Post #114109 by Unkle John on Mon, Sep 13, 2004 12:24 AM

The Cave Lounge, A Review:

Well you can tell a great place when you show up and there is a stray cat pinching a loaf in the parking lot. It was myself, my wahine, and Norm. We drove up and down Division st. (because I forgot the address) I also forgot how beautifl the hotels where designed. So we get to this little dive and park in the side parking lot. I went up the ramp to one of the two doors and walk in (followed by Norm and Julie). Now I get nervous when I goto bars that I don't know, and I was expecting alot of people there. There was 12. Not bad for a Sunday evening. I stroll past the bar and take a look outside. I only saw one tiki, it was a Rapa Nui head about 2ft tall made of concrete. Wanting to cool of more I went back inside. We look over the drink menu and see two house specialties, beer & martinis. They had a pretty good selection of beer, from American, to Texas, to Chec, and even some Canadian (Maudite and other beer brewed by Unibroue). I looked over the beer selections and noticed they had free BBQ on Sundays, I had just eaten Mexican food. So I settled on a Shiner. They did have Miller High Life on tap for a dollar... that would probably explain the cat in the parking lot.
I looked around the place while I drank my Shiner. The walls where painted black, with very cool low-brow outsider art hanging on the walls. There was a fire place that had a TV in it playing the "fire log" tape some of us got a few years back, and the TV over one of the doors played a very long loop tape of tropical fish. all of the lights where either old beer signs or lights with red bulbs in it. Black leather and chrome chairs dotted the floor and confortble deep red bar stools with backs lined the bar. The crowd was off duty bartenders and buddies of theirs. Drunk, talking politics and making up sexual youthanizms. The juke box was very well stocked with everything from lounge music to the Cramps. The bar also allowed dogs to roam freely in and out of the establishment. We stayed for aout an hour then headed out on our way to a comedy club, which turned out to be closed. We should have stayed some more or went back, but it was late and the Mexican food I had was sitting like a lead weight in my stomach. But out of 5 stars, I give it 4. It could have had more tikis, and possibly boasted more drinks than martinis and beer. But if I was staying in the area, It would have been my new haunt.
I love their slogan as well: "Divison Street, not just for bums and prosititutes anymore."