caption: Bartender Stephanie Osmond keeps a cupboard full of board games behind the bar, such as Jenga, and the tables at the booths are custom made with Chess and Scrabble boards built into them, too. She said the PB&J is one of the most popular drinks: PBR served with a shot of Jamison for $5. The Fremont 1030 E. 9th St. 265-2080 http://www.thefremont.com Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Mon.-Sun. Happy Hour: 4-8 p.m., Mon.-Fri. Capacity: 49

By Jared Curtis
jared@dmcityview.com

Every bartender thinks he or she makes “the best damned bloody mary in town,” but none boast with such conviction as David Clark at the Fremont. He’s so confident, he’ll challenge anyone to make a better blend — even the customer.

“It’s my own, special mix,” he said. “People can make their own if they want to, but nobody ever does. And they keep coming back for ’em.”

It’s become a Sunday tradition. The “Bloody Mary Brunch” offers free omelets, biscuits and gravy, but perhaps more importantly, a bloody mary bar with all the fixens, including just about any vegetable you can think to pickle: “pickled artichokes, ochre, eggs, asparagus…” Clark rattled on like Bubba Blue from the movie “Forrest Gump.”

“There’s a huge selection of vegetarian delights,” he said.

After eight months of the morning tradition, Sunday Brunch has grown so popular that if you Google the words “Bloody-Mary-Des-Moines-Iowa,” The Fremont is the first on the list to pop up. Clark said it’s always a good turnout, and the available ingredients change from week to week, which is what co-owner Kevin Wahlert likes about it.

“A lot of bars do a Bloody Mary Sunday, and they’re all very similar, but everybody has their own take on how a bloody mary should taste and different preferences on the spiciness,” Wahlert said.

Indeed, people are different, which is what has been driving the owners of The Fremont as they celebrate their one-year anniversary this month. In the past year, the bar has welcomed local entertainment of all sorts, from live music to art shows, and now they’ve brought back an open mic night on Wednesdays hosted by acoustic solo-man Mason Jar.

“I’d been to open mic nights there when it was owned by someone else, and I thought it was a shame when it stopped,” said Bill Marnin of Mason Jar. “I like to promote live music period — especially people who are songwriters, and this is a good place to bring what I call homegrown music.

“It’s a great little venue. It’s the Fremont. It’s my kind of place,” Marnin added.

The locals apparently like it, too. The old building has been a bar for as long as people can remember — since 1948, Wahlert said — and some of the regulars have been bellied up there just as long.

“We have a lot of neighborhood people still coming in here who probably always will,” said bartender Stephanie Osmond. “And we keep getting new people in, too, which is awesome. We have regulars who have been coming to this bar since the ’80s, and they still come in here every day. We have a very diverse crowd.”

“I think diversity and variety of entertainment appeals to a larger audience,” Wahlert added. “We’re trying to capture that by offering more than just drink specials.” CV