Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Why I Love the Buffalo Bar & Grill

This post could be subtitled: ‘Why I Don’t Love Roland’s Hi Li.’

Or it could be subtitled: ‘The Battle of Byesville.’

Or: ‘Turner vs Turner.’

[That sounds like a cross between ‘Spy vs Spy’ and the WWF plot
where Hulk Hogan and Randy ‘the Macho Man’ Savage team up,
with Julie playing the role of Wendy, and with Tut prowling
ringside like an angry, black Mr. Fuji]





Going into the Cambridge Bar Brawl Bracket, I had heard
lots of rumors about how Roland Hi Li was the best
bar in the Rolling Hills school district.

I had also heard rumors of how ‘Chop’ Broom & Gus Smalley
roll into Roland’s like Eddie Murphy & Richard Pryor
in the movie ‘Harlem Nights.’

“Is you disrespectin’ Chop?”

I knew of Roland’s three pool tables and of their
signature cocktail, nicknamed ‘Meadowbrook Milk.’

While Roland’s bartenders keep the recipe for this famous drink
top-secret, I’m pretty sure that it’s just Gin & Diet Pepsi.

After sampling ‘Meadowbrook Milk’ for the first time,
Gumie declared the drink better than Firewater
with a Zima chaser, and then offered to buy the bar.

[Roland’s IS for sale!]





But to be honest, the Buffalo Bar and Grill makes Roland’s
look like drinking Mad Dog 20/20 in the shitter at halftime
of a Meadowbrook vs Cambridge football game.

To begin with, Buffalo Bar and Grill is gigantic!

It has three huge rooms, and a back bar that’s only open
on weekends and/or for Meadowbrook High School reunions.

Typical Meadowbrook High School Reunion Question:

“When did you get out of da joint, Darryl?”

Typical Meadowbrook High School Reunion Answer:

“About the same time that my brother Darryl went in.”

In addition to its sheer size, the Buffalo Bar and Grill
claims to be Dom Capers’ favorite bar on earth.
And it’s a well-known fact that Dom Capers
is the John Glenn of Meadowbrook.

Actually, he might be cooler than John Glenn
since the ‘Rocket Man’ has never drank
anything stronger than Kick.

And speaking of Kick, if there were a Battle Royal of all
local celebrities, I’m pretty sure Dom Capers would
kick John Glenn in his spaceballs like he was
Darth Helment, and then he would pour a
MGD down his throat.

Did I say that Dom Capers was the
John Glenn of Meadowbrook?
He sounds more like the
Chuck Norris of BUFF-alo!

[And you’re next, Doug ‘Candy Ass’ Donley!]





Plus, I have an extra special reason to love
the Buffalo Bar and Grill; wifey bones
used to live in the white house directly
across the street from the joint!

And her mom still works at the blue carry-out
liquor store and bait and tackle shop next door.

And that’s the house where I actually
picked her up for our first date!

How awesome would it be to live across
the street from the Buffalo Bar and Grill?

You could eat a
King Frouk for breakfast,
liver and onions for lunch,
and Old Milwaukee for dinner!

Put a man on that diet and look out Dom Capers!

“Put me in coach, I’m ready to play… offensive line!"

After a month of that diet, even Gumie could play
Offensive Tackle in the NFL like that big
Chronic looking motherfucker
from The Blind Side!


What the First Lady of the
United States of America,
Michelle Obama, says
about the Buffalo Bar & Grill:







Look out
Cambridge!

Me, Barack,
& Joe Ballin’ Biden
are gonna dominate
this year's Gus Macker,
Chicago style!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Why I Love the Muddy Misers



The reason why I love the Muddy Misers is NOT because
it has the best taxidermy in Southeastern Ohio.

Nor is it because its name sounds like Muddy Mudsliders,
which reminds me of my 3rd all-time favorite Cabin memory;
behind the Bread Thongs and the night Gumie’s drunk ass
fell into the lake & a kindly architect offered to give him
“mouth-to-penis” resuscitation.

Nor is the reason why I love the Muddy Misers because
the bar is themed after Zane Grey, although I do like the fact
that Zane Grey was such a pooch-hound that he made
T.J. look like Mark E. Bowers.

Now, I understand how outrageous this claim must at first appear.

Who could make Ethan’s protégé look like Mark E. Bowers?

But think about this; many people have a
secret homemade stash of porno?

But how many of these secret stashes end up in a museum?

Zane Grey’s secret stash of homemade porn
ended up in the Ohio Historical Society!

How pimp is THAT?

Nor is the reason why I love the Muddy Miser
because of its beautiful back patio that overlooks
the Muddy Muskingum River.




This patio is a great place to tip back a couple of
Great Lakes beers, grub some fish & chips,
or get ‘Kelly-faced’ with Groooovin’ Larry
like I did a couple of weekends ago.

[God, how AWESOME is the phrase ‘Kelly-faced’?
Too bad Rudy Holiday wasn’t more Zane Grey!]

No, the reason why I love the Muddy Miser
is because of how good I feel every time
I take a piss in its bathroom

Allow me to explain.

Pissing at the Muddy Miser became the feel good
story of the entire Cambridge Bar Brawl Bracket;
like Bo Kimble shooting a left-handed free-throw
in memory of his friend Hank Gathers Cunningham.

In the Muddy Miser’s shitter, there’s a huge framed
photograph depicting the controversial pass
interference call from Ohio State’s upset
of Florida in the 2002 BCS title game.

Many OSU haters claim that this call
was bogus and helped Ohio State
steal an undeserved victory.

[And by the way haters,
Ethan's waiting in the parking lot!]




But the feel-goodness doesn’t stop there.

Take a closer look at the plaque
at the bottom of the photograph:



Can you see it?

Can you see THE LOVE?

It reads:

“Donated by Choo Choo Chappelear
In memory of Freight Train Evans”

If that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye
then you haven’t drank enough.

But don’t worry,
Grooooovin’ Larry
just ordered
another round of Buttery Nipple shots!


What Drunken Ass Steve Nash &
'Cousin' Dirk Navicky

say about the Muddy Miser







Somebody call
Eduardo ‘Tavio Soto’ Najera

We're getting
KELLY-FACED
TONIGHT!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Why I Love The Point


Can any list of best bars in Southeastern Ohio NOT include The Point?

It’s as important to Cambridge’s social fabric as Brazil is to the
Word Cup, steroids are to Liberty’s Special Teams, or
Cheap-ass Textbooks are to Brooklyn Public Schools.

While other bars in the area fill up with jabronees, douche bags,
architects, and Brett Michaels wannabes from Byesville,
The Point gets packed with local celebrities.

Don’t believe me?

I recently went to The Point on a random Saturday night and
compiled this list of the distinguished Cambridge people who
congregated around the bar, drinking Michelob Ultra
showing off their State Rings, and discussing life in
Ohio Magazine’s Best Hometown of 2010.

Here’s the list:

9 students who got hammered in Spain during the
infamous 1994 Spanish Club field trip

(including the one student who really got “hammered”)

8 members of the infamous “Hood Ornament Gang”

(including members of both the Nike & Addidas Posse)

7 former Ray Voltz Award winners

(including 0 weight lifting non-Ray Voltz Award winners)

6 bastard children of Ray Voltz

(including one with the odd last name ‘Ka-VOLTZ-chik’)

5 former Cambridge High School valedictorians

(including Cameron Quick-Bowers)

4 people claiming membership in the EP

(real EP members are sworn to secrecy like the Knights Templar!)

3 members of the Cambridge Junior High School Basketball B Team

(including Sheldon Ilgauskas)

2 former mayors of Cambridge

(including one who dressed like Nathan Lane in The Birdcage)

And...

1 future mayor of Cambridge, better known as DICK! Bertkus







In addition to all of these legendary Cambridge
characters, I also spied the SLOW HAND
of the all-time most successful coach
in Cambridge High School tennis history.

I also spied the STEADY HAND of the
all-time most successful circumciser
in Cambridge medical history.


What the 5th Senior on the 1995 State Team says
about The Point:







“You call
this a
No-Jump
Lay-up?

I’m the
Jackson Park
Jordan, BABY!”

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Name That Shithole (Part Deux)

Alright, Kiron correctly guessed that the last
'Name That Shithole' was the beloved Spirit Lounge.

Now things get tougher.

I had to do a serious drive-by to snap this photo.

I stopped the car in the middle of the road,
rolled down my window, snapped this photo,
and then sped off like I had just egged Cheyenne's.

Thankfully, my drive-by was a success and I wasn't
forced to star in a homemade version of
'Deliverance: Part Deux'

This is a super shady-ass part of town.

I swear that this photograph depicts what used
to be a REAL bar in the Cambridge area.

Gumie might be the only one of us who's ever
set foot in this fine establishment.

Let the guessing begin...


Sunday, June 13, 2010

Results from the Sweet 16



The Northside of Cambridge Region

#1 Holiday Inn 51
#5 The Bear’s Den 64


Bracket Buster Alert: Snaggletooth’s Liar is closed!
Holiday Inn has gone the way of the Spirit Lounge and Deer Creek.
Does this mean that Snaggletooth is out roaming the streets of
Cambridge like a horny Will Smith in ‘I Am Legend’?

Actually, that movie title does kinda fit Snaggletooth.



#2 The Forum 79
#6 Muddy Miser 83


Ompah!

Why has it taken me so long to discover that the Forum
serves flaming cheese? I haven’t had flaming cheese since
Bert & I caught a case of it in Detroit's Greektown.

[Wow, that sounded dirty!]

But even still, The Forum was no match for Zanesville’s
home of fish & chips, taco salad and taxidermy.

Two days ago, I was sitting out on the Muddy Miser’s
patio and who should happen to sit next to me but…

Grooovin’ Larry Brill, baby!






The Eastside of Cambridge Region

#1 The Point 66
#4 Cozy Corner 46


Breaking news:
the Cozy Corner is now owned by a
member of the Ford family.

How awesome it that?

Let’s turn that motherfucker into
the Geno Ford Hall of Fame!

There could be Kent State memorabilia and
framed ill-fitting blue dress shirts on the wall.

Wednesday night could be ‘Mark Larson Night’:
people with lazy eyes get half priced Michelob Ultras.

And they could hang
Dustin memorabilia in the shitter.

Oh wait a minute, the Cozy Corner is not owned by
that
Ford family; it’s owned by Richie’s uncle.

[Yikes!]


#3 Theo’s 74
#7 Courthouse Café 64


There are two things I love about Theo’s.

#1:
They have a great selection of Ohio beers.

#2:
Those beers are served by Lee Albaugh,
whose Cambridge City Courts nickname was
“Albaugh, no dick.”






The Southside of Cambridge Region


#1 The Long Branch 73
#5 Creekside Café 66


Nostalgia is always on the menu at the Long Branch.
Walking through the bar’s oddly angled doors is like
walking through a wood-paneled time machine.

Just entering the bar makes you feel like it’s circa 1988.

You’ve just gotten off shift at NCR.

You and your Indian engineer buddies
are itching for an ice cold Schiltz .

You then spend the entire evening bellied up to the bar,
talking about how Scotty Mack needs more touches
and how proud any father would be to have
Jay Maximo date their daughter.

And when the evening ends,
you stumble back to NCR to start
your morning shift; pausing on your
way to urinate on Bud’s Pub.


#2 Park Circle 56
#6 Doctor’s Lounge 51


Ever wonder where the name ‘Park Circle’ came from?
The bar is nowhere near a park, nor a cul-du-sac.

Maybe it's named after that circle you discover near your
“veritable forest” that you fear might be another flare
up of the dreaded McCracken?

I propose that the Park Circle changes its name
to the Justin Wells Café, the Ravak Shack,
or PJ’s House of Pints & Plungers.





Barrett Hill Road Region

#1 Shakers 67
#4 Buffalo Grill 71


Another Bracket Buster Alert: Shakers is closed!
Apparently, Wheeling Avenue’s finest nightclub
is under new management.

It’s now named ‘Gilbert Arenas.’

[Ok, so maybe it’s really named ‘The Arena.']

No word yet whether or not the new ownership
will allow Staceyclaus to come to town.


#2 Market House 50
#6 Deep Cut 53


The legend of Deep Cut’s deep fried
cheeseburger has reached mythic proportions.

I mean, fuck Bigfootkowski;
I’m a deep fried cheeseburger hunter!

And how exactly do you fry a cheeseburger?

Not to mention: why?

And if you can deep fry a cheeseburger,
why not deep fry a fish sandwich?

Hell, all you would need was some drunken
mofo to palm that motherfucker and dunk it
in the deep fryer like Bertquille O’Neal.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Barrett Hill Road Region Sweet 16




#1 Shakers versus #4 Buffalo Bar & Grill

The Match-up:

Here’s a great story about Shakers’s.
While at this year’s holiday ‘Staceyfest,’
I snuck downstairs to have a piss.
Above the urinal I saw an advertisement
for Shaker’s upcoming New Year’s Eve party,
which included a “very special guest.”
Any guesses?

No, not David Allen Chronic...

No, not a male stripper dressed as John Glenn...

Nope, not one of Tiger Hollins’ hoes...

Give up?

Shakers had booked the runner-up from
Rock of Love: Season Two.

Yeah, just think about THAT for a second.

That’s the skeezy biznitch
that Brett Michaels deemed too skanky to date!

What the Blogosphere says:

On discovertown.com, ladouche@arthistory.com wrote:

“Is the Buffalo Bar & Grill’s King Frouk named after
the undisputed king of the Redder family?”




#2 The Market House versus #6 Deep Cut

The Match-up:

The Market House’s interior design scheme
reminds me of the Excalibur Casino meets the Cabin.

That’s right, I’m talking about Seneca Vegas!

Tapestries hanging on the walls
like a Macaroni Salad painting,
people wear togas and other Medieval attire,
some clown blows a bugle, and flying buttresses
and Romanesque barrel butt vaults all over the place.

All the Excalibur is missing is
Peanut’s famous Charleston street poetry.

And wasn’t the Excalibur where some lady remarked
that Curly looked like Greg Louganis?

What the Blogosphere says:

On menupages.com, heyguys@wantsomegum.com wrote:

Deepcut sounds like 'backdoor cut.' As in,
it’s the fourth quarter against Barnesville.

You’re wide open on the baseline.

Your teammate delivers a picture-perfect,
Steve Nash bounce pass.

There’s nobody standing in-between you and
your first points of the season...

[Sigh!]”

What OU Assistant Coach & Junior High Band Director says:





“Sean, I like the way
you handle your trombone.
Please see me after class and
I’ll teach you how to play the
theme song from Rock of Love.”

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Southside Region Sweet 16



#1 Long Branch versus #5 Creekside

The Match-up:

Long Branch continues its dominance as East Cambridge’s
version of Cheers. Come to think of it, how great would
Josh Redder & Sam Contaneza be as Norm & Cliff?
And Goob could be Woody to Bert’s Ted Danson.
And Gumie’s old main squeeze could be Carla.
Somebody call Jay Maximo’s Hollywood wannabe ass,
I’ve got a great idea for a sitcom!

Hmm…

Now all we need is somebody to play the part of the
wooden INDIAN that used to stand by the front door.

What the Blogosphere says:

On Ctown.com, curlyrunsthecity@nycmarathon.com wrote:

“To celebrate their first round victory,
Creekside set up a keg in the parking lot of
Dr. Green’s office and called it their
“Bier Garten.”

Free eye exams and Busch Heavy for everyone!

[Undercover Liquor Agents NOT INVITED!]”

“Get in the back of the squad car, McCracken!”






#2 Park Circle versus #6 Doctor’s Lounge


The Match-up:

Park Circle is a battering ram of a bar, slamming up
against your liver like Gumie’s dad leading the rest of the
Cambridge Fire Department as they brake into
a raging Kevin Hickman house party,
Backdraft-style!

Kurt Russell to Gumie Baldwin:

“Who’s your big brother, Brian?”

Cousin Kevin to Cambridge Police Department:

“We didn’t start the fffire…”

What the Blogosphere says:

On Pleasantcity.com, drunktank@stormville.com wrote:

“Doc's is like Club Fantasy: The Next Generation.
Worf always did kinda look like angry bouncer.
And who wouldn't totally pay Deanna Troi
for a Betazoid Lap-dance!”







What my favorite basketball
player of all time,
San Antonio Spurs Star
George Gervin, says
:





“The Doctor’s Lounge
and Gentlemen’s Club
is NOT the Cinderella
of the tournament.
What Fairy Tale has a
pizza-munching,
lap-dancing princess?

Cinderella?

Doc's is more
like Jetiarella!”