Howl At the Moon

I debated between 1 and 2 stars. I settled on 1 for the simple fact that I felt like the ratings needed to be swayed in the proper direction. That direction being more mediocre than magnificent.

What is it about this place that attracts bachelorette parties?!? I seriously don't get it. $10 cover and $6.25 per mixed drink. When I think of fun Howl at the Moon NEVER comes to mind....unless if I imagine myself as a 55-year-old that wants to spend my Saturday night listening to horrible renditions of Benny and the Jets. Not to say that I may not get to this point in my life, cause lets face it...everyone loves them some Elton John, but still. I spent $19 on 3 drinks, and $10 on the door for standing room only and a snoozefest. Next time I'll just pass.

I'm a huge fan of this bar. Everytime I go to the Riverwalk...this is where I end up for the evening. The musicians are all extremely talented and the music is rockin' There will always be a cover charge for getting in the door. I was here on Mon/ Tuesday/ and Wednesday nights of last week and the staff was always very nice and welcoming.

There is a patio overlooking the river for smokers...if that's your thing. There is also an ATM in-house that you can use for song requests or phrases of the day. My ONLY beef with this place is the cost of beer. I shouldn't be paying $4.25 on a Mon/ Tue/ or Wed night for a beer. EVERY bar around them has beer much cheaper...for example, Coyote ugly has $2 beers until 8 or 9pm...then it tops out at $3. I'm a fan of the music...so I'll pay the extra $1...but the drinks are a rip-off. Pre-game before you get here to keep the tabs down but still have an enjoyable evening.

I'm not a fan of bars that have schticks to get people in the door, so I try to avoid dueling piano bars.  I put them in the same category as bars whose bartenders offer body shots on the regular.  That said, I ended up at Howl at the Moon last Friday for a friend's promotion party and I tried to maintain a positive "this is gonna be so much fun" attitude but unfortunately, it was as awful as I anticipated.  

Walking up the stairs to the bar, for a second I thought, "Oh, it's karaoke night.", but then remembered where we were.  Yep, the piano player/singers sounded like mediocre karaoke acts whose voices I was forced to endure for over two hours.  I tried to have fun.  I danced around in my seat, smiled, laughed, sung along a few times when requested, but it's just not my scene.  The piano players switched it up a few times but it didn't help.  A lot of times they seemed to be mumbling through the lyrics in a very unengaged manner.   I ended up spending at least one very loud, poorly performed song tapping my foot and doodling on a napkin.  

I will say that the servers and bartenders were super friendly and on top of doing their jobs, but they can't save this place for me.  

If I have my way, I will not be back.  (BTW, the night was rescued by a series of awesome places like SoHo Wine and Martini Bar, Barriba, and some dance club I can't remember the name of but I'll write about as soon as I get the info!)