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View Full Version : Bar Food/Old Neigborhood Bars



sunairco
04-26-2011, 08:41 AM
Many years ago when I was younger and would meet up with friends on weekends, we'd usually end up closing the bar and go find some all night restaurant to sober up by morning. Back then, most neighborhood or corner bars didn't serve food. Maybe crisps, package snacks, and of course the gallon bottles of pickled eggs,pigs feet, pork hocks, sausages, huge pickles. With the exception of the pickles, most of those were in a red pickling brine that looked like preserved laboratory specimens. Salty stuff that caused you to buy more drinks. There were few places that had a limited kitchen that served cold sandwiches, hot dogs from a roller grill, maybe hot sandwiches that were cooked in an infrared oven b4 microwaves. There were bars and grills that had a full grill that you could get a burger or other hot sandwich, maybe even a steak. It wouldn't be until the 80's that the sports bar/restaurant theme took hold where the bars had full service restaurants. That was down here. Up in the northern states, the restaurant/bar was pretty common including family dining.

The few times that I've been in a local bar now, the places are pretty much themed places that are complete restaurants with food and menus rivaling some of the fern bars like Chili's. Long gone are those pickled snacks in those lurid red liquids that you could see the hairs sticking out on the pigs feet.

I'm wondering if it's like that everywhere or are there still liquor/beer bars that don't serve food besides snacks. None of the old places I remember had entertainment besides maybe a pool table or two and a dart board. This was back in the day b4 they had light ordinances and most of these places were so dark, that you could find yourself in a corner and barely see your hands and the smoke level was a fuzzy haze.

Jericho
04-26-2011, 09:55 AM
I'm wondering if it's like that everywhere or are there still liquor/beer bars that don't serve food besides snacks. None of the old places I remember had entertainment besides maybe a pool table or two and a dart board. This was back in the day b4 they had light ordinances and most of these places were so dark, that you could find yourself in a corner and barely see your hands and the smoke level was a fuzzy haze.

That's gone and made me all nostalgic!
I blame the health and safety weinies...That and the corporate chains and their fucking theme pubs!

robertlouis
04-26-2011, 03:14 PM
I remember being in a lockin down in Kent a few years ago where we had a totally ratarsed contest to see who could come up with the most disgusting concoction from what was available.

The undisputed winner was the juice from a jar of Whitstable cockles mixed with Holland's gin. Unspeakable.

Ah, happy, happy days.

sunairco
04-27-2011, 05:56 AM
Long gone times. We found a great watering hole that was on the edge of nowhere. Back then, 3:00 AM was closing time in the city and out there they were open until morning and didn't abide by city rules. Odd mix of old retirees, bikers, and truckers. Sort of the last chance stop kind of place. The place was always cool and the older regulars very nice. Back then a bar was a place to go to get shitfaced drunk. None of this drink responsibly or we lose our liquor license, so we have to ask you to leave. I don't remember what the blood alcohol limit back then used to be, shit didn't even care. No cops ever hasseled us in the morning when we headed to a pancake and waffle joint to sober up. Now the cops park just outside of the bars and do sobriety checks just itching to get you. You'd have to be out of your mind nowadays to go drining and driving even if you're with someone who is sober who is the designated driver. Doesn't mean shit anymore. The still stop you and then once you're out of the vehicle they charge you with public intox or if you're sleeping it off and don't wake up, they tase you and charge you with resisting, failure to obey, and drunk and disorderly conduct. Don't know what the point of having a designated driver if they still are itching to bust you. Now they are talking about liquor point of sales control where they swipe your driver's license everytime you buy or get served liquor supposably to see if you are on any state probation or DUI list or reported as a problem patron where they have to refuse you service. Seems like they're hell bent on prohibition again. Yup, those were the days you still could enjoy getting plastered.