The Observer, April 13, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 24
The Spot, Fairmount Bar represents different poles on happy hour spectrum
For the next semester this space will feature a weekly happy hour review and competition of local establishments. The Observer reminds you to consume alcohol in moderation and responsibly. To add your comments, thoughts, questions, or offer to buy a beer, e-mail: happyhour@case.edu
Still going strong after many years of change at Case, the Spot continues to be a presence during weekdays on campus. The students change, the layout is altered, and the bands vary from year to year, but three characteristics remain the same: cheap beer, close proximity, and Hugh Marshall on Wednesday nights. For those three reasons, at least, the Spot manages to hold its own.
With daily low prices, there are no special incentives to visit the Spot at any particular time (read: no Happy Hour), though daily specials vary from half-price drafts to $1 quesadillas. Wednesday nights are particularly appealing, with live music accompanying half-price wings and a $1 mystery beer; have fun and hope you're lucky. Even without the specials, a draft beer is only $1.50 and the most expensive drinks are the higher-end bottles that round out at $2.50 – hardly enough to dent your wallet or CaseCash. With only four beers on tap, the selection is limited for both drinks and food, but it's all enjoyable especially when the prices are considered.
What limits the Spot – more than the meagre selection – is the atmosphere. Many of the bands playing on Wednesday nights are too loud to allow conversation, and when the bands aren't there, the patrons aren't either. Even on nights of calmer music, the sound system is a bit too loud for socialization.
If the music and cheap drinks are what you're looking for, hit the Spot. Check out UPB's calendar for the acts – including the huge performance of Gym Class Heroes on April 18. Then come down, mull over a draft with Hugh Marshall, and walk out happy and with almost as much money in your pocket as when you entered.
Who would have ever thought that the nondescript storefront next to Giant Eagle at Cedar-Fairmount is a classy martini bar? Certainly not this happy hour adventurer. Tucked away at the intersection next to a dry cleaner, the Fairmount Martini and Wine Bar offers a terrific change of pace: a bar dedicated to a slightly higher-class clientele with very friendly service.
As the name implies, martinis are the specialty at the Fairmount, and it is the best destination for them around campus. About a dozen specialty options are listed on the drink menu, although the full liquor selection would allow for any creation to be made. An extensive wine list is complemented by an average selection of unique brews in bottles – there are only two beers on tap. One selection that comes highly recommended is 'K-Cider,' which packed a solid punch at 6.9 percent alcohol content, but was made with 30 percent juice and had a terrific flavor to it.
"The food doesn't make me want to have a parade in its honor, but it is very good," said Case alum Chris Keeney during happy hour.
That statement sums up the menu pretty well – a set of appetizers, wraps, and pizzas that were enjoyable but nothing to write home about. Some of the more unique options available are the meat and cheese plates, which seemed very approproate to the feel of the Fairmount.
This would be an ideal destination for the end of a date when you are looking to have a good conversation over a nice drink. In addition to the bar and tables, a warm fireplace glowed and was surrounded by leather couches and chairs for intimate parties of two to five. You are unlikely to run into many students at the Fairmount, and more likely to see young professionals in suits chatting over a happy hour martini. Some of them may be even getting their dry cleaning done next door while they wait.
