Huddle
up for food and brew
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Stacee
Sledge
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Dec
27, 2001 — Searching
for a place to catch the big game on New Year's Day? There's a
sports bar to fit nearly every taste in Bellingham. Whether you
like the loud, smoky atmosphere of a traditional sports bar or a
smoke-free, slightly more upscale atmosphere, somewhere there is a
barstool with your name on it.
I found myself out of practice in my search. Back in my college
days at the University of Iowa,
I was a regular at Joe's Place, where the walls were lined with
Hawkeye paraphernalia and the bartender was my roommate Rob. I
spent countless hours there, enjoying the beer and the company,
watching the Chicago Bulls tear through the NBA.
These days, I'm more likely to
watch a Mariners game from the comfort of my own home — or in
person at Safeco. So, I asked around a bit for recommendations.
Though the following list is far from exhaustive, it should set
you on the right path for televised sports and foamy brew.
Stanello's
A smoke-free alternative,
Stanello's offers several appetizers ranging from deep-fried
mozzarella to cheesebread. With the smallest square footage of all
the sports bars I visited, the dimly lit room held just as many
televisions as the largest place. You'll spy one of the dozen TV
screens no matter which way you turn your head in this comfortable
bar.
Sports Bar Roundup
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Stanello's
1514 12th St.
Phone: 676-1304
Menu items sampled:
Cheesebread: $2.99
Tapenade platter: $8.95
Boundary Bay Reefnetter Pale
Ale: $3.00
Miller Genuine Draft: $2.00
The Quarterback Pub &
Eatery
356 36th St.
Phone: 647-8132
Menu items sampled:
Chicken strips and fries: $6.95
Mac & Jack: $3.75
Slo-Pictch Pub &
Casino
1145 East Sunset Drive
Phone: 733-2255
Menu items sampled:
Grilled cheese and chicken noodle
soup: $4.99
Alaskan Amber: $3
Meridian Grill
4156 Meridian St.
Phone: 647-7066
Menu items sampled:
Cheeseburger: $6.75
New Yorker pizza: $7.95-
$11.95
Guinness stout: $3.75 |
Joined by a few friends, we sampled a couple
of the appealing appetizers. The cheesebread was gargantuan,
spilling over the edges of the plate it was served on. The
accompanying marinara was chunky and exceptionally flavorful — no
wonder, considering Stanello's dining room is a popular Italian
restaurant.
The sizable tapenade platter offered a
thick, salty paste of ripe olives, olive oil and seasonings. It
was served with chewy pita triangles, grilled zucchini, and fresh
tomatoes.
If you're hankering for more than finger
foods, Stanello's offers full dinners in the bar, including
spaghetti, lasagna and fettuccine alfredo.
Meridian Grill
Formerly Sandro's, the rejuvenated Meridian
Grill is proof positive that "charming" and "sports
bar" can appear in the same sentence. Located on Meridian in
front of the Holiday Inn, the décor features dark wood, vintage
Guinness posters and banquettes covered in a retro Route 66
fabric. Comfortable, low wooden chairs surround small tables, each
with a clear view of the myriad of televisions high on the walls
around the lower level.
The second floor offers more seating, even
more TV screens, a second bar, pool tables and darts.
I spent a recent Sunday afternoon at
Meridian Grill, watching football with two dozen other patrons.
The crowd was friendly and enthusiastic about the game. I was the
only woman in the bar at the time, but felt welcomed and included.
An enormous charbroiled cheeseburger arrived
on a soft sesame seed bun, cooked to a slightly pink perfection
and piled high with tomatoes, pickles, onion, and lettuce. The
accompanying fries were crisp and hot, and service was offered
with a smile.
The Meridian Grill offers an array of
sandwiches, soups and salads, appetizers, and steak dinners. It
also offers a Sunday-morning NFL brunch, beginning at 10 a.m.
The Quarterback Pub &
Eatery
Another night, another pub-crawl. We kicked
off the evening at the Quarterback, located in Sehome Village. The
space is massive, but on the Monday night of our visit, the
majority of tables sat empty. Service proved prompt and friendly,
and the handful of people in attendance were having a ball playing
"Quarterback Bingo."
I counted three big-screen TVs, and half a
dozen smaller ones placed strategically around the mammoth space.
No matter which seat you chose from the more than two dozen
available, you'd be able to catch the crucial play. The
Quarterback also offers pool tables, video games, a basketball
shooting game and darts.
My friends and I split a basket of chicken
strips, served over a mound of french fries. Heavily battered and
fried to a dark crispness, the chicken strips made the grade as
par-for-the-course sports bar fare. The french fries were thin and
crispy, but arrived at our table a tad on the cool side.
Slo-Pitch Pub & Casino
After watching the first half of the game at
the Quarterback, my cohorts and I piled into the car and headed
north to the Slo-Pitch Pub & Casino in Sunset Square. Although
half the size of the Quarterback, this sports bar proved much more
popular on this particular night. The smoke hung heavy as nearly
every table was full.
The menu is varied, full of the expected
sports bar eats. My friends split a grilled cheese sandwich, its
cheddar cheese stretching in tantalizing fashion as they pulled it
apart and dug in.
The veggie plate (I know, I know: Who orders
a veggie plate in a sports bar? Forgive us, but we were looking
for something light after the chicken strips at our first stop). )
was stacked high with cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes and
celery. Unfortunately, all items seemed to have been pulled from
the deep recesses of the fridge, so I can't recommend it. But
maybe that's what we get for ordering a sports bar veggie platter
in the first place. My sources tell me that the meal to order at
the Slo-Pitch is breakfast.
The Slo-Pitch offers all the run-of-the-mill
sports bar snacks you would expect, and then some. Seafood and
steak dinners are available, as well as an assortment of salads,
chili and a soup of the day.
The Slo-Pitch is open 24 hours a day, save
Christmas, and operates a casino year-round.
Whether you're searching for happy hour
specials for an after-work gathering or a place to watch the game
next Tuesday, one of these saloons should fit the bill.
The Fine
Print: I dine on my own dime. The opinions herein are mine alone,
not the Bellingham Herald's. Agree? Disagree? Please drop me a
line at StaceeSledge@hotmail.com.
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