Bar #24 Deagan's Kitchen and Bar

There is one bar that is always brought up, when the question of the best place to eat or drink in Lakewood is asked. This isn't because they have bar games, bands or have the cheapest whatever in town.  Tonight, I see how they compare to every bar in Lakewood. Deagan's is bar #24 but are they the #1 bar?

We arrived at 7pm on a Wednesday. The bar was full without even two adjacent spots at the bar. It was vegetarian night. Of course there's a special Monday through Thursday so Deagan's is regularly busy. Deagan's environment is what one could call cool pub. The walls are made of wood and bare brick covered with chalk board beer signs, local art and even antique style light bulbs and fixtures. These combined features create an environment that is both trendy and comfortable. Which is good because if you come during dinner time you'll probably have at least a 25 minute wait.

We sat down and of course added an extra person. They were very accommodating and allowed us to add a chair to the table even with the space restrictions. Our waitress and food came often enough that it never felt like were were waiting for service.

I drank North Coast's Scrimshaw Pilsner. It was a good pilsner. It wasn't so strong that it wasn't easily drinkable but not so bland that you'd forget it was beer. Deagan's only carries higher quality beers, which makes their prices, starting at $5, more palatable.

The food was good. I started with their Bavarian Pretzel. Its dipping sauce was amazing. For dinner, I had the mac and cheese. It was ok. The cheese sauce was a bit too thin. Luckily, Kelly had the steak, (yes steak on vegetarian night) it was really good. They only have one type of chicken wing, with an amazing mixture of jam and awesome. I do miss their buffalo wing from the wing crawl.

One problem we did run into that night was the monologue. This is a threat to any evening of drinking and any of us could be the next culprit. The alcohol dulls that little part of the brain that allows you to stop talking and pay attention to the look on your friend's glazed over faces. My usual fouls:

1) High school cross country/track, there is always that little part of your brain that wants to talk about your entire high school sports experience in as few breaths as possible.

2) Dogs, this is actually a double foul with me. I work with dogs and no matter how much you like your job, nobody likes your job when you talk about it for 20 straight minutes. The second foul is talking about the funny things your dog/cat/child does. This is fine in proportional amounts but can easily become a half hour of talking about where your dog/cat/baby has pooped.

R!ch Cihlar, Pop Shop

3) The repeat story, a funny or exciting story that gets a reaction out of people is possibly the most evil of all monologues. Every time this story is told, it will get a little longer, probably still funny though. Unfortunately, your close friends and what-not get to hear this hilarious ever growing anecdote over and over again. Once, they have heard this story 5 times, they can legally murder you in the state of Michigan. (This is the foul in question this evening.)

I think it's time for all of us to admit that we all do this now and again. Once, we all agree that we're all secret monologuists, then we can agree that we are allowed to stop other people's monologues once they have gone too long. Right now, I'm thinking you can just say “Cut! Thank you for your monologue but I think we should now talk about cheese.” Change this as needed.

Post dinner Deagan's clears out a bit and more so resembles a pub where people can all easily converse with each other and hang around the bar.

This was hidden in the wall.

This summer Deagan's is opening a second bar in Lakewood.  Its newest creation will be a wine bar in the strip, which includes Discount Drug Mart.  Deagan's says, "We're looking to do a wine bar... There aren't wine bars in Lakewood.  We want to do something that Lakewood is lacking." The food options will be "limited and simple."  "We want to add more to downtown Lakewood.  We love it here.  If I could open 15 businesses in Lakewood, I would.  Between the city and the residents, I don't have a single negative thing to say about Lakewood in my entire experience here."1

Paul Jacklitch, BWU

Deagan's has some of the best food in Lakewood. They have a nice atmosphere and decent beer selection.  Any bar/restaurant that strives to be elite is one that you won't be able to just sit down without a wait at and one you where you'll be spending at least $20 but probably $40 on your first night. That in mind, you must go to Deagan's because it is probably better than where you were planning on going and it'll be worth it. 

Jonn Sokol

Awesome: Atmosphere, Craft Beer, Gastropub Food

14810 Detroit Ave

http://deagans.com/

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1. The information of this paragraph comes directly from Patch.com's article.  All quotes are from Dan Deagan.

Bar #23: Irish Kevin's (Deceased)

Lately, I've been behind on getting my blogs out within reasonable time after actually going to the bar. The flu and the holidays took a leading part in these delays but mainly it's been time management. This week I tried going to a bad bar. Different people had different opinions which bar it should be. Any bar that someone said was awful someone else loved. I instead picked a bar that under its previous ownership always seemed awful or at least the people that I knew that went there reflected that. This week we find out if Bar #23, Irish Kevin's can erase its bad reputation, even if that reputation was only in my head.

Everyone upon entering Irish Kevin's said, in one way or another, “Wow, this place is really nice!” The second, thing three out of four of us said was, “Where's Johnny?” We had all come from Bearden's in Rocky River in different cars. He had put the intersection into his phone to get directions and stopped paying attention to his surroundings. Once he reached 117^th and Clifton he realized that something was amiss. He of course was properly mocked once he finally reached Kevin's bar. A week later, publicly mocked on the blog. Ha, Johnny!

Irish Kevin's is surprisingly spacious and clean. There are nice beer signs around the walls. They have their own line of shirts hanging above the bar. Games include pool, darts and Keno. They have a stage for live music. Wednesday seems to be old man night at the bar, but I think the crowd is normally a bit younger. The bartender gave us quick service but couldn't give information about the beers

They have a great Kentucky Bourbon Ale on tap that was came was smooth and bourbony. Before I could drink it I learned that the tables in the booths aren't heavy nor attached to the floor. I put my hand on the table as I went to swing into the booth and catapulted the drinks off the table. Don't worry, I held onto my own drink. Johnny and I were later allowed behind the bar to check out the bottles in their fridge. I went with Troegs Brewery's Dream Weaver Unfiltered Wheat Beer. It seems what they didn't filter was the lame. The beer wasn't necessarily bad but didn't really add anything good to the mix. Irish Kevin's makes it's own sodas with cane sugar!

I didn't think they had food. There was almost no mention of them having food in the bar except a random mention of wings. I have since learned from their Facebook page they have a bunch of fried bar food favorites. They now have fried pickles.

Irish Kevin's is an overall good affordable bar that turned 3 last month. To survive in Lakewood you need more than a gimmick, you need the basic qualities without which customers will inevitably be repelled. They are a clean, comfortable bar that gives the option of getting something you'll want to drink, eat, do, watch and listen to at a fair price. Kevin's Irish Kevin's primary customers are still probably the population within walking distance but they make sure their customers don't have a reason to look for a new bar. Check out Irish Kevin's, bar #23, they are reputed to be a good place to be.

Awesome: Soda, Atmosphere

13601 Detroit Ave.

216-226-5718

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Bar #22: Mullen's on Madison

As the world was spinning towards its inevitable demise, I needed to pick what would possibly be the last bar I would ever go to. I was invited out by a friend to the bar next to his shop. This is my favorite way to pick my next bar, and the best reason to pick the last bar before the end of the world, because people want me to be there. Yes, the world didn't end and I should have written this faster, but Mullen's on Madison could have been the last bar I ever went to, and is bar #22.

My first stop on my way to Mullen's was to go next door to Pop Shop Custom Framing. (Ok, my first stop was a bit down the street to Pet's General to pick up some dog food, exchange some witty repartee, and to pet a chinchilla).  You may know R!ch Cihlar who is a founder of the Pop Shop Gallery (now the Breakneck Gallery), which has helped spread contemporary art for years. More recently, R!ch traded having an art gallery for a slowly deminaturizing small human being, but kept the framing shop and the name. He has been working on a project for a good chunk of the last year, 365 Days of PEZ. He is painting PEZ dispensers using a stenciling technique on found objects like skate decks and records. He has been posting a new work of art every day on his Facebook and website. Check them out!

We made our way over to Mullen's on Madison next door. It's on Madison Ave. Mullen's is an inviting bar with signed sports jerseys, a pool table, local art framed, murals, and one dollar bills on the walls themselves.

They had a nice selection beer at cheap prices. I had free Yuengling, thanks to R!ch. Later, I had Oskar Blues Brewery's Mama's Little Yellow Pils. A pilsner that had nice mildly complex flavor, which wasn't scared to taste more like beer than water. They have popcorn. It's neither too salty nor too stale.

Our conversation bounced about eventually reaching babies in bars. It was agreed that babies should only come to bars where they have proper seating and if the bar can also act like a restaurant. Babies however, should go home for a normal bed time. This conversation also went on to decide that babies do not need to go to places where screaming by adults is found to be inappropriate. These can include movies, some restaurants, planes when possible (they can be uncomfortable for the baby), fireworks (unless they like them, though ear protection should probably be worn.) The conversation can be summed up in one final statement by Ramona: “What are you doing!? Get your stroller out of the porn store!” Of course, this is life and it's easy to drunkenly come to these conclusions, but life makes the rules whenever it can.

There is a curse to this bar that you should know about. It's not that in the past it has been cursed with poor taste, which it was. Two incarnations ago it was a cozy, low ceilinged bar foggy with cigarette smoke with a carpet on the floor that had absorbed enough trickle down beer and tobacco to grow its own carpet on top of itself. The ceilings were then moved upwards and the walls were scraped clean and covered in lots of green and orange paint. Obviously, that wasn't better. Thats all fixed now. The true curse is that the former ugly bars have seeped into the any proudly displayed jersey that grace the walls of Mullen's,  forcing player after player out of the city. Notables include Brady Quinn and LeBron James. Many of these jerseys are brought down and replaced with new sacrifices as the curse continues.

Mullen's on Madison's staff and ownership was friendly. My beer was cold and plentiful. I had no complaints and I don't think you will either. Mullen's is 1 part Irish Pub and 1 part dive bar mixed to be better than its parts. You should leave your normal bar and come check out bar #22. Even if the bar does banish another of your favorite players, it won't be the end of the world.

Awesome: Customer Service, Atmosphere, Bartender's Pick

17014 Madison Ave
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Bar #21 The Local Bar and Grill (Deceased)

As we near the 6 month mark on the blog, the questions arise, what are we looking for, have we found it?  Is it just the right beer and food combination at the right price?  Do we judge a bar first by the people that run it or by the people that drink in it?  Is a bar superior by the additions of games, live bands, and wacky things attached to the walls. What causes that change in our perception that turns a bar local to our home to our local bar?  This week The Local Bar and Grill wants to be our local bar at #21.

The first thing you notice when you enter The Local is that it's huge.  It takes up two store front areas.  The right is in your standard bar with a row of tables across from it.  The right side is an open layout setting up its primary use as a dancing and live music venue.  We picked an off night for the bar doubling the number of patrons.  The second thing we noticed upon arrival is it smelled mildly like a damp Lakewood basement.  Today was a wet December day but still...  The Local was also very Christmassy, full of lights and Christmas ale.

Our bartender was helpful, friendly and attentive to us.  She was also Batman.  She answered our questions, coming back frequently when we couldn't decide what we wanted.  They were out of a number of items including steak, which contributed to our indecisiveness.  When asked what they are known for she quickly answered wings.  I went with their garlic parmesan and 5 alarm variety.  They were crispy, with enough meat.  The garlic parmesan wings tasted as you'd expect.  I would order the 5 alarm again but they did not live up to heat expectations.  All the food that we ordered was good with no complaints.

I ordered a 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale, one of my favorites.  12 Dogs is well rounded ale with enough but not too much alcohol and spices that put me off of some other brands.  I don't want to be able to light my beer on fire or mistake it for a liquid fruitcake.  The beer was made even better by putting cinnamon around the rim of the glass like a pub margarita.

























Every bar has its good qualities and bad.  If you have really good food, then you probably have higher prices.  If you have great dance music with lots of young single people then you probably won't be able to hear your friends talk...and will have to talk to someone that is both very drunk and very orange from fake tanning for the holidays.  The Local Bar gave me good food, beer and service.  If your looking for that plus a place to dance and/or hear live music then you should give them a try.  #21 The Local Bar doesn't stink.

Awesome: Customer Service, Size

16918 Detroit Ave

216-228-2340

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Costa Rica and The Contest

My wife and I won a trip to Costa Rica. So, I didn't make it to a bar over these last two week. That doesn't mean that I don't have anything to write and definitely doesn't mean that I won't be able to knock off the next 30 bars before July 1^st. Sadly, I won't be able to finish up all the bars before the world ends in a couple weeks. Today you'll read about the excitement of a prefab resort pool bar. Also, our newest contest begins now!

The One Health Organization had a large raffle earlier this year. They send teams of veterinarians out to teach about various issues to owners and provide animal health care to help keep both owner and pet healthy. One of the prizes was free airfare and hotel stay in Costa Rica's Central Pacific region. The weather was always about 75 degrees and they had as many iguanas as Lakewood has squirrels. You probably don't want to hear about my vacation. But I did want to bring up the topic of the resort bar and more so the ones that are attached to a pool.

The resort bar's job is to keep everyone around it at a level of drunk so that they can't tell if they are sweating water or alcohol. This allows for two optimal conditions. One, they get the maximum amount of tip. Two, all the guys are at the maximum level of dude. The dudes are the male equivalent of a woo girl. They will only talk about these topics: women, alcohol, sports, their job, doing dumb things and stories about combinations and only them. You are probably thinking that I'm simply describing guys. But, what you have to add in extra enthusiasm and the ability to act as though they are friends with all the guys that they are around at the time. If you add a proper amount of alcohol this dudeness spreads till all the guys are buddies and everything they all say seems great (to them.) Now, that all the guys are getting along the maximum level tips gets to continue. The mixture of sun, swimming pool and swimming suits keeps everyone distracted and subdued enough not to switch to drunken brawls. They also must change their drinks to something colorful quite possibly with an umbrella.

The beer selection is always a mixture of American beers, Heineken and a couple local beers that seem exotic but tastes American. I went with Costa Rica's own Imperial. It was basically an old man beer...yeah that's it.

I mainly avoided sitting by the pool bar because when you put a bunch of liquids in a bunch of drunk guys and stick them in a pool they will eventually remark how warm the water is. The dude story we heard from the bartender while I was there was about marlin fishing. A group of guys rented a boat and went out in search of a large fish with big point on his face. All was going well. They were happily drunk and cheering each other on for whatever they could get on a hook. Then it hit and angry marlin with a taste for human flesh. They fought back and forth neither showing weakness until the fish changed the game and swam under the boat. As they ran around the boat trying to see where it went, the whole boat suddenly shook. The guys jumped frantically to the edges as the marlin forced as much of his nose as he could through bottom of the boat. The boat then sank. The story was doubtfully true and every time it is told you have to add something. The group of dudes at the bar did decide that they should go marlin fishing as well.

So in conclusion drinking is better when you aren't wearing a shirt and don't stick your head under the water near the pool bar.

The Contest

Blog readers the time has come. You need to have a beer at every bar in Lakewood! In general if you send me a picture of yourself drinking a beer in front of every bar in Lakewood before anyone else does I'll give you a $100 to spend at the bar of your choosing. Specifically, if you take a picture of yourself wearing our shirt or logo holding a beer (or beverage you drink because you don't like beer) in front of the bar (the furniture not the building) and post it to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EveryBarInLakewood or tweet me on Twitter EveryBarLKWD or email me at samlakewood@gmail.com from every bar in Lakewood (on the list found on the website) before anyone else does then you can win a $100 gift card/certificate/tab from any bar in Lakewood!

Fine Print: You must drink your beer (or beverage), I have spies. If you are found cheating then you don't win and anyone can be called a cheater without me giving a reason or proof. Someone will win! You don't have to drink a beer at Sullivans to win because breaking and entering while intoxicated is frowned upon in Lakewood. Pictures of you from previous versions/owners of a bar don't count. New rules may be edited into this over the next month, so let me know if there's any part of this you don't like or any changes I make that you find unfair. Purchase is not necessary. You must be a legal resident of the United States of America. My wife has extensive experience with graphic design and will know if you edit your picture. Editing your picture is cheating. My wife and I can't win this contest. If a bar is added to the list before you finish the contest you must take a picture there too. You may skip one bar if you have a good enough reason (as determined by me.) You must be over 21 years old to be eligible. End of fine print.

This won't be my last contest hope to see you all at Every Bar in Lakewood.

Bar #20: Riverwood Cafe

Until this point I have tried to go to bars on their “off nights”. On these nights when the big promotions aren't going, you get a better feel for who their regular crowd is, plus there probably won't be a wait for a table. This week I decided I wanted tacos, and only knew one place with Taco Wednesdays. This week I got my taco fix fixed at bar #20, the Riverwood Cafe.

We arrived to a packed bar and claimed the last table. Unfortunately, it was chairless and we had to stand. We spent the next half hour or so deciding if we wanted to stick around or leave. Luckily, before we could decide we saw a couple ask for the bill at a booth and claimed the table for ourselves. Unluckily, they ran into the age ole problem of who pays the bill. As we acted like we weren't watching them pull more and more money out of their wallets and move the check and cash back and forth, growling at each other, we listened to our bellies growl back and forth as well.

How do you decide who pays for what when it doesn't happen naturally. A couple elements come into the decision/complication of who pays. There is the chivalry element that demands that a man should pay. This can cause complications as it can cause some women to feel unequal early on. Rejection of this can cause the man to feel emasculated. Then some guys may have a problem having their food paid for by a woman. Along with all that, who pays can determine the seriousness of the relationship and can cause the other person to feel like they owe the payer. To all these complications I have two conclusions. I never cared who paid and I'm glad I'm married; so that I don't have to worry about crazy dating games ever again (among other reasons).

The beer selection was good. Regardless of the type of beer you like you should be able to get what you want. I went with a Bell's Oberon, a good quality craft beer with a strong distribution out of Kalamazoo. It's got a an interesting assortment of flavors that's not too heavy on the hops. Oberon is a good gateway beer if you are trying to get a loved one to move on from lesser corporatey beers.

We got a big assortment of foods. I tried all three types of tacos. I ordered them all hot, spicy obviously. They aren't that spicy, so order them hot. My favorite was the fish. They also have a competing version of Firecrackers. They were good but needed the dipping sauce. Other foods that were good included their wings, fries and pirogies. Unless we were very lucky it seems that all their food is good so come ready to get what you're in the mood for without having to only rely what they're known for.

The bar clientele were basically just a random selection of normal people younger than myself. They all seemed friendly and rarely annoying. The music was also fairly normal but both younger and rarely annoying. There was also, a pool table that spent most of its time unused as well. We didn't use it either. The bar had interesting things up in random places. The floor had nice tile work.

The Riverwood Cafe has been on the top of bars that many people recommend. There's a reason for that, it has what you want and at a good price. I had a good time and had no complaints about the Riverwood. The service was good this time and when I was there for the wing crawl. It's a bar that comes with the question: Why shouldn't you come here?   

Awesome: Tacos, Atmosphere

• 18500 Detroit Ave
• 216-521-9999
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• http://www.riverwoodcafe.com/