We walk into a venue for happy hour

Happy Hour at Duos Lounge, West Seattle, Washington
Sid Law, guitar in hand, asked Mindy, “What kind of music do you like?”

“I’m not picky,” Mindy said.

He must have pegged her for a Bee Gees fan, because “How Deep Is Your Love?” was next on the rotation. That song was high on the charts in our high school years, so it was a reasonable guess. But we both preferred the Gershwin and Tom Petty tunes.

We were at a bar that isn’t always there. Well, the bar is always there, and the bar stools beside it… But The Lounge isn’t always open to the public. Duos, a catering company, owns The Lounge, an event venue. Twice a week during August, the company is hosting “Happy Hour” to benefit the West Seattle Food Bank. Awhile back, owners Ben Jury and Josh Cooper met the folks who run the Food Bank and decided to do some events together to help the cause.

We visited on Thursday night and took seats alone at the bar. Other people were enjoying other comfortable spaces indoors and out. There were tables, comfy couches, and places to socialize outside (enjoying the evening’s relief after days of smoke-filled skies). It really is a nice space, providing room for large groups and more intimate conversation. But we sit at the bar whenever we can -- it goes with the name of the blog.

The cocktail menu was short but appealing. Mindy ordered the Pink Diamond, and I ordered Strawberry Fields Whenever (though I don’t think our balladeer for the evening played a single song by the Beatles while we were there). I asked about a food menu, hoping for a snack, but the only food option was the buffet table. We appreciated that the money for that meal would go to the food bank, but we weren’t hungry enough for a buffet.

Lauren, our bartender, gave us glasses of water without our asking, which is something we greatly appreciated (big agua fans that we are). Lauren told us about Ben and John. She has worked for the company for a year and a half or so. She usually works their catering events -- in the summer, they do a lot of weddings. Throughout the year they do private parties and events, some at this location and some in homes (she especially enjoys those).

We, of course, asked Lauren our two questions. She said that at a good bar, “you walk through the door and feel welcome. Especially for women. since men sitting alone at a bar is more common.” That welcoming should include a sense of comfort and safety. She also mentioned “friendly staff, good service, being remembered.”

Mindy asked if they have regulars, considering the nature of the month of happy hours, and Lauren assured her they do, and the staff remembers them.

For our question about what makes for a good church, Lauren responded, “I don’t go to church, but the same things. Welcoming, remembering people.” She said she also appreciated “old school art,” especially after a recent trip to Italy where she saw the art in the old churches.

While I was away (taking a look at the buffet), Mindy talked to Mary. Lauren told her about our blog, and she said, “What makes for a good bar is Mary & Lauren.” When Mindy asked what made for a good church, she said, “I am about fellowship.” She said a church should be warm and inviting; people’s smiles should be genuine. “I’m a sucker for the worship team,” she added as she left. We wondered about the story that went with that statement, but she was gone.

We enjoyed our drinks very much. We had a tinge of regret that we weren’t going to enjoy the buffet table as well, but it was good to know that other people in West Seattle (who need more food, while we don’t) would benefit.

We walk into a dilemma

We try to be honest with you, and honestly, we didn’t feel like spending money at a bar this week. Maybe we didn’t think we ought to spend money on drinks this week. Either way, this is a good time to talk about the economics of going out to drink.

Money isn’t a comfortable topic -- it reminds me of the different approaches panhandlers take when drawing signs. The traditional sign read, “Will work for food.” Some take another route; I’ve frequently seen, “Why lie? I want a beer” on a panhandler's chunk of cardboard. I assume the writer wants people to think, “At least they’re being honest,” but it also raises the issue of where alcohol falls on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

More than once, people in bars have mentioned that it’s a whole lot cheaper to buy alcohol at BevMo! and drink it at home rather than going out to a bar. It’s even more the case for us this week; Safeway included an unrequested box of wine with our first home delivery order. Libations are obviously marked up substantially when you go out.

So people are paying for something else -- the social experience. That’s why we go to bars. Sure, it’s fun if there are games to play or the decor’s creative or the music’s more than decent. Mindy and I go to talk to people and write about it. If there aren’t people to talk to, we don’t usually have much to write about, and walking into a bar is just entertainment. Entertainment has its own place in the budget.

There are ways to economize when you go to a bar. You can go during happy hour. But happy hours are designed to bring in business during non-peak times, when people are at work or pregfer to stay home. Mindy’s working and commute times make the usual happy hour hours less than optimal.

Another thing that can make the bar experience better than drinking at home is getting a well prepared drink mixed by a good bartender. Obviously, a creative cocktail prepared by an experienced mixologist is going to cost a lot more than beer in a dive bar. (I know, I know. We’ve said many times here, we don’t even like beer.) Bars vary a lot, too, from the scary to the homy to the ritzy, and prices vary greatly between these choices. This part of West Seattle veers toward upscale.

Then there’s the issue of tipping. Some people try to save a bit on their tab by skipping out a tip. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that people in the service industry don’t look kindly on the practice. Most bartenders we’ve met consider the tip to be a standard part of a transaction. Don’t tell a bartender that the person who didn’t tip couldn’t afford it. “If they can’t afford to tip, they can’t afford to go out for drinks!”

We almost always give bartenders our card because it has the information about the blog. People are free to leave comments on the blog. In other words, we try to tip decently, and we prefer to tip generously.

During 2016, we were firmly committed to visiting a bar, a church, and a movie theater every week. We didn’t want to have to say, “We went to a bar in every state except Kansas (finding a bar in Kansas was surprisingly difficult). This year, though, if we miss a week, it doesn’t seem like a big deal.

But if it matters to you, dear reader, there’s something you can do. When we have a week like this, a week when our budget or our schedule prevents us from visiting a new bar, you can buy our book, Cheers and Amen. Then you can have the fun of reading about a lot of different bars all over the country.

As a bonus, your book purchase earns us a drink. (We recommend buying three copies: one for yourself, one for your pastor, and one for your bartender. It's also available in a Kindle version, if you're traveling light and prefer e-reading.) Check it out via the links in the sidebar or at the bottom of the post, or contact us if you'd like an autographed copy.

Or, if you’d rather, use the money you would have spent on our book to go out for drinks. We understand. Really.

We walk into a neighborhood bar that's not what it looks like

The Skylark Cafe and Club, Seattle, Washington
“Did we pass inspection?”” Matt the bartender asked as we approached.

When we’d walked in, Mindy and I took many pictures of the bar, as we do. There were fun things to take pictures of, such as the stage and the guitar in the corner and the drum set above the door. Still, our Annie Leibovitz entrance looks a bit strange. We assured Matt we were just there for drinks, but mentioned we'd like to ask him a couple questions when he had time.

We went to The Skylark because it’s one of the three bars within easy walking distance of our house, and we’d already visited the other two (Ounces and the Ebb Tide Room). The menu on the bar’s website showed there were good food options (with happy hour specials!), so we decided to do dinner as well as drinks. (I might as well point out that I walked to Skylark, but Mindy was almost there when she got off the bus from work.)

The signboard by the front door had fliers for open mic nights, including one open to all ages. There was also a notice not to bring in outside food. We’ve visited several bars that have food trucks in the parking lot (including Ounces, which is almost next door), so I understand why something needs to be said. At times during the week, Skylark becomes a 21-and-over establishment (what some would think of as a real bar). Bands play, and there's usually with a cover charge.

We were there while kids were welcome, and a family with a couple of kids seemed to be having a fine time. Another family came in through a back door and waved a greeting. Couples and groups of friends, as well as people on their own, sat at the bar and tables around the place.

We sat at the bar, Matt got us got us water (punning that the liquid was “a little watered down”) and a menu, and Mindy ordered black cherry cider and chicken wings (“Ain’t No Thing But a Chicken Wing”). I ordered a Rhubarb Cooler and a Big Kid’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich. We ordered tater tots from the happy hour menu to round things off.

When Matt brought my drink -- which was quite good -- he noted that he had grown the rhubarb himself. He also grows pineapple sage, which he used to infuse a vodka (and he offered us a sample. It was delicious). Matt’s been one of the owners of The Skylark for the past six years (the bar’s had that name for around 12 years, but the building has served the same purpose for decades).

Matt said the food’s the focus now. Everything is made from scratch, except the bread, which comes from Macrina, a local bakery. He said they’re trying to get word out that they’re not just a bar, and that the music isn’t the only draw, which might have been the case in previous incarnations.

It’s morally dubious, but eavesdropping in a bar is pretty fun. I was amused by a woman down the bar (I’m guessing she works in retail) ask, “Do you want to hear my impression of a customer?” Her friends laughed, and she harangued, “‘BUT THE SIGN SAYS…’ And here’s another, ‘YOU MOVE EVERYTHING EVERYDAY!’” She paused for a second. “But we don’t.”

A man sat down at the bar near us and ordered a pizza (a happy hour special with the option of meat or veggie). I introduced myself to Joe and he agreed to answer our two questions (“What makes for a good bar?” and “Whether you go or not, what makes for a good church?”)

Joe decided to answer our first question by saying what makes Skylark a good bar. He said, “Good food.” And he said that this place was “a piece of old Seattle” with the bands and open mic nights, carrying on the traditions of the Seattle music scene. Joe lives three blocks away, so the bar’s close. “But if it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t keep coming back,” he said. As for what makes a good church, “It’s the same thing if it’s a mosque, temple, or synagogue: it’s leadership.” That person sets the example the congregation will follow.

Joe is originally from New Jersey, but has lived in Seattle for decades. He thinks West Seattle carries on the traditions of old Seattle. He noted that restaurants in West Seattle don’t seem to feel a need for coded locks on restrooms, an example of why he believes, “This is original Seattle; not modernized, sanitized, or bufferized.”

While Joe and I were talking, Mindy asked Matt the bartender our two questions, and he gave her just one answer. “I think it’s the same answer for both: a comfortable, inviting place you can return to time and time again.”

At The Skylark, Matt made us feel comfortable, and we do hope to return again -- for the food and for everything else.