It's been a couple of weeks, but the Tuesdays with Beer feature returns. This week we are at bar/restaurant Jersey's, the one lonely alcohol outpost out on the bypass. This time it was a family affair, with Matt and I accompanied by (Matt's wife) Penni and four-year old Ian.
As we entered Jersey's, the first thing we noticed was that the music was somewhere near 120 decibels, around the same volume as a jet engine. This would not be so weird at a popular nightspot, but the fact that it was a 6 o'clock on a Tuesday, and there were less than a half dozen people in the joint made it rather conspicuous. The waitress apparently noticed our discomfort, because she quickly told us that she didn't know how to turn the music down. Eventually the quarters ran out and the Queen subsided.
Jersey's is not a bad looking place inside. On one side is a restaurant area with around a dozen large tables. The other side is the bar area. We sat at first in the restaurant and ordered a bunch of fried stuff: cheese balls, mini-corn dogs, and popcorn chicken. Also a flatbread Philly sandwich and a chipolte club sandwich. The food was...meh. Granted, the only competing bar restaurant in the area is Stadium, but, for instance, my club sandwich came on a hoagie bun, which was not expected. It wasn't exactly bad, but it wasn't exactly any different from a sandwich I might buy at a gas station, either. Jersey's food can leave an impression. When we walked in Ian said, "oh no, daddy we came here one time and ate outside and it wasn't very good." The mind of a four year old doesn't forget crappy food. But at least the nice sunny day on the patio was memorable.
On the other hand, the beer on tap at Jersey's is of better quality than the usual fare. They include Shiner Bock and Black Label, Woodchuck (for the ladies), Sam Adams Seasonal, Boulevard, Fat Tire, Mich Golden, Coors, Miller Lite, and--according to an advertisement--Madison's #1 beer Bud Light. Also, a good selection of bottled beers. If you can't find something to enjoy in the beer department, you are too picky. Boxed wine and champagne also available.
Like most area establishments, there is plenty of video lottery on hand, with a separate room cordoned off for your hardcore players. On the bar side of the venue, there is a Spider-Box game, which looks dangerous, as well as Big Buck Hunter (which is dangerous), a jukebox, dartboards, and a pool table. A sign indicated a beer pong league meets there, but they were not present tonight. A few seemingly random jerseys adorn the walls. Some are for Minnesota teams, while others appear to be bought from the dollar bin at Scheels, such as Yankees and Lakers jerseys that serve little apparent purpose. Perhaps what I like best about the bar area is the view out of a small, backward facing window of the grain elevator. As the sun went down we got a great look at one of the iconic small-town images.
Not unlike the Seasonal Sam on tap, we are theorizing that Jerseys is a seasonal bar. During the winter if feels small and bleak, but during the summer, you can enjoy the patio, order a pizza, and watch a train make it's leisurely journey down the tracks. It's a dead end bar that feels like it's going places. We hope to return to Jerseys later this year, sit outside in the summer sun, and get away from that God damned music.
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