Posted March 06, 2013in Belly Up
Last Saturday was girls’ night out. What better way to spend a night out downtown with your favorite ladies than at Raccoon River Brewing Company at a free Bonne Finken show? Nothing could be more pure girl power than catching Bonne unplugged. You can’t take her picture. Although the band
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Posted February 27, 2013in Belly Up
Combining two of peoples’ favorite things to do, drinking and shopping, West End Salvage offers its patrons a non-traditional bar scene that’s easily missed unless you’re in on the secret. At first glance, it doesn’t look like your typical bar. That’s because it isn’t. West End Salvage began as an
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Posted February 20, 2013in Belly Up
Most bar owners claim their establishment is a “Cheers” kind of pub. Not Tom Morris, owner of The Hull Avenue Tavern. It’s simply not that kind of place. He does claim, however — in bold writing on the new sign out front — that his bar is “Des Moines’ oldest
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Posted February 13, 2013in Belly Up
Some people go to church and pray to God for love of the Holy Trinity; others go to the bar. (Some do both). At Whiskey Dixx downtown, the holy trinity includes Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Johnny Walker, and if you love it too much, you could end up praying
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Posted February 06, 2013in Belly Up
Every bar has its thing. Whether it’s a memorable bartender, a drink that can make you forget the unforgettable or an atmosphere that feels like home, every hole in the wall is so much more if you peer inside for a look. At Cooper’s on 5th, the bartender is memorable,
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Posted January 30, 2013in Belly Up
I got an education on how to drink beer upon my first visit to Sambetti’s on Second Avenue in Des Moines. My uncle — a veteran drinker even then — introduced me to the cozy booths, the warm Italian food and the term “big boy” in reference to beer. I
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Posted January 23, 2013in Belly Up
A guy I knew in college barely tried in class and thus barely passed with diploma in hand. Instead of books, he usually clutched a can of Budweiser, as if it were a natural appendage that grew from his palm. You know the type — the guy who trips over
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Posted January 16, 2013in Belly Up
If Maddy’s Again was the weird stoner who got shoved into lockers in high school, Mavericks is the star football quarterback who did it. Maddy’s Again might have been the only somewhat dive bar of the western suburbs. It was dark and dingy, and the only real, “high-energy” nights came
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Posted January 09, 2013in Belly Up
Walking into Liberty’s, the first thing you’ll notice about the extraordinary hotel lounge is bartender Rodney Lewis’ warm, animated smile that automatically makes you feel comfortable in the upscale atmosphere. Then you’ll notice the marble bar, flat screen TVs and a very modern décor that will trick you into thinking
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Posted January 02, 2013in Belly Up
For those of you who weren’t alive in 1989, the first Batman movie epitomized — before Christian Bale’s throaty rendition of the hero and the late Heath Ledger’s demonically demented version of the Joker — a comparably more jovial depiction of the classic battle of good vs. evil. Back then,
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