The chic Beaver, Tally’s offers unique vibe to quaint neighborhood

Sometimes you need a break from the endless corn and small-town feel that is Iowa. Sometimes you need that break enhanced with a strong drink named The Flaming Beaver. In which case, Beaverdale is not far.

Named after Natalie, the owner and chef Robert Sanda’s daughter, this little restaurant/bar might be the only place you can find such a variety of mixed drinks and martinis named after a beaver. The Beaverdale Sunrise is sweet and tangy, while The Flaming Beaver packs a Fireball punch you’re sure not to forget until you can’t remember. Tally’s also plays host to a popular Bloody Mary bar and offers an unprecedented “happy hour” which spans eight hours, actually, from 11 a.m. to 7  p.m. Monday through Friday. There is also a full bar on the upstairs patio ready for action in the summer months ahead. Until then, drinks and dinner can be enjoyed on the sidewalk patio overlooking the busy-as-a-Beaver neighborhood.

The staff is playful and friendly, and so are the patrons at Tally’s on Beaverdale Avenue.

Hungry customers can look to the Iowa bacon-wrapped meatloaf sandwich, Tilapia tacos or Beaver Ave. nachos. And vegetarians are in luck with a vast menu all their own. So everyone can find a place to fit comfortably.

“That’s what I like about this bar: You can come here and just shoot the breeze with anyone. It’s always a good time,” said a customer endearingly named “Tim the Terror” by a playful waitress. Tim sat among others around the bar — strangers before this night — actively engaging in conversation and sharing stories of Beaverdale adventures. Tim went on about how his cat once went missing for several days, and just when he was about to give up hope and headed to Tally’s to drown his despair, he discovered the AWOL feline had taken up residency at the restaurant. Sometimes eight hours just isn’t enough happy hour, perhaps.

“The people we get in here are really all over the board. From their 20s to their 60s, there’s a lot of locals,” said bartender Haley Proctor, who traded jokes with patrons with preparing a mojito like an old pro. “It’s always a friendly and fun crowd.”

LAST CALL… Ever snort a line to get drunk? This fall, perhaps you’ll get your chance. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau last week approved Palcohol — powdered alcohol — to hit American markets later this year. The Bureau signed off on seven versions of Palcohol, including Margarita and Cosmopolitan flavors. Palcohol was pitched as a solution to the ever-escalating cost of liquid alcohol, especially at sporting events and concerts, and suggested it as a food seasoning, such the Kamikaze guacamole, Rum BBQ sandwich, Cosmo salad and Vodka eggs for breakfast. CV            

Chris Kelley is a graduate of Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University and offers occasional articles for Cityview.