Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bar

Help keep my Windows registry changes from, well, changing.

sevenless — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:31:22 -0800

I'm having some problems will changes I've made to my Windows registry "sticking." I'm running Windows XP SP3. I have to store files in several different specific places (on various local and network drives) so I've added these places to the common dialog places bar by adding keys here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\comdlg32\Placesbar

Generally it works great and does exactly what I want except for one pesky location. When I first set this up one of my network locations was \\share\username, so that's how I set up the registry entry. Later the IT people here changed the way we access this drive to \\share\home so I changed the key. The problem is that, seemingly at random, the key reverts back to \\share\username. The IT helpdesk people here suggested changing the key to the drive I map the share to so I tried that the last time it reverted, but it has changed back to the original value twice now. The IT people assure me they that have no mechanism that is somehow restoring my registry to some previous state. In the past it has reverted every few weeks or so, but most recently it reverted sometime between December 22nd and 31st, 2009. I changed it on the 31st, logged off my computer, went home sick, and them came back in on January 5th to find the value had reverted. I hadn't logged onto my computer in the intervening days.

Right now I have 5 Place values plus the (Default) value (which is "(value not set)") that point to various locations on my local computer, another network drive, and the mapped network drive. The one mapped network drive is the only one that changes back to the original value. I've never changed the other values. If it matters the problematic one is value #3 (Place2).

Any ideas why is might be happening and how I can keep this from happening in the future?

Bar in Baltimore open on New Year's Day?

ekroh — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:34:39 -0800

Anyone know a good pub in Baltimore for bar snacks/small plates open for dinner tonight? I'm looking for a bar/brew pub that will be open for dinner tonight (New Year's Day) that serves bar snacks and small plates. I wanted to check out Brewer's Art but they appear to be closed today. I was also looking at Henningers Tavern, and that looks like the kind of place I am looking for, but I can't tell yet if they are open. Anybody know of any comparable place open today?

You got SERVED. (but what?)

arm426 — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:08:02 -0800

I'm throwing a New Year's Eve party in NYC this year. To try and address some of the complaints from last year, we've added an extra bar, currently described to guests as a "mystery bar" as we were still deciding what to serve at this "side" bar. The additional "bar" will actually just be a table off to the side staffed with a bartender. What are some creative ideas for drinks or themes for this "mystery bar"? Some ideas we were bouncing around include having it be a dedicated champagne bar or specialty shot bar. Obviously, the drinks will need to be feasible without the benefit of a full bar (certain mixers, draft beer, etc.), so that somewhat limits our options.

Excellent blues bars in Philadelphia

schroedinger — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:17:34 -0800

I'm looking for an excellent jazz/blues/blues-rock bar in Philly. Grizzled old guys on their guitars, grizzled old patrons, bad lighting, laid-back bartenders and a relaxed atmosphere with a little bit of room to sway if you're feeling it. If you've ever been to the Cat's Eye Pub in Baltimore, something like that. All of my bar exposure so far has been in Old City (too swank), University City (too fratty), or Northern Liberties or South Street (too hipster). The few blues bars I've been to were upscale and I am cheap and don't like dressing up. Where do the old tattooed men and women go to do their soulful Led Zeppelin covers and play John Lee Hooker?

A nice quiet bar in Richmnd Hill Ontario?

feelinggood — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:57:38 -0800

Does anyone know of a nice quiet bar in Richmond Hill Ontario? The closer to Yonge St and 16th Ave the better. Doesn't really have to be in Richmond Hill, but the closer the better.
In descending order of desirable characteristics: nice (obviously), quiet (music OK, but no TV or LOUD music), romantic, dimly lit, etc.
Thanks.

New Lawer in the Family

Raybun — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:34:19 -0800

I have just been invited to an open house to honor a distant relative that has just passed his Bar examination. Is a gift expected and if so what would be good for a new lawyer?

Help my find Jack Donaghy's Bar

jefficator — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:53:34 -0800

Where can I find a bar like Jacks? In Jack Donaghy's office on 30 Rock stands this bar. I like it. I want something similar, but smaller. I feel like Pottery Barn used to sell a little round version. But wherever it is, I want one. Where can I get it?

Catching el clasico soccer game in DC?

uk_giffo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:50:59 -0800

Where in Washington DC will I be able to watch el clasico (Barcelona v Real Madrid) this Sunday afternoon at 1pm? I don't have cable so I want to get out to a good bar or cafe to watch the soccer game. Can any locals recommend somewhere? Anywhere metro-accessible I suppose, but the more central or NW the better. The Washington Redskins and a ton of other American football teams are playing at exactly the same time so I don't think I'll have much luck seeing it at the traditional sports bars.

As a cheeky bonus question (sorry!), are there any useful DC-centric general forums? I'm looking for an online space where I'll be able to ask these kinds of local questions and others. The forums I've found seem to lean quite heavily towards discussing politics on the hill (understably so).

Quiet Uncrowded London Sweet Spots

ElmerFishpaw — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:30:50 -0800

LondonFilter: Looking for a place almost exactly like Gordon's Wine Bar without the crowds. Somewhere in central London. I love Gordon's but Im looking for a wine bar or bistro that is quieter where I can have a conversation without having to yell. Subterranian, candlelit, intimate-feeling, good food and wine. Any suggestions?

I'm glad to accept your personal Central London Secret Spots- quiet, dark, small, hidden, bars, pubs, bistros that arent crowded at night.

Someplace to read, write, work alone at night in NYC

laptolain — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:29:54 -0800

Someplace to read, write, relax alone at night in NYC. I'm looking for somewhere to go where I can unwind alone. I live in Maspeth, Queens where it's mostly residential and after 8PM almost everything is closed. Any place in Queens, Manhattan or Brooklyn would be fine, I don't mind long train rides.

The perfect establishment is very dark inside but all the tables have sufficient lighting for reading/writing. There might be music playing or some kind of live band but it's not a club or frat hang out. I like all kinds of jazz so that would be a bonus. The train station should be a reasonable distance since it's getting pretty cold now. It's open till 3AM or later, never very busy and at no point will I be expected to get up and leave for new customers. I don't want to sit at the bar.

Beer, liquor, coffee and food are all fine but none of them are priority over the atmosphere. As cheap as possible is probably second to atmosphere. I'm looking for a place that's the opposite of where people go to get seen.

I found a few older, similar posts but they seemed focused on Manhattan.

Thanks :)

Make FF 3.5 like 3.0

aerotive — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:24:06 -0800

With Firefox 3 you could drag a tab from one FF window to the another with the tab bar closed. Is there any way to get 3.5 to do that? So with a bit more detail: On my system (vista) if I have say two FF 3.5 windows open and drag a tab from one to the other (with the tab bar closed), instead of opening in the second window a third, new window opens.

I've looked around and found a way to disable tab tearing/dragging completely, but that's not what I'm looking for. And I know 3.5 will work the way I want with the tab bar visible, but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible.

I'll take any kind of fix, be it an extension, registry edit, about:config tweak, whatever.

Help The Empress Splurge!

EmpressCallipygos — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:48:45 -0800

NYC Filter: I'm getting a financial windfall in a couple weeks, and have decided to treat myself: salon, massage, and then taking myself out somewhere. but...I've been broke so long I don't know where to go. Help? I know where to take care of the salon and the massage, but the "going out somewhere" stumps me a bit. Ideally, the place I'm looking for is:

* Upscale without being "velvet rope" -- classy instead of exclusive
* Lively, but not loud -- I want to be able to hear myself think
* Not outrageously priced (I don't mean inexpensive, more like, I want to be able to say that the amount of money I spend was absolutely "worth it")
* Possibly a place where I could get a delightful gentleman approaching me for a chat, but a place that's so awesome in its own right that I won't care if it doesn't happen
* If it's got a fabulous view, perfect.
* Doesn't have to be a restaurant. In fact, just getting a drink would be great.

I just plan on looking and feeling fabulous and living in the high life for a night, and I'm looking for the right setting.

Thanks!

Gin and tonic - with a twist - in San Francisco

The Shiny Thing — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:06:57 -0800

I'm going to Wootstock in San Francisco on Tuesday night, and will be craving a gin and tonic afterward - specifically Junipero, because of this thread. So, at the risk of turning MeFi into a gin palace: can anyone recommend a nice bar near the Swedish American Hall that serves a mean Junipero and tonic? And if anyone's in the area, give me a shout - the more the merrier, etc. etc.

Whats a good way to keep track of members that visit our establishment?

JakeTimberlake — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:39:07 -0800

Help me come up with an easy way to track members at the entrance to our "private club" So I'm helping to open a bar, and North Carolina laws require that we be a private members only club because we serve alcohol but no food. That means every customer must be a member, and must sign in before they can enter.

I'd like to speed the process up for them by giving each member a small card (key chain or wallet sized) with a unique barcode on each. That way, they can just scan their membership card when they enter the bar, and we'll be able to be sure they're counted.

I'd also want to use the system as a way to see who are most frequent customers are, and reward them for being regulars. Occasionally, we might run give-away promotions that would involve coming to the bar on a certain night each week, etc.

I've looked at http://www.card-scanner.com/scanshell-pro.html and that looked like a pretty good solution, but then I started thinking about maybe using a cell phone to record the data and plug it into a database.

Does anyone have any ideas of how we could track this information quickly and efficiently?

a week in the life of a pub owner

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:24:27 -0800

Help-me-write-my-book-filter: Character is the current owner of a small (let's say it can hold 50 people at absolute maximum capacity, no food), family owned bar in a blue-collar but gentrifying neighborhood of a major U.S. city. What's their world like? It's not a trendy bar but also not a dive, just a the local pub. What's his/her day like? How long is it? If the bar is open every day of the week, what kind of oversight would they have when they're not there? What kind of a work week should they expect? How many employees and what's the ratio of bartenders to doormen to barbacks to managers? What kind of "problem patrons" might exist? The bar is well-established (let's say it's been around for at least 25 years) and the only change is that the owner has taken over from a retired parent--what kind of ongoing/maintenance issues would come up?

Obviously I'm going to make a lot of this stuff up in the end, because it's fiction, but I would at least like to understand a bit of the reality before I launch off into imaginationland. I appreciate all insights.

If you need more information, well, that's all I've figured out yet. Just be hypothetical, offer scenarios, make suggestionsetc. and see what comes up.

Grassroots Marketing Resources

JakeTimberlake — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:47:03 -0800

I'm about to open a bar, and I need some guidance on how to market it during the pre-opening stage. Anyone recommend any books/blogs/websites/resources? Help me brainstorm + study the right resources.

So we just signed the lease, and we're in the building. I've got my construction guys working on the renovations and the designs. I've got my GM and AM working on the permits and the legal stuff. I'm in charge of the marketing.

The bar is targeted towards the 25+ crowd, with a specific emphasis on the hipster crowd. We're aiming not to get pigeon-holed though, so a broad marketing plan is essential.

Can anyone recommend any tried-and-true books (or other resources) about buzz building, grassroots marketing, and the like? I want to make sure that we are the talk of the town on opening night.

Drinking in Behind Enemy Lines

me3dia — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:40:30 -0800

Tangentially college sports-related food/drink question: At your school, was there a bar or restaurant where fans of your rival team would congregate? What I'm after is analogous to, say, a Bears bar in Green Bay, but for NCAA teams. This is for a post on a travel blog I write for, in case you're curious, so the particular rivalry isn't all that important.

Help my dad see the Tech v. Texas game in the Bay Area!

mingodingo — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:02:37 -0800

Where can I see the Texas Tech v. Texas game (airing on ABC, I think) in San Francisco? Hi all--

Not a football fan, so hoping someone who is can help me out. My parents are visiting from Texas this weekend, and my dad asked that I try to find a sports bar where we can watch the Texas Tech v. University of Texas football game on Saturday.

Any tips? Bonus points if it's easily BART accessible, or near the Civic Center / Powell area.

Thanks in advance!!

Is there anywhere in Cork, Ireland to watch an American baseball game tonight?

nitsuj — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:06:08 -0800

Is there anywhere in Cork, Ireland to watch an American baseball game tonight? St. Louis Cardinals vs. Florida, FWIW.

Guitar Hero nights in Indianapolis?

nostrich — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:55:22 -0800

Are there any Indianapolis bars with Guitar Hero nights? I've been craving Guitar Hero (or Rock Band) ever since getting rid of my PS2 last year, but can't justify the cost of a new console and the game at the moment. Google is proving unhelpful.

The nearer downtown the better. A friend suggested the Vollrath, which I'll be checking out, but their website makes no specific mention of it (there are "a gaming screens" [sic] though).

Where to throw a party in San Francisco?

roxie110 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:03:30 -0800

Suggestions for birthday party locations to rent in San Francisco? I'm thinking about throwing a party for my 40th birthday in October and have been racking my brain for ideas for places to go or to rent. My best guess is about 30 people (could be less or more, probably depending on how cool the event is!), preferably an evening/night event, and those thousand-dollar-and-up uber-swanky places are definitely out. It's quite likely I'd want to have a couple bands I know play, and have some sort of music going (probably from an ipod playlist) the rest of the time. I could set up some sort of bar if the venue doesn't have one--quite a number of my friends are big drinkers, so availibility of booze would help grease the rails!

Every year on my birthday I just have friends show up at a bar (Zeitgeist, Casanova) so I don't have to bother with planning. This year I'm open to trying something a little more special--but ideally I'd like the venue to be cool enough that it will do some of the work of making the party successful. (I don't want a bunch of people standing around just *looking* at each other. Horror!)

Any suggestions would be gratefully welcomed. From looking at past Metafilter postings, it looks like art galleries are a possibility--does anyone know one or two in particular that might do the trick? I'm also open to suggestions for places or party ideas that are very cool but that are outside of what it seems I'm looking for.

Looking for the ideal hangout in South Bay/Long Beach...

Katemonkey — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:34:45 -0800

Looking for a good bar/coffee/food place in the South Bay/Long Beach, CA that works for an unknown number of people with a wide variety of tastes... I want to get a bunch of my old high school friends together when I go visit Long Beach again in October, and I want to find a place that:

A) Won't require reservations for big groups (because I don't know if there will be a big group)
B) Isn't a sit-down type of restaurant, but will serve food
C) Serves a variety of drinks (non-alcoholic, coffee, cocktails, etc.)
D) Is not a sports bar or a meat market or anything like that
E) Veers a bit on the eccentric without trying too hard to be "wacky"
F) Cheerfully caters to a jeans-and-t-shirt clientèle.

Bonus points if it panders shamelessly to nerds.

For an example of what I'm thinking, if the situation was reversed, and I had a bunch of people coming to Nottingham who wanted to go out and have a few drinks, I would take them to the Malt Cross. There, I know I can get an excellent rum and coke or cup of coffee, a good burger, and I'm in an old Victorian vaudeville hall of awesomeness. Or, if I was feeling a bit more kitschy, I'd take them to the Pit & the Pendulum (the website looks like it was hacked, alas), where I know I can get a weird cocktail, some decent food, and it's decked out like a Vincent Price movie.

It doesn't necessarily need to be South Bay/Long Beach - it just seems easier to me, since we all grew up around Long Beach, Carson, Torrance, etc. I'll also caging rides from people rather than driving myself, and I'd much rather talk someone into driving an extra 10 minutes than an extra 45...

(I just don't want to end up hanging out at Del Amo Mall, like I did when I was 17...)

No sleep til Brooklyn (or aftewards)

Evangeline — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:38:03 -0800

Brooklyn on a Wednesday night. What to do? I have a friend flying in from Atlanta tomorrow night to stay with me for a few days, and she wants to start the debauchery immediately. She won't arrive at my place until about 9:00 pm, and we've decided it would be best to go out in Brooklyn (where I live) rather than get her unpacked, gussied up, and head to Manhattan.

Problem is, she's used to a different kind of fun than I am. She's recently divorced, and she's sowing her wild oats. I don't think she's looking for someplace sort of low key and pubby, so where do I take her? I don't usually go out on Wednesday nights, and even when I do, I don't go to singles bars or dance clubs. Is there any place in Brooklyn that would actually be hoppin' on a Wednesday night? She keeps talking about what a "wild" time she wants to have, and I'm at a loss.

what's the best birthday celebration you've been to? i need ideas, please!

roxie110 — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:37:15 -0800

what's the best birthday celebration you've been to? i need ideas, please! i'm turning an age-that-ends-in-zero soon and would love to do something a bit special this year. i'm in san francisco and have a wide range of friends--some have a bit of money, some are broke, some are parents, some will never grow up--so ideally it would be something appealing and financially accessible. so far i haven't come up with anything that feels right.

it would be extraordinarily helpful to hear some of your best birthday experiences... perhaps it will spark an idea in my stalled brain.

many thanks!

Find me a real dive in LA!

swbarrett — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:02:53 -0800

Looking for a serious Dive Bar in Los Angeles. In the Venice, Culver, Santa Monica region. Not an "LA" dive, a real dive please. People in LA say "oh XYZ is a total dive" and when you get there it's like an upscale sports bar. I'm looking for a real, well, shithole. Dark, wood paneled, cheap beer, strong drinks, grisley old men who have been on the same stool for 35 years. no velvet ropes, no plasma screens, just drinks and drunks. bartenders who understand that a Martini is made of gin not vodka, that jack daniels is whiskey but not bourbon and wouldn't say "and what?" when you ask for said whiskey or bourbon. If you saw the place in Baltimore you'd say "man this is a shithole." they've gotta be out there, but where?