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1. Twin City Tavern "You walk in, look around, and suddenly your life doesn't seem so bad." We began our journey amongst trial and tribulation, heartbreak and sadness, joy and anticipation, but we'll get to that in a moment. The first bar on our glorious journey was the Twin City Tavern or TCT as we affectionately call it. Twin City stands just barely on the Missouri side of Stateline road near our humble abode and gives off an aura that boldy proclaims to its Kansas neighbor, "Come see what a real bar is a like you pompous Johnson County punks!" From the screen door, to the plethora of bar signage, to the eclectic mix of tavern patrons whom can only be matched in variety by the fine riders of the Metro, TCT can solely be described as real. It was here after much debate that the number 101,the end date of Labor day, and the three golden rules were cast in stone. We knew that we wanted a challenge that would keep us busy all summer so the Labor Day finish line was obvious, but coming up with a number that would put us to the test was the real task. At this point in our naive little minds the only things we saw that could stand our path was work(both of us travel about 40-50%), weddings(seriously) and a desire to actually try and enjoy ourselves at these fine drink establishments we were visiting. Boy, was there more in store for us than that, but you can read about that as we take the path from #1 to #101. Now back to the trial and tribulation, heartbreak and sadness and joy and anticipation. If you are looking at the picture and wondering why there aren't tears of joy and smiles for miles exuding from these fine young gentleman, well, the answer is our apartment was just burglarized a mere few hours earlier. We had several friends taken from us that day, our big dog, Dr. JVC HD-ILA 53' TV, Mr. x-box 360 and his new companion Guitar Hero, and our longtime buddy "Silver" watch amongs others. Ironically enough, the Power Pint Challenge was actually created the night before and along with our friends, the burglars stole an unopened Polaroid camera and several packs of film. After filing a police report, massive amounts of cussing, and Bret spending a considerable amount of time walking around the neighborhood with his 4 foot Scottish broad sword which he claimed, "was a tool to spark conversation with potential witnesses/ suspects", another camera was purchased, pints were drank and a challenge was embarked upon.
2. Fox and Hound "Nice place, but a bit too gamey." Shrugging off the residual effects of the bold robbery that took place not 24 hours earlier, we made a late night journey to our next bar, the Fox and Hound Pub. Looking back, it is obvious that very quickly we violated one of our rules, although not one of the major ones. Basically, it was like breaking the 11th commandment, the "Thou Shall Not Take Your Roommate's Hot Pocket For Lunch" instead of one of the real ones. Nevertheless, although Fox and Hound is a national chain it is located in the KC Metro Area, they did had pints, and we did take a Polaroid. Three out of four isn't too bad, especially considering the traumatizing experience we had just gone through the day before.
3.McCoy's "Ooohh...Ginger Shandy!" Wow, the Power Pint Challenge is off to an incredible start! Three days, three bars! Don't worry, this trend was not to continue...April 26th 2007 was a Thursday, which we know is a fact because Christian is wearing a terrible handkerchief wrapped around his head, a fashion disaster typically reserved for Thursday night volleyball games at Westport Beach Club. Have you ever been to McCoy's and had a Ginger Shandy brew? If not, the joke is very much on you. This drink is quite delicious. In fact, I'm not sure that any adjective in existence would adequately describe this phenomenal beer, so just take our word for it and go purchase one. Please also note that if you dine at McCoy's and happen to order the Chicken Fried Steak, don't just accept the fact it is served on a plate, as the menu would have you believe. Insist on your right to have that brought out to you in sandwich form - as with the Ginger Shandy, its not a choice you will regret!
4. JayWalkers "The W is for 'What the F##k??'" Power Pint Challenge hit the first of many bumps when somehow it took two weeks to get to the next bar, which happened to be a little establishment called Jaywalkers. Oddly enough, there was no handkerchief in sight despite May 10 2007 being a Thursday. As we approached the bartender hopes were high - after all, we were visiting this place smack dab in the middle of Happy Hour, those special hours of the day when drink specials abound. And what a special hour this was - domestic drafts were on special! What a rarity! Congratulating ourselves on our spectacular timing, we ordered up three Boulevard Wheats. Imagine our surprise when we were told that Boulevard was not considered a domestic beer. We took a walk outside, peered down the street where we could just about see the Boulevard Brewery, then walked back inside to look at the coaster that said "Boulevard Brewing Company - Kansas City Since 1989." Mystified, we settled for a Miller Lite and ventured out to the patio, where we slipped past the velvet rope and finally snapped our picture.
5. Lew's "PBR and proud." Sweet number 5! This was a major step in Power Pint History because it marked the point at which we were halfway to 10, which is a tenth of the way to 100, which is really close to 101, which just so happens to be the final goal of this challenge. Lew's is a great little spot located down there in Waldo, where they proudly post Pabst Blue Ribbon specials on their wall. You have to admire a bar like that. It also had really tall ceilings. Traveling down to Lew's was a bittersweet experience because it required passing by Kennedy's. This gem of a bar burned down in the great fire of February 2007, the cause of which is still unknown, although several suspiscious squirrels were allegedly seen scampering around the parking lot while firefighters battled the blaze. Sad memories aside, we ordered a pint at Lew's and threw up the international gesture for "5!"
6. Harling's "Yeah, we're not sure what to do with all the space either." This bar is an enigma. It's close to Westport, has a good jukebox collection, there's a balcony (kind of) and it has a variety of beers not usually seen outside of a hobo's cooler. Rare is the bar where you can start with a Hamm's Special Light, switch over to a Mickey's Malt Liquor (did you know they come in sizes other than 40 ounces??) and finish off the round with a nice, refreshing can of Schlitz. Harling's also used to have a sweet bumper pool table, which is a very odd game, but they have gotten rid of it. Despite all these amenities Harling's is consistently pretty empty, which is a shame - it's the definition of "unique." The overwhelming lack of patrons would not be so noticeable except for the fact the bar is huuuuuge. That's huge with five u's, which means its enormous! It takes up the second floor of something like seven buildings. In fact, the bar is so giant that they have actually closed off the back part of it, probably because people kept getting lost in there. This much must be said for Harling's, though - it hosts possibly the best Halloween party in Kansas City. During this yearly event every square inch of this place is packed with costumed people all happily drinking Schlitz.
7. Dotlander's Bar "A bar on the other side of the tracks (sixteen to be exact) that eventually makes you feel right at home." Have you ever seen one of those old western movies, where someone walks into a saloon and literally every person stops what they were doing, turns around in their barstool, and stares at the thirsty intruder? My friends, this is the exact response we received upon entering Dotlander's. Shrugging off this suspiscion, we made our way to the bar (not a difficult task, Dotlander's is a tiny little place) and ordered up a round of pints. It's not clear if it was the combination of the Corona and tattered Cubs hat, or the Polaroid camera, but we were asked, and we're quoting here, "Are you the liquor commission?" Despite the initial first impression, Dotlander's Bar (or Dotlander's Club, if you go off the sign on the front of the building) is one of the early highlights. As a side note, if anyone should ever ask you what a dotlander looks like, confidently answer that a dotlander is a creature that resembles a drunk M & M. We soon settled down to a pleasant conversation with the bartender and her husband, who just happened to be the owners (pictured below). As all good conversations go, we soon began to discuss Ireland, and ended the night with gifts from our gracious hosts - several very fashionable Dotlander's t-shirts!
8. M & S Grill "Is it Happy Hour now? How about now? Now? Now? Now..." Who better to kickoff the first Happy Hour on the Power Pint Challenge than the M&S Grill? The delicious happy hour menu and the opportunity to add co-workers into the pinting madness was too much for us to pass up, even though M&S is an extension of the McCormick & Schmick's line of restaurants. Seriously, fish tacos for $2.95 - how could you blame us for creating our own feast off of the happy hour menu (check out all the food on the table)? This also marked first bar on the plaza, one Kansas City's best places to eat, drink, and be surrounded by a large quantity of gorgeous fountains. One of the best is right outside M&S at the edge of the park, which you can faintly see through the bar windows. With our bellies full of jalepeno popper and spin dip goodness, we continued on with with our power pinting exploits.
9. Brooksider "More like Drunksider." Bar number nine on the Power Pint Challenge hit list was the one and only Brooksider, a bar that has a bit of something for everyone. It's got bands that play in the front part of the bar many nights of the week, and there's a decent beer garden out back. If you'd like to spend your night dancing in the dark to some hippity hop head on down to the basement, where you get the added bonus of spilling beer on your shoes because no one can see anything. The crowds at Brookside are interesting due to the odd tendency never to move away from the bar itself. The people for some reason form a protective barrier between you and the bartender, and only by wadding up your money and throwing it over their head can you successfully order a drink. The Brooksider was a bittersweet stop on our list, as our good friend Luke was moving to Portland, Oregon the next day. Everyone showed up to send him off in their own special way; Luke himself wore a magnificent white sport coat, Bret decided to get a potentially deadly virus and almost not make it out, Scott grew an interesting looking mustache, and Linck bought a brand new pair of eyeglasses. A "Cheers!" to Portland Luke! Kansas City hopes you are doing well out there!
10. Danally's "The perfect place to take a shot and catch up on your reading." Danally's was purely a by chance bar experience. We ended up driving frantically around the Kansas suburbs, lost as hell and desperate for a beer in this foreign land. Just as all hope was lost, a choir of angels started singing and a bright light shown down from the sky, illuminating Danally's! Danally's is an intriguing little place, named by splicing the names of the owners together. The detective in us believes the two names were Dan and Ally, but we can't be sure. Since we're guys, the first thing we noticed was the stack of Playboys over next to the bar. What a place! Come for the cheap beer, but stay to read about how the girls of "The Apprentice" are faring now that the season is over.
We decided to add in another unofficial rule, now that bar number ten had been reached - from henceforth, every 10th bar a shot had to be done in addition to a pint. Sounds logical. The shot here was Liquid Cocaine. Every bar in the country must have some kind of trademark on the recipe, because its different at each place its ordered at. There's even one bar that serves their Liquid Cocaine shots complete with an extra cup of Coke, because the shot is so hideous everyone except Satan himself would need a chaser.
11. Bilski's "Blinded by the light." Bilski's was another random find that we ran into after the Danally's stop. There's honestly not a whole lot to say about Biski's. We were two of perhaps seven people in the bar, and two of them were in the back arguing over either Big Buck Hunter or Golden Tee. One thing to say about Bilski's - if you're looking to get some sun skip going outside and come into this bar. This is by far the most well lit bar you will ever walk into. There may have been several spotlights hanging from the ceiling, even. Bring sunglasses if you decide to grab a pint at Bilski's.
12. Keyhole "It's a camera." Keyhole is a bar where the owner actually got the name right. While other places range from one syllable absurdities to random combinations of words and names, Keyhole is just what you would imagine - this is a tiny place nestled in between store fronts in Mission, Kansas. Very much like its namesake, the Keyhole is a bar one would take for granted in their day to day life but in time appreciate it for what it is. Patrons appeared to be locals and the bartendress was friendly (at least at the beginning). Some may argue that she may have been turned off by the very brief, quoted response and stare she recieved from Bret when innocently inquiring about our handy dandy polaroid. Others may say she had a lack of appreciation for a quick and comprehensive response. There are a few other details about the Keyhole that deserve to be mentioned. Bret found the cleverly named patio area just west of the bar to be a welcome addition. Christian enjoyed the fact that: 1) There was a calendar to sign up for a free drink if people returned on their birthday 2) The fact that Bret's birthday was in 10 days 3) That he could take great joy in staring at his tortured roommate's face as he went behind the bar to write Bret's name in big, bold letters. Before risking the fire marshall kicking us out (the rated occupancy had to be 25 at the most) we headed towards our next bar and our next pint. By the way, in case you didn't get it, the name of the patio area: "Key West".
13. Fred P. Ott's "Finally, one that's open past 5 PM." Finding a Fred P. Ott's that still is open after you get off work is like discovering a new species of fish. You figure there's got to be another one out there, but you just aren't sure - and then when do you find it, you're like, "Oh, a new fish. Splendid." Initially you think it's going to be a life altering experience and then you realize its just another fish. FPO's, as we will call this bar, is an easy place to miss, tucked away on the east side of the same block as Blonde and facing those Plaza tennis courts. The only other FPO's that we've ever seen is located in downtown Kansas City and always had its lights turned off. Not incredibly inviting. Actually, if the Power Pint Challenge rules actually allowed more than just one conjugal visit with a bar this would be the bar deserving of another shot. FPO's is a cool looking place, with a small beer garden and an upstairs with tables scattered around. The downstairs bar is small but nice. However, the patrons of FPO's seemed more interested in reading The Pitch and staring down at their plate of wings than anything else. We imagined what the bar would be like at 11 pm vs. 8 pm, the time we visited FPO's, and cursed our bad timing. Alas, Power Pint is a cruel mistress and one chance is all we had, so we finished our pints and went on our way!
14. D.B. Coopers "Screw Gatorade, get these guys a Coors Light." If ever you should wake up on a Saturday and find yourself desiring a cold beer to go with your morning newspaper, go to D.B. Coopers. This place, located on 39th Street up near KU Med is basically the polar opposite of Bilski's. It was so dim you could barely see the correct bathroom door to choose, but the lighting fit this bar perfectly. Plus, the patrons inside were all very friendly, and were quite impressed by our medals. Ah yes, the medals! Why would three people be wearing medals around their necks while enjoying a refreshing pint? Well, June 2 2007 just so happened to be the day of the Hospital Hill Run in Kansas City, and those medals signified our dominance of the event. The run kicked off around 7:30 am, and we had foolishly decided to run the 10k race (that translates to 6.2 miles) with zero training. Actually, it was just Bret and Christian that really didn't train. Bracco, pictured below, does triathalons (not fair competition if you ask us). Anyway, it was only logical that after the torturous, early morning jog we should follow up our Aquafina with a beer! Hospital Hill 2007 Race Results Bracco - Time: 48:57, overall number 108 Christian - Time: 59:22, overall number 366
Bret - Time: 1:00:51, overall number 410
15. The Quaff "Why?" Nothing seems to start up a spirited debate quite like bashing The Quaff. People are sharply divided into two camps on the subject, those who worship The Quaff and those who don't understand why anyone would woship The Quaff. There are a couple things working in the bar's favor - it's got shuffleboard, its one of the few bars downtown, and there used to be a dwarf running around with a Kansas City Chiefs flag during game days. There still might be, for all we know. It was also at The Quaff where many people were first introduced to the Bubblegum Joe shot, which is actually quite good. Think of a Jager Bomb but with Bacardi Limon instead of Jagermeister. Today though we didn't care to debate Good Quaff vs. Bad Quaff. No matter which side of the fence you may be on, there is the undeniable fact that they serve pints here!
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