North Star Bar

It took us some time, but we made it to our neighborhood bar. It's literally two blocks away and it took the pilot episode of Breaking Bad to get me out of the door. That show gives me the heebs. It's too real man. Like, crap! That could happen to me. I could have lung cancer and say "Screw it! I'm making some serious cash fast!" and it would be just like me to accidentally kill somebody with science. Hit too close to home.

I digress. Truth is I've been to North Star Bar for a band once SIX YEARS AGO. Sea something. ... Crap. It'll come to me. Anyway, the venue itself was surprisingly big but small. I know that sounds not helpful, but it looks teeny tiny from the outside, but then you go to the back/side where the bands play and you're like "hmmm. this is alright! commence happiness!"

Anyway I came here the other day, the bartender was nice, the beer selection was interesting, and the crowd was weird. A mix of people which was baffling and then realized it had to do with what band was playing at the time. (i.e. their parents came to watch them). There was only one working bathroom which sucks, but I would come here again on a rando night and just get a couple of beers which were mostly in the nice $5 range and chill out. They had a TV playing that White Castle movie. Ok.

Nothing exciting, but nothing terrible. A fun place though for a random week night. It's the kind of place where you'd get to know your bartender well and next time you see him you'd say "hey Joe! So what happened? Did you get your dog that medicine or did you try that herbal remedy instead?" because you knew him THAT well. Love it.

Sea Wolf. The band was Sea Wolf. Thanks google for coming up with it.

This review is only for the bar- I've never been here for a show.

The beer is good here and reasonably priced. The veggie burger is the bomb, and I once had some okay mussels. The vibe is sometimes weird at night but also very friendly. No complaints, but also nothing to write home about.

I really like the spaces for live music at the North Star Bar. The Victorian room and the main stage are both really great spaces with a lot of space for a lot of people to come. However, they have got to do something about their bar. The drafts are putrid. I ordered a Yards Brawler and it was almost black in color. But I decided to be nice and deal since the surly bartender already gave my husband the stink eye for sending back his Kenzinger for the exact same reason. He swapped his out for a canned beer, choosing not to gamble on any more of the drafts. I accidentally spilled my beer (really, it was an accident- but also a blessing in disguise since i asked for a canned beer to replace it). The canned beer was $2 less than my draft, and even though the bartender saw me spill it, and we were the only ones at the bar, she still had me pay for the new beer. When I was a bartender, in that situation, I would have just given the patron a beer, and not charged. Accidents happen. I even tipped her an extra dollar for having to clean up my mess. That was the last beer for me that night. I will be back to support the bands they bring in, but I will only buy the canned beers.