Five!

Five dollar!

Five dollar footlong! pitchers of beer, bitches.

If you’re looking for an affordable bar night, check out the “Ice House” on Yale Boulevard, close to the intersection with Greenville Avenue. It’s owned by the same people who own the “Across the Street Bar” immediately next door, but you wouldn’t guess that from looking at them side-by-side.

“Across the Street Bar” is usually jam-packed on Fridays and weekends, while the “Ice House” seems like a relative ghost town all the time. Apart from the lone bartender who works there, I have yet to see anyone inside. In addition, “Ice House” is a cash-only, beer-only establishment with a mere 4 or 5 beers on tap to choose from, which contrasts with the fully stocked bar over at “Across”. Plus, “Ice House” looks like the kind of place you might go to quietly rape someone or do meth. Pretty it ain’t.

But underneath these cosmetic setbacks lies the golden nugget. $5 pitchers of beer, everynight, from 8 till close. Five bucks, including a Shiner pitcher. I don’t care what part of Dallas you’re from – that’s a steal.

The place does have its own unique charm too. In addition to a spacious patio with tables (summer’s on the way people), you get a bartender named Delmo who knows magic. Not tricks, but real deal magic (as he put it, “tricks are for whores”).

So if you want a quiet vibe with cheap, refreshing beer for a weeknight, I suggest skipping the noise and expense of your typical joint and visit the “Ice House” instead.

I’m the kind of girl whose idea of a Friday night out usually entails the club scene. Overly eager girls in slutty Bebe wear, over-priced drinks (and that includes water), and dirty hip-hop music that gets you hot and bothered. So when Glowjangles invited me to Lee Harvey’s, I hesitated a bit. It’s a bar with an outdoors area for live music. That sounds inviting enough, but from looking at pictures on their website, I quickly frowned. But I decided to go ahead anyway with an open mind.

I’m glad I did! While Leo Hull isn’t exactly on my iPod playlist, the excitement of live music made it all the more fun. It was a beautiful evening for a Texas January. A slightly-chilly gust of air flowed through the venue while an outdoor heater seeped a comfortable amount of warmth our way. The scene was lively with clusters of people enjoying the music and each other both inside at the bar and out. I felt out of place at the beginning, but quickly adapted. We got our drinks (the bartender was nice enough to give me some free ice water) and engaged in a competitive drinking game, “What’s the fastest way to get everyone drunk?” (Or brain-freeze in my case.) Before I knew it, the band was wrapping up and everyone was in an extra-jovial mood. The night had gotten colder, but it felt good. I didn’t spend a dime and still had a fantastic time. Lee Harvey’s, you’ve definitely gained a customer out of me.

Lyrical:
Air – Surfin on a Rocket (Good stuff. Made The Virgin Suicides sing)
Andrew Bird – A Nervous Tic Motion to the Left (Like Beruit’s long lost.)
Beruit – The Flying Club Cup ( Something I like to listen to while knocking down a tall one at the local pub.)

Lyric-less:
Ratatat – Loup Pipes (Listen to this before being a ninja.)
The Octopus Project – I Saw the Bright Shinies (Atx shoutout)
The Gotan Project – La Vigu?ela (accordian, classical guitar, beautiful singer, djs. You can’t go wrong)
Tchaikovsky-Borodin – Sleeping Beauty: Andante (Almost died to this song once. Seemed appropriate.)

Obviously you’re going to want to seeq these artists to fully experience their awesomeness.