurant for the sole purpose of having drinks. In addition, if you are looking for low cost drinks, this is not the place to be. Pachamama's is proud of its wine choices and does not offer the low quality wines that often are available at lesser lounges and restaurants. Needless to say, they have Perrier.
Paisano's Martini Room 2112 W 25^th St. lawrence.com link 785-838-3500	Paisano's Restaurante has three bar areas, one in the restaurant and the other two in the attached Martini room area next door. If you sit in the bar area within the restaurant, you will not only be able to order drinks but also can order from the complete dinner menu. The larger, more private, and more elegant Martini Room has its advantages, but also offers only appetizers from the dinner menu along with drinks. In any of the three areas, you will have the choice among many wines and beers. Their bread sticks go well with their drinks, if you do not want an appetizer. Unfortunately, Paisano's has neither San Pellegrino, as one would expect to find in a more upscale Italian restaurant, nor any other sparkling bottled water, such as Perrier.
Scarlet Orchid 2223 Louisiana, Suite C www.scarletorchid.com/ sales@ScarletOrchid.com 785-832-8886	This recently opened gem of a restaurant and lounge is among our favorites in Lawrence. The Scarlet Orchid has an excellent atmosphere and some of the best entertainment in Lawrence. They have a classical string duo on Thursday at 6 pm and classical acoustic guitar on Saturday at 6 pm. The master guitarist is John Jervis, Jr., who previously had performed on some evenings at the now sadly closed Fifi’s restaurant. Even on days when there is no live entertainment, this restaurant’s sound system provides very good jazz. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner until 9 pm every day of the week, including Sundays. The lounge area, serving only appetizers and desserts, remains open from 9 pm – midnight on Thursday – Sunday. They have half price appetizers during happy hour on Thursday and Friday from 5 - 6 pm. Their reasonable wine list would benefit from the addition of a more upscale wine, such as Kendall Jackson. They admirably have Perrier. This wonderful restaurant and lounge makes a significant contribution to Lawrence lifestyle.
75^th St. Brewery 3512 Clinton Parkway www.75thstreet.com/ 785-856-2337	This brewery and restaurant from Kansas City is well known in Kansas City and relatively new to Lawrence. Their wheat beers and their ales are outstanding. They have a reasonable selection of wines, but no bottled sparkling water such as Perrier (perhaps not surprising for a brewery). Their “spent grain” bread goes well with beer or ale. It is whole grain bread used during the beer brewing process.
Stone Creek On 6^th St, just to the east of Monterey 3801 W. 6th St. www.stonecreekmenu.com/ generalmanager@stonecreekmenu.com 785-830-8500	This restaurant has a very attractive atmosphere and can be a pleasant place to stop for a drink, either in the bar area or in the restaurant. They have a reasonable choice of wines and beers. You might want to get some of their country Italian bread with olive oil dipping sauce along with your drink. In the summer, they have jazz on Sundays from 6 - 8 pm on their patio. They do not have Perrier or any other bottled sparkling water.
Teller’s 746 Massachusetts St. Its menu from Lawrence.com 785-843-4111	This bar is simply world class. It is in a league with some of the most famous bars I have seen in other parts of the world. The problem is the limited seating, especially when there is a line of people waiting for tables in the restaurant. That line tends to overflow into the bar area, creating what can become a crowded area rendering a quiet drink vertually impossible. But late in the evening, when the dining room starts to empty out, this bar is a great place to stop for a drink --- for those in the know. In addition to an excellent selection of wines, this bar has San Pellegrino bottled sparkling water, as should be available at any serious Italian restaurant. They have wine tasting on Wednesday from 6 pm - 8 pm.
Uno Chicago Grill 3333 Iowa St. www.pizzeriauno.com/ 785-830-9500	Unfortunately closed.
Wayne & Larry's Sport's Bar & Grill 933 Iowa St. Its Lawrence.com web page 785-856-7170 In Hillcrest Center	This sports bar is hardly the place for upscale drinking. You will be lucky to find any wine there at all, and any they might have (perhaps Sutter Home) will be as downscale as it gets. But they do have the usual large selection of beers. What sets this sports bar somewhat apart from the others in town, is that this one has better food than most. But sadly they no longer have the flame broiled Norwegan salmon, which had really been unusual in Lawrence, where most salmon is farm raised Atlantic salmon. They now have no salmon at all. In contrast, Stu's Midtown Tavern, across the parking lot in the same strip mall, has no food at all.
Zig and Mac's Wakarusa Dr. and 15^th St. 1540 Wakarusa Drive web site 785-856-0606	This sports bar and grill was previously Tanner's. They have 30 television sets, including three huge screens, and one in each bathroom. They are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day (after 6 pm). If you are there during a big game and you are not a sports fan or are not a KU fan, don't admit it. Zig and Mac's is much better than the former Tanner's. Some of their preparations can benefit from a bit of crushed red pepper or Tabasco sauce (they have both, if you request them). Evidently they have an iron skillet here, since they blacken fish the right way. If you are a vegetarian, don't order the beans, which are not vegetarian. I also usually request some of their salsa on the side. It's a good one. But if you really like spice, request the hot wing sauce . It's outstanding. They also are good at blackening, but you won't need that spice if you get the hot wing sauce. Among their appetizers, their lettuce wrap is a good choice. It includes chicken, but for a small upcharge they'll change that to shrimp, and for a larger upcharge (well worth the cost) they'll change to salmon. For a sports bar, this one not only has the usual good selection of beers but has a surprisingly good selection of wines. But their best buy is the house wine, which is Delicato, produced by the Indelicato family in California (originally from Sicily). Although not up to the standards of the higher priced wines on the menu, Delicato is an excellent choice as a low priced house wine.

I can be reached by e-mail at barnett@ku.edu