Spyke's

Five stars for the 25-ounce beers for $2.75.
Two stars for just about everything else.

I went to Spyke's (formerly Chevy's, I think, and then Club Che-vele) on a Saturday for someone's birthday. First thing I noticed was the sign. I never saw the sign for Club Che-vele, but the Spyke's sign is ridiculous. It's a really bad picture of a bulldog with a bowler hat on. But just the head of the bulldog, no body.

Once we got inside, we found out there was karaoke, but the monitor was broken, so you could only sing if you knew all the words. I'm sure this isn't a normal occurrence, but it sure soured me on the joint.

The decor was laughable, as well. Keeping with the canine theme, there were cheesy framed pictures of dogs (not even real photos, just sappy drawings) on the wall, in addition to a butt-load of little mirrors, all hung off kilter on purpose. There was even a sign tacked on the wall that showed a parrot dressed as a pirate, and underneath, it said, "Polly Wants a Cocktail."

The bar itself was one of those weird ones where the bartenders are sunken down a little, but the patrons sitting AT the bar are on rolling chairs, not stools.

They did have pretty cheap beer (we learned about the 25-ouncers for $2.75 only as we were leaving). But the sad decor (like somebody's rec room from 1977) and the so-so clientele (just people hangin' out, nothing interesting) were off-putting.