Molly:
Food Options: Green Mill, 2703 Craig Road, by far had the best menu that we sampled. There were numerous choices for every kind of appetite, including vegetarian options and healthy choices. Not only is the selection broad, but the food is absolutely excellent. It’s hard not to find something that will satisfy a craving at Green Mill. It definitely has some good eats.

Specialty Drinks: I think Stella Blues, 306 E. Madison St., has the best selection of specialty drinks in the area. Since the bar is a bit classier than most places, it has the alcohol to match the atmosphere. It has an entire menu of drink selections, which are customized to your drinking pleasure by the bar. They know their stuff at Stella Blues and it tops them all in specialty drinks.

Location and Convenience: Mogie’s Pub & Restaurant, 436 Water St., is the most centrally located bar we reviewed. This bar is within walking and driving distance, or near a bus stop for a majority of students. Mogie’s is close to several other bars on Water Street, so it’s easy to stop in and have a few when you’ve been out and about on the town. It is the easiest to stumble home from because many students live in that area.

Service: The Mousetrap, 311 Barstow St., offered the best service. This bar definitely has a friendly and personal flair to its service and I instantly felt comfortable and welcome. The bartenders are truly enthusiastic about their job, which carries into their service and gets passed on to their customers. This makes The Mousetrap king of this category.

Meat Market Factor: Most of the bars we went to weren’t terribly high on the meat market factor. However, all things considered, the bar with the best chance is the Stones Throw, 304 Eau Claire St.
This bar draws in the youngest and most diverse crowd of all the bars we attended. The music scene and general atmosphere can be an excellent conversational piece for people looking to meet someone new. Whether you are man or woman, the Stones Throw attracts the hotties.

Overall Comment: Well, it’s been a great bar-hopping semester. I want to thank all of our readers and those of you who suggested new places for Seth and I to go have a few. Good luck on exams, everyone.

Seth:
Beer: Well, my favorite pub concerning this most important of entities would probably have to be Northwoods Brew Pub, 3560 Oakwood Mall Drive. Simply for the fact that it is a beer wonderland. It is full of every kind of brew that you might desire. It’s a candyland of choices, with every one of them offering a different flavor. Its dedication to the craft of brewing quality beers also should be taken into consideration. I tip my hat to you, Northwoods, on a beer well done.

Jukebox: To me, a good jukebox can make or break your bar. Giving your patrons a good selection and wide variety always will ensure their return.

In this category, I have to recognize The Mousetrap for its excellent jukebox. This jukebox is chock full of great tunes that just put you in a good mood. It actually holds one of my all-time favorite songs, Flat Iron Suite by The Big Wu. Whoever had the music savvy to put in this unheard-of tune should get a raise. The Mousetrap has, hands down, the best box in all of Eau Claire.

Atmosphere: Let’s see, this is a hard one because there are so many cool bars in this area. I would have to go with Stella Blues. It had a swanky, uptown, big city feel to it, and I like that. It also had the best decor out of all the places we visited. It had what I look for in a great pub.

Prices: Being the typical poor college student, this category always plays in to the place I decide to go. The most economical of all the bars was probably Big Kahoona’s, 202 Gibson St. It gives you the lowest possible price on beer and booze in the area. Call me low class, but I think that cheap beer and booze just go down smoother. I will go for High Life and Colt 45s anytime.

Specials: This is probably the hardest category to decide. Nearly every bar that we went to had really good specials. I think the best, though, was the Girolamo’s Court’N House Bar & Grill, 113 W. Grand Ave. It has good nightly specials on food and drinks. There is nothing that I like better than a good happy hour and cheap food. It’s the best of both worlds.

Overall comment: I have enjoyed writing this column this semester. I am a connoisseur of bars and Bottoms Up really showcased that. I hope that we’ve given you, the reader, some options on where to have a great night out. I gave you an accurate and fair idea of bars in the area. Water Street is not the only place in this town to have fun and I hope Bottoms Up displayed that. To the people who read this column and enjoyed it, I raise my glass to you “cheers….bottoms up”