R Bar and Grill

A complete turn around with the new owners.  I feel safe when I go there now.

It is now called Dylan's.

This place was just what I needed!  I had some time to kill before a show at the Clearwater, so I ducked in here to get out of the freezing "spring" air.

For $5.00, I got a comfortable bar stool, good service, a chocolate martini, a nice clean glass for said martini, a few big TV's, a clean bathroom, and LEFT ALONE.  

You cannot beat that with a stick!

This place is my first 1 on Yelp.  And it probably would have been a 2 if it wasn't for a freak experience.  I love townie bars.  Just not this one.  The interior is unimaginative and uninspired.  The drinks are relatively inexpensive, as they need to be if customers are wanted.

So... the one time I came here, the place was empty.  This little pip-squeak came up to me to tell me that I was in the waitresses way and I should move.  Funny thing is, the waitress was my sister and if she wanted me to move, she would have told me too.  I laughed at the schmuck and pretty much told him he was a schmuck.  He was looking for a fight, I guess, to prove his manhood in that time honored ritual that seems to be so common in the Chicago area.

In any event, I was a little disappointed that management didn't ask the twerp to leave.  There was NOBODY in the bar and it was clear this kid was trouble.  I eventually left (unrelated to Mr. Fighter Guy) and unloaded the rest of my wallet elsewhere.  My sister later told me that the kid found his fight and lost a lot of blood, ending up in the hospital.  So there is justice in this world.

Perhaps management would have saved their clients some annoyance by removing the guy earlier.  Or maybe they like to see a fight every now and then and this is the type of clientèle they're trying to attract.  Most places with even a touch of class remove a guy once it's clear that he's looking to rumble.  Is my rating fair? Maybe not.  But I'm not in high school any more.  I prefer to kill brain cells with booze.