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Beth and Kevin arrived at the Valhalla Microbrewery & Restaurant to find Ron already holding up his end of the bar. After a round of Black Forest or India Pale Ale at reduced happy hour rates, they got a table. Ron indulged in a New York Strip. Kevin and Beth found the jambalaya not bad, but uninspired.

Beth and Ron arrived at the Ugly Dog Saloon on time, getting about an hour head start on Kevin, who got held up at work. The beer was cheap, and wings are free on Thursdays, so it was a good night. The only tense moment was when a cheer arose from the other bar patrons when “Sweet Home Alabama” came on the jukebox.

The original plan was for the Temperanceville Tavern, but we found out where the name comes from–the place closes at 3:00pm for “summer hours”. Tramp’s was a suitable last-minute backup in the same part of town.

April, Beth, Karbo, Kevin, and Ron arrived on schedule, and found Cindy there unexpectedly. She left soon after to go “change clothes”, but did not return within the promised hour.

The Yuengling and Labatt’s were very reasonably priced, and the food was good, including Ron’s cheese steak with steak and cheese only.

Beth, Karbo, Kevin, and Ron showed up at Smokin’ Joe’s Saloon for the observance of the letter S at this perennial South Side establishment. The beer selection was good as usual; the food was so-so. Beth was satisfied with her grilled chicken salad, although a bit overwhelmed by the sheer hugeness of it. Kevin was not impressed with the Buffalo chicken sandwich. Ron’s usual “no extra stuff, just steak and cheese” request for his cheese steak was not fully honored.

Getting down to the home stretch (with eight more bars to go) seems to be helping the turnout. Showing up at Roland’s Seafood Grill tonight were April, Beth, Jacques, Karbo, Kevin, and Ron.

The featured food items were the GIANT cod sandwiches, although others enjoyed lobster roll and various salad concoctions. The beer selection was good, with Guiness, Harp, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale the preferred choices for the evening.

A drawing was held to choose next week’s location. Several cheating attempts by Ron and Jacques were thwarted, but with assistance from the waitress, a seletion was finally made. Ron threatened a filibuster however, so watch this space for updates…