A true triple threat

There are usually three reasons people choose to go to a bar:

1. Food service. Often the most mentioned quality in a bar review, people choose going out over staying home because they’re hungry. Ranging anywhere from “best french fries in town” to “couldn’t even finish it” or even “just OK,” a food review can make or break a person’s decision to choose a certain bar.

2. Wait staff and bartenders. The most overlooked and underappreciated aspect of a bar. These folks work their butts off for tips, or they don’t work at all. Either way, they leave a lasting impression on their patrons. A server is the face of the bar, and how the patron perceives them can be the deal breaker in whether or not they are likely to return.

3. Drinks. The reason for choosing a bar over a restaurant. The preference of drink is so drastically different from person to person that it’s difficult to determine what makes the drinks great at a bar. Does the customer care more about taste or alcohol content? Do customers only want their favorite beer or a full bar with a variety of cocktail options? Is the wine list only top of the line, or is the house wine good and cheap?

Even if a bar excels at only one of these categories, chances are good that customers will chalk it up to a place worthy of revisiting. If it has two of these, that’s when guests tell their friends that they need to bring their dates. And what about those above-and-beyond bars that have all three? That’s when people say, “Try Star Bar.”

Diners enjoying conversation over Star Bar’s happy hour.

Among countless nights of poor service, overpriced drinks or plain old “meh” food, there’s finally a bar that can cover every consumer need. The servers are friendly yet speedy, the bartenders make outstanding drinks (seriously — the best Moscow Mule I have ever tasted), and the variety of food is almost outdone by quality… almost. Between the crab rangoon ($6.99) — which actually contains visible chunks of crab — the mountain of garlic-parmesan fries ($5.99), and the bar-favorite small plate, edamame ($4.99), customers certainly won’t be leaving hungry or anything less than satisfied.

Star Bar has a simple, two-page drink menu with one page dedicated to wine — purchase by the glass ($5-$10) or by the bottle ($20-$40). The second page is a list of 12 draft beers — including Stella Artois, Confluence and a rotating seasonal draft ($3.75-$5) — more than 30 bottled brews ($3.50-$4.50) and a list of spectacular martinis including the Startini, Salty Choco Pretzel and Espressotini, ($8-$9).

To add to the quality of Star Bar, they also host local musicians on the weekends and use the walls as a gallery to promote local artists. Patrons can also come by on weekend mornings for the brunch menu items like biscuits and gravy, steak and mushroom hash, or shrimp and cheese grits ($4.99-$11.99).

So go ahead — go to your usual spot. You probably have great service or outstanding food. Maybe even awesome drinks. It’s a good bet, though, that you don’t have all three. Instead, enjoy delicious food, fantastic drinks, friendly service and the true triple threat that is Star Bar. CV

Star Bar
2811 Ingersoll Ave., 244-0790
Hours: Mon. – Fri. 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Sat. 9 a.m. – 2 a.m., Sun. 9 a.m. – midnight

Bri Levandowski is a senior in journalism at Iowa State University. She is writing as part of an internship with Cityview.