The Barkley Restaurant & Bar

Despite having been born and raised in "the 'Bra," as the AHS kids used to call it, I've never really known the nightlife in this little corner of the San Gabriel Valley.  If one is feeling waggish, one might point out that there IS no discernable nightlife to speak of in Alhambra.  Fair point, but outdated.  For over these past few years, the Alhambra City Council has seen fit to develop the stretch of Main Street between Atlantic and Garfield into what can only be called an ersatz version of Old Town Pasadena.  I felt like William Mandella from The Forever War when, coming home from college and law school, I would drive down Main Street to try and get a bite from Rick's and find that there was no longer any street parking, that lot parking cost money, and that there were actually LINES of people dressed in de rigueur club clothing (a.k.a. "dress to impress," which translates to "untucked button-up shirts with jeans / "short skirts, unstable stilettos") waiting to go into generic-seeming and somehow all blue-themed clubs.  To think I attained the bloom of physical maturity on those same streets.

So.  I stay away from Main Street because it feels, well, inauthentic.  And besides, the friends I have here are not really the clubbing type.  Actually, to be honest, I often prefer my drinking alone, because it's only then that one is able to reach a state of Herzogian "ecstatic truth."

I've known of the Barkley ever since it was called the Crossbow.  I always figured it was some sort of steakhouse because of its complete lack of windows.  It's not in Alhambra, but near enough anyway.  It is conveniently located near a Starbucks, a dry cleaner, a veterinarian, a Big Lots!, and, most importantly, a KFC.  Long experience in drinking has taught me that it's often better-advised to not eat the food at a bar, even if the bar is technically a restaurant.

At any rate, I was coming back home from a long day of work.  I was in a suit, and hell, I didn't get dressed up for nothing.  I decided to check out the Barkley because, why not?  It had to be cheap, probably.  I would stick in my head and if it was dead inside, I would leave.  I was rounding the corner when I spied a female going inside: I thought that was a good sign.  (The fact that it was a Monday evening was at best a neutral sign.)

Then, it was my turn to open the door and cross the threshold.  The bar, which is immediately in one's line of sight, was occupied by a thin gray line people who obviously have been coming there for years.  There were about 12 dudes and two ladies at the bar, and two empty stools closest to the door.  I'm not a soldier or police officer, and I'm not usually in Fallujah or Port-au-Prince, so I don't mind sitting with my back to the door.  I took a seat and I ordered a Maker's, neat.

Do you ever drink alone at bars?  It's an interesting thing.  There are some bars where no one pays attention to you.  (That's usually at places where the median age is 25.)  Then, there are some bars, such as the Barkley, where everyone pays attention to you.  Fortunately, I manage to look non-threatening but also, hopefully, non-threatenable.  (Basically, I'm Asian, I have a beard, and I don't wear glasses.)  

The most gregarious gentleman was at the far corner of the bar drinking a Stella Artois.  He called across the bar: "What are you drinking?"  I answered, truthfully, "Maker's, neat."  He asked the bartender to get me another Maker's, a double, on him.  As it was Monday, I accepted readily and thanked him by ordering him another Stella.

Within the next 15 minutes, this gentleman proceeded to order a round of tequila for everyone at the bar.  Many of the patrons at the bar, who seemed to be familiar with him, groaned; many of those groaners did not take their shots.  But I did.  I took one of them and drank it down, prompting another gentleman to exclaim repeatedly to no one in particular, "This guy's an ANIMAL!"

Perhaps because of this endorsement, our benefactor got up and sat next to me at the empty stool.  We talked about how I grew up in Alhambra, talked about his lucrative real estate investments, drank a bit more.  But then he tried to order another round for the bar, and the bartender (wisely) refused.  She also stated that his tab was already $200.

Bars are perhaps the best place to learn about people because people go in and different people come out.  Alcohol makes saints of bastards and bastards out of bastards.  My companion pulled out a wad of cash, peeled off a few bills and threw them behind the bar, then inexplicably threw his beer bottle at the bartender.  Then, he shoved all the glasses in front of us off the bar to go crashing onto the floor, took another bottle and aimed it at the bartender.  Thankfully, he missed.  He stumbled out of the Barkley, the bartender called the cops, and he was arrested.

I'm told this never happens at the Barkley.  At any rate, it was a helluva first time.

We've been coming to the Barkley for years.   Last night was our first time there in quite a while, and we were disappointed!   Under new management for the past six months, The Barkley's food and service have both declined.   The drinks -- prepared by one of its veteran bartenders -- have remained consistently good, and arrived at our table moments after being ordered.    But the food took forever, and we sensed the slowness of the service was designed to get us to order more booze.   The halibut was not fresh, and the pork ribs were dry and most likely also previously frozen.   We're so sad!  This was always one of our reliable places for a nice, not too expensive, dinner out!

A time capsule of an experience but a really great one at that. Wood panelled walls, red-cushioned booths, a dance floor, opulent bar; a real flashback for the older crowd and just a taste of what fine dining used to be long before most yelpers (including myself) were born. My wife and son accompanied me as we thought it would be more like a traditional pub, but were knocked out by the 1940's style and decor. It was just a lot of fun to sit and gape at the surroundings. Anyway, the service was great, the vodka martini I had was perfect and the food was excellent. I ordered the fried chicken and it turned out to be among the finest, freshest and juiciest I've had. We will be back.