New Kids in Town Bar Crawl
by Zach Shields

Know that desperate, pleading look in the eyes of your eight-week old puppy when you get home from work? Uncannily similar are the imploring faces of new parents temporarily released from the bondage of bottles and baby wipes.

This being the “Boomer” issue, we thought we’d capitalize on the pun to spring a pair of America’s Most Under-Socialized from house arrest for a couple evenings. Amanda and Phil Shils have a five-month old daughter, Lucia, who’s the light of their lives. Not coincidentally, they haven’t been out of their living room for a social occasion in approximately… five months.

Amanda, a physician’s assistant to Dr. Totel, is just getting back into the swing of things at work. Phil’s an anesthesiologist at Decatur Memorial Hospital. “We put people to sleep,” he explains. “Temporarily.”

Beach House
Nelson Park

Time of visit: April 11th, 2006, 6:04 p.m.

Amanda sashays in and pulls a bib out of her purse, then smiles apologetically at the reflex. But at least she doesn’t try to put it on her spouse. They explain Georgene, the Best Child Care Provider in the Universe, has eased the life transition to parenthood.

Non-Nurserylike Attributes: No SpongeBob SquarePants posters. No changing tables. Not a stitch of pink or baby blue in sight. A safe haven for multi-syllabic conversation.

Patrons who frequented the joint in its previous incarnations will be impressed by the changes to its overall layout. The formerly abbreviated bar just left of the entrance has been relocated and expanded across the long back wall. Varnished wood lends an appropriately yacht-like feel, while a wide mirror running the length of it doubles the size of the main dining room to pleasing effect. A chest-high partition separates this area from the rest of the tables without walling off the bar completely.

Gerber’s Pureed Carrots Are Not an Option: But almost anything else you want, you can get. A wide variety of prices and choices make this fine-but-approachable dining.

Entertainment Value: Low-key and friendly, with an excellent return for your money. The Shils report that it takes the ringing of childlike cries for attention right out of their ears.

Block’s Brewery
Downtown Decatur

Time of visit: April 18th, 2006, 6:27 p.m.

Disturbing, understand, only because the inherent difficulty in not dropping by every day probably triples. Phil can relate.
“When I lived in Ireland, my friends and I had an apartment across the street from this pub called An Bealbocht, which means Poor Mouth,” he explains. “We weren’t there all the time…”Amanda’s brows knit with skepticism. “Oh, well, yes we were,” Phil admits.

Non-Nurserylike Attributes: The Periodic Beer Table on the north wall. The giant replica beer brewing vat hovering over the airy front room. 3,462 varieties of beer on draft.

It should be stated for the record that new parents can’t always count on the luxury of locating baby-sitters during the dinner hour, even when they regularly employ the Best Child Care Provider in the Universe. Luckily for us, Block’s is a place you can take your offspring to for dinner without feeling icky. Lucia is quite content to listen to the live red piano, and then watch the big-screen come down for “American Idol.”

The beauty of Blocks is that it transforms to fit any occasion. The front half feels like a family restaurant, because smoking’s always confined to the sizable back room, which offers more of a sports-bar feel. The air circulating out front is quite clean and wholly appropriate for families. At the time of our visit, there are at least three other infant-to-toddler stage kids in sight.

Gerber’s Pureed Carrots Are Not an Option: Menu’s less exotic than at Beach House, concentrating on traditional steakhouse fare, dependably done. Signature waffle fries add heft to any of the burger/sandwich/pub-grub items. The Chipotle Bleu Cheese burger combines two elements you might not ever think of putting together, but pulls it off to pleasing effect. The Club is handsomely prepared, though a tad bit heavy on the mustard.

Entertainment Value: For pure distraction from the mundane, Blocks can’t be beat.

Case in point: Our server, Adam, suffers an unfortunate affliction for one who works in a pub – he’s allergic to brewer’s yeast.
“Do you swell up like a Zeppelin?” Phil asks.

“Like a Led Zeppelin,” Adam shoots back. He scores additional points for accurately describing the chicken strip salad with a single expressive term – “Gusto!”

Director of Operations and Entertainment/circus ringmaster Jay Albright has a definite theme going here. Block’s isn’t a bar or a restaurant. Each visit’s intended to be an event, which makes it a destination of choice if you only get to go out once in a Blue Moon (on draft for two bucks on a rotating night each week, as are various other beverage choices). Upstairs, there are board games. Where else do you get such variety?

Musical acts of every size and description perform, with hours of operation until ten most nights, and 2 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. (Sign up at blocksinfo@blocksbrewery.com for regular updates on performances.) The whole production has the feel of a convincing multi-media presentation, with the only negative observation being the concussive way sound can bounce off the refurbished brick walls. This might be rough if Phil ever takes the stage with his new banjo for a Pete Seeger tribute. He’s on Internet lesson #2.

The twin dartboards also made Phil nostalgic for his time in Ireland. “I had this magical night once. It was amazing. It was freaky. I could not miss. It was like I had this special power.”

We don’t speculate that a visit to Block’s will improve hand-eye coordination, but you’ll definitely enjoy the loss as it slips away from your fingers.

Living within walking distance of downtown’s finest watering holes requires Contributor Zachary Shields to regularly exercise the fine art of self-restraint.