Happy Hollow Tavern

Last night we chose to drop by the Happy Hollow in Altoona, Wisconsin for our bar review. Happy Hollow is located right off HWY 12 shortly after you enter Altoona from Eau Claire. Some of you may remember the Happy Hollow being located a bit further west, but when the HWY 53 bypass came through the Hollow moved east and went through a huge makeover that ultimately ended with a nice new look and feel. Tonight we would take in what is known as Karaoke Night at the Hollow.


We arrived around 10pm and began with our head count as usual. 42 guys and 32 girls were attending the karaoke festivities this evening for a Sausage Factor of 1.31 - not a bad start. The Attractiveness Rating weighed in at around a 7/10, there were a lot of nice looking girls out looking to show off their melodious voices.

Here's a short video clip of the bar:



We've been to the Happy Hollow many times and almost always start the night with a pitcher of New Castle. Tonight was no different and our $7.50 pitcher helped us ready ourselves for the onslaught of karaoke. Like I said we've been here many times before on Karaoke Night at the Hollow. Most times the singing was very poor, but tonight, somehow the choices of song as well as the voices of the singers had improved immensely! We were pleasantly surprised! There were many vocalists hitting the karaoke staging area this evening, including such names as - Dani, Kriss, Chelsey, Dan, and Sara(h?).





In addition to these singers we also found the "Festival Crew" celebrating and singing songs!



While we were listening to the many karaoke favorites, we took in our surroundings and found people in many different stages of recreation. There were conversations being had everywhere, pool games being played on 3 of the 7 pool tables in the bar, and a dart game being played at 1 of the 4 dart boards. In addition to those available resources there are 5 video poker machines and 4 arcade machines spread throughout the bar, as well as a foosball table located near the entrance. There is also a Jukebox for times when there isn't a DJ on hand, allowing you the opportunity to be able to listen to the music you enjoy most. For those of you interested in watching the game or maybe even the news you'll find it easy to do so on 1 of the 15 TVs spread throughout the bar. All of these TVs were working and in nice shape. There's even a projector screen that we were told would be utilized for Monday Night Football when the season gets underway.







The actual bar area where the drinks are served by the bartenders is immense, some have even said it is too large. I bet there is enough room for the bartenders to hold a relay race back and forth behind it if they wanted too. The place is very stocked and it appears that have every liquor needed to make your mixed drinks or shots. The beer coolers look to hold many domestic as well as premium beers. 15 tables with high-backed chairs are spread throughout the room for patrons to use and roughly 35 chairs ring the outside of the bar itself. We found the restrooms to be adequate, they were clean and well-maintained.

The Happy Hollow does have a kitchen and it's open until 9pm Sunday through Tuesday and until 11pm from Wednesday to Saturday. It was nearly 11pm when one of our party decided to order up an appetizer sampler. The sampler consists of your choice of three of the normal appetizers, but make sure you choose them wisely so that you get the most for your money. Our party member chose the Cheese Curds, Jalapenos Poppers, and Buffalo Wings which were all normally priced at over $4 each, but with the sampler the total came to $8.50 - not a bad deal.

Aside from the appetizers, you will also find Sandwiches & Such, Chicken & Fish, 11 different burger choices, a Turkey Melt, Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, and even a Prime Rib Sandwich (the last one sounds pretty good doesn't it?) You can also find some stuff "On the Lighter Side" - 4 different salads, a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and even a Buffalo Burger. They also have 6 different fresh homemade pizzas that you can add toppings to, and even Pizza Fries w/Pizza Sauce. The Late Night Menu consists of anything in the fryer and runs until around 1am.

As for drink specials you can enjoy Happy Hour from 4pm to 7pm Monday through Friday. This is when you'll get rail drinks for $2.25, domestic bottles for $2, and "The Big Hollow" (23oz. tap beer) for $2.75. That might seem a bit expensive to some of you, considering it is supposed to be Happy Hour.



At midnight we took our second set of readings and found that the Sausage Factor had increased to a 1.88 with 30 guys and 16 girls in attendance. The Attractiveness Rating remained at a solid 7/10. While we were taking our readings I was able to speak with one of the attendees for the evening and she gave me her opinions. It seems that the bar itself is a bit too large and that it's easy for the bartenders to miss people that are wanting to buy drinks - this young lady has had to wait for up to 15 minutes to get a drink before. The beers are also a bit more expensive than the rest of the Altoona Bars.

We took a lot of pictures as the night went on, it was a very good night for the camera to keep flashin'. A lot of the action for the evening came from a particular set of girls and guys who were out celebrating the 40th birthday of their friend Kriss. Happy Birthday Kriss!! from all of us at EauClaireBars.com!


As the evening began to die down we found that there were now 18 guys to the 8 girls present for a Sausage Factor of 2.25, with an Attractiveness Rating still at a 7/10. This evening was probably their best Karaoke Night which was a plus for their review. There were a lot of active people participating in the festivities throughout the evening, heck... we even went up for an Eau Claire Bars - the Blog rendition of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song - Under the Bridge. Fun times!


Our experience this evening was a good one. The layout of the Happy Hollow is nice, the bar is very large and everything is spread out allowing plenty of room to move. The bar is kept clean and there are plenty of activities available to keep a person busy. And so the night ends, as does this blog post. Remember to stay tuned for our next review!

Beer Rating: 5/5
Sausage Factor: 1.81
Attractiveness Rating: 7/10

Water Street Stumble

This past Saturday evening brought out a new type of outing. Water Street is a major part of the Eau Claire Bar scene and we hadn't been there yet for a review so we decided to give it a go. However, we really couldn't come up with just one bar to review since we had a couple that we wanted to go to. So instead we went on what we'll refer to now and possibly in the future as a Water Street Stumble. I'm sure most of you will recognize the connotations behind this phrase because that is basically what you can witness most weekends if you happen to be traveling along this historic street late in the evening. Hundreds of people will oftentimes start at one end of the street and continue down the path until they reach the bar that serves them until closing time.

Our group numbered 9 this evening, the most since we began our review process. Our stumble began at Dooley's Pub which is located on the corner of 5th Avenue and Water Street. Probably the most notable feature at Dooley's Pub is the non-smoking atmosphere. I could be wrong, but I'm probably right in saying that Dooley's is the only non-smoking bar in Eau Claire. There are also many other things to do besides drinking at Dooley's. You can play cribbage, pepper, and dominoes, or you can even bring your laptop and use their free Wi-Fi. During the summer they have their volleyball courts open as well. We chose to head upstairs and bought a pitcher of Miller Lite for $5.

The menu at Dooley's includes the normal Appetizers, "Emerald Isle Greens" otherwise know as salads, 7 different burgers including a Veggie Burger, 10 different sandwiches such as the Ribeye Sandwich, and even dessert options including different cakes and cheesecake. You may want to drop in for their Happy Hour which runs from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday as well as Every Night from 9pm to midnight! I had to read it twice too when I saw that their Happy Hour runs that late.

Upstairs at Dooley's Pub you will find 8 tables and 3 TVs that are usually playing news or sports. Downstairs they have around 7 booths, 2 dart boards, 5 TVs, and a video machine. There is also a separate room in the back with a Big Screen TV that looks like it is used for private parties so if you need to schedule something for lots of people you may want to consider this space.


Since we were intending to hit more than one bar along the north side of Water Street, we decided to do just one Sausage Factor and Attractiveness Rating for each of them. It was 10:30pm when we took the readings at Dooley's Pub and found a total of 30 guys and 20 girls for a factor of 1.5, not too bad. The guys with us rated Attractiveness at around 7/10, but the girls with us said it was more like a 5/10... Hopefully they weren't biased! Our quick take on Dooley's is that their Beer Rating would be a 4/5, yet very close to a full 5 beers.

Beer Rating: 4/5
Sausage Factor: 1.50
Attractiveness Rating: 7/10

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The next bar we went to was the Grand Illusion. We arrived around midnight and started with our readings to find 61 guys to the 31 girls present or a Sausage Factor of 1.97, not the greatest, but certainly not our worst. The Attractiveness Rating seemed to fall right around a 7/10. While taking these readings we met some great people, one young lady made sure to let us know that the Grand Illusion is "The best bar in Eau Claire" and that everyone needs to "Pound it!!!"



The Grand Illusion is a nice bar for getting together with friends and there were a lot of you out there this evening doing just that. We got to know a few people here at Grand Illusion, including 3 girls that we coincidentally run into for much of the night. I'm sorry that I don't remember all of your names, but I'll give a special hello from those of us at EauClaireBars.com to the one I can remember, Jenny!


The Grand Illusion is known for their Delusion which is the House Drink and involves many different liquors and pretty colors. A number of our party ordered up some Delusions, all of them noting that they were very good. A bonus is that every time you buy a Delusion you'll receive a ticket and once you've accumulated 10 of these you can turn them in for a free shirt!

There isn't a kitchen at the Grand Illusion, but popcorn and peanuts are readily available. We also took note of the layout which includes the main bar with barstools and booths, an upstairs area or mezzanine with more booths, and a back area near the restrooms with 2 dart boards, a pool table, and a foosball table. The restrooms aren't really spectacular and you won't find a mirror in the men's restroom, but the toilet does have a seat. The 2 bartenders working were kept busy most of the time that we were there. Our short take on the Grand Illusion would be another 4 out of 5 beers, our experience this evening was a good one.

Beer Rating: 4/5
Sausage Factor: 1.97
Attractiveness Rating: 7/10

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Next on the docket was the House of Rock. A friend of ours, Noel Hanson, sings in a band named the Jaggernauts and they were playing here this evening. We made sure to get plenty of pictures of the band while we were there, we also took a few of the crowd.











When we arrived there were 27 guys and 14 girls present and it was probably around 12:45am. Sausage Factor = 1.93 and Attractiveness Rating = 6/10. The bar itself is in the center of the building with seating on both sides. The restrooms are ok, but the men's is kind of cramped. Our female perspective noted that they have a "friendly girl's bathroom". There are tables set up throughout the bar and a stage in the back right-hand side of the building. The music pumped out on this stage is definitely loud, so loud in fact that they offer ear plugs at the bar! This is definitely the place to hear Loud and Local Bands. We enjoyed the music right up until almost bar close. The House of Rock was a good experience for us and the consensus was they came in at a 4/5 for a Beer Rating.

Beer Rating: 4/5
Sausage Factor: 1.93
Attractiveness Rating: 6/10

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The last bar of the evening would end up being Brothers. We didn't have a lot of time to review them since we arrived just after 1:30am. We did, however, find some nice TVs to watch sports and news on. Brothers also has 2 dart boards, a pool table, and a foosball table for those of you interested in recreation. The Sausage Factor at Brothers was pretty good, we took our reading at 1:44am and found 15 girls to the 18 guys present for a factor of 1.20. The Attractiveness Rating was an 8 out of 10. We were unable to spend enough time at Brothers and are undecided on the Beer Rating, but hope to do a more extensive review of their bar soon!


Once bar close came along, we all ventured over to Buzzy's Pizza Emporium to get something to eat. Buzzy's is open from 4pm to 3am Monday through Thursday and until 3:30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

With so many bars in such a small area, it is definitely easy to patronize more than a couple of them when you are out on Water Street. We were able to spend some quality time at 4 of them this evening and all of them weighed in at pretty much a 4 out of 5 on the Beer Rating Scale. We were definitely happy with all of our experiences this evening.

Averages for our Water Street Stumble are as follows:

Beer Rating: 4/5
Sausage Factor: 1.65
Attractiveness Rating: 7/10

The Stones Throw - Making Machines

Our last review of The Stones Throw ended with a promise to return on a Ladies Night to reevaluate the excessive Sausage Factor. Well that's just what we did. Not only were we able to make it out for a Ladies Night, but we were also privy to the special event planned for the evening - Making Machines as presented by Prognition Productions. Three DJ's from the Twin Cities made their way out to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to spin some music for The Stones Throw crowd.

There were five in our party this evening and we all met up right around 10pm on schedule for the first readings of the evening. With a Sausage Factor of 1, the evening was starting out very well. 16 guys and 16 girls were on hand to enjoy the first DJ of the night, and the Attractiveness Rating weighed in at a 7/10. We're not sure exactly how the line-up went, but throughout the evening we would hear the music mixing talents of Centrific, Phil Good, and Moksha. Prior to our arrival Eau Claire's own Jason Van Nurden a.k.a. Prognition had been attending to the crowd with his own recent releases.

Early on we were able to find some excited patrons.



We also were able to get the attention of our two bartenders for the evening.


Throughout the night we would rate the music mixed by each of these DJ's, though it would be hard to come to a total consensus as there were members of our party that just aren't interested in the techno and electronic dance music we were exposed to this evening. So keeping that in mind we made sure to use the crowd response to help us along. Our first DJ had his work cut out for him and was unable to achieve a full dance floor. It wasn't until 10:29pm that we noticed the first major player.


I don't want to come across as scathing, but the music from the first DJ seemed a bit forced. The bass seemed to resonate throughout the crowd in a forceful manner and the music just didn't seem to flow right. Perhaps that is why there were so few out on the dance floor but we can't be sure. We rated the first DJ a 5/10 even though some of the party considered him lower. Further into his set his music would get better and the bass would calm, but by then the impact had already been made. The situation would brighten after a while as the number of people moving to the music continued to rise.




The last time we were in The Stones Throw we took in the main bar and the mezzanine. This evening would bring about an opportunity to escape some of the chest-pounding bass beats to take in "The Rock Bottom Lounge". Downstairs you will find 2 dart boards (the darts are in nice shape with lots of extra tips), a pinball machine (The King), a jukebox, 2 arcade games, 1 video game machine, and nice casual seating courtesy of the couches lining the walls. This area is definitely a nice place for some private time.

We had already reviewed the restrooms and if you don't recall The Stones Throw has probably the cleanest restrooms in town. This evening was no different and our female perspective for the evening let us know that the women's restroom smelled fine and was stocked with the necessities.

As the night went on we would experience a shift in the music. The 2nd DJ of the night was the best of the 3 and his music caused the dance floor to fill up with girls. He brought a lot more rhythm to the table and was able to mix in some popular songs which made the crowd more inclined to dance. After some deliberation we rated our enjoyment level of his set at an 8/10. We also noticed that after he finished a good amount of the crowd was also finished and they began trickling out the door. Even so, there were a lot of die-hard music lovers to keep us company.




During all of this the bouncer, Richie, only had to throw one guy out. Remember to take all things in moderation guys, especially your liquor!


The final DJ of the night was pretty good and he would come on just as we were taking our midnight readings. As it stood at midnight, we had a Sausage Factor of 1.12 with 28 guys and 25 girls present and an Attractiveness Rating of 6/10.

Bar reviewing is hard work, just ask "Wingman" Joey:


The last DJ was pretty good just like the 2nd. He was definitely better than the first, we decided, but we couldn't come to a conclusive decision when comparing him to the 2nd. The 2nd DJ definitely had a larger audience and dance following. Here are a couple pictures of our DJ's:





Somewhere during the night I was able to pick up some of our shot-girl's beads. They were part of an extensive bartering process that ended with me buying 22 shots for $44. Along with those shots I also received two t-shirts, two Stones Throw meal passes, and this nice flashing shot-glass bead necklace. It's a good thing that the car dealerships' "no-haggle" sales policy hasn't hit The Stones Throw or I'd never have gotten this great looking girl to give me some beads.



As the night wound down we took our final readings and found that there were 21 guys and 17 girls. When the Sausage Factor = 1.24 this late at night it is definitely a good thing. The Attractiveness Rating stuck to a 7/10 which was also our rating for the last DJ.

We also did something different and polled the crowd. We asked people that had been there for the duration what they would rate their own experiences at with a scale of 1 to 10. This is what they had to say:

• 8.5/10 - It's great to have a place for the electronic music scene to collaborate. Thanks!
• 10/10 - WHOOP WHOOP
• 8/10
• 7/10 - Only because of the 1st DJ
• 7/10 - Bar Setup and the way it looks - Tammi
• 11/10 - Never party in a long time (they were pretty drunk heh...)

We also were informed that normally it would be DJ BZ & Breakneck performing Thursday nights at The Stones Throw. So next week, ladies, you'll want to drop on by for $5 all you can drink and music by these two fine gentlemen.

The night finally ends and our experience is left with a much better Sausage Factor. Apparently the guys like Open Mic Night and the girls like free drinks - go figure ehhh?? The music definitely was better in the latter part of the evening and the girls were present 'til close. Definitely a nice experience for anyone interested in the electronic music scene.

Beer Rating: 5/5
Sausage Factor: 1.12
Attractiveness Rating: 7/10