Man, it's been a long time since I posted anything. Six months. Much longer for Brandon. But I guess things keep turning up here, in the form of stupid spam comments, and so all the space the site has is used up. So our host is shutting us down, because he needs his space, and anyway, we're not hardly using it.

It was quite the experience, though.

For anyone who read us, thanks.

Edit--Looks like we're dealing with it, and this may not be the end after all. Lots of clearance going on. We'll see.

Further edit--Sean unleashed a whirling dervish of spam destruction, and we're back on, with no real problems of comment accumulation. Perhaps we'll even open the comments feature again, but I don't know.

Since we've been going to bars, but I haven't been keeping notes, I suppose I should just put up reviews as they occur to me.

Which is how I come to Rain, a new Japanese fusion restaurant and lounge where the late Miriani's used to be in Wallingford. The night we arrived, the place was totally packed, which I suppose is not so unusual for a Friday, except that it seemed like it was a very new bar, because I had just seen the Miriani sign a couple weeks earlier. One way or another, there were no tables, and only room at a subsidiary bar. Which is where we sat. The cocktail menu looked good, with various signature drinks that promised to delight.

Brandon was working the tech support phone that night, so I looked over the menu and decided, then brought it out to him and pointed out the couple he might want, and then ordered while he still paced around outside helping an idiot. I got a Wasabi Mary, Brandon got a Green Apple Martini, and they were made with some quickness and great panache.

I just used panache.

We drank, and the drinks were great. The Mary was spicy and zesty and oh so grand, even if it came in a rather small martini glass, but it still packed a kick. The small glass looked really good after so many massively oversized ones. Brandon's drink was also quite tasty from the sample I had. When the time came to pay, the prices, which were really not bad at six bucks for specialty drinks, were not a problem.

They became even less of a problem when our server returned with Brandon's card and said their card reader wasn't working, so the drinks were just on them. He didn't even suggest another method of payment, just gave the drinks out. It turned out it was their first night, and they were still ironing out the kinks, although their bartender didn't need any practice, that was certain. So we chatted for a minute about that, and thanked him for the drinks, and rather happily went on our way.

The food looked rather good, as well, although we got none of it.

Rain was part of a multi-bar night, preceded by Dawgy Style, and followed by Wonder Bar and then two more bars as well. I should put those all up shortly.

This place used to China First on 45th, a long while ago, and was a series of Asian restaurants after China First ditched it. Now, it has become Dawgy Style, which features a lamely drawn but dapper Husky as a mascot. God, it's horrible to look at.

Inside isn't much better. There used to be a lot of tables, but most of them are gone, so that the place looks hollow. There's a couple of pool tables in one annex, a few tables and a big screen TV with console game in another, while the last holds the bar and a few very small, cramped tables. Joining them all is a hostess area, as it might once have been, with a couple dart boards that don't even look like they have lighting near them.

There were a surprising great number of people back at the bar, perhaps as many as fifteen in a rather small area, as well as a couple of people shooting pool, and a good number playing/watching some San Andreas on the TV. I ordered drinks, but forgot to ask for no lime. No worries, however, because my drink didn't have a lime. Neither did Brandon's. I should note, he had ordered a Gin and Tonic, and I had ordered a Vodka Tonic. The drinks were big, but not strong, and could have benefited from the lime to cut the terrible taste of them. We drank, paid and hurried to leave this very odd, very terrible bar. I'm still not sure why anyone was there. The drinks weren't even that cheap, although there is a happy hour that's pretty decent.

The bar hasn't looked open for a week or more now, so it might have gone under, and this entire review might be pointless.

After Dawgy Style, we moved on to Rain, which I reviewed just before this one.

After Rain, we moved on to Wonder Bar, where it was possible that Wolf would meet us, since he was driving out on that very errand at that moment. But Wonder Bar was packed, so we called to head him off and suggest he should meet us at the next place. Brandon got another tech call, so I went in to order, and got us drinks at the bar. It was a music night, with a live Cuban music band, and there was barely room to move past them toward the bar in the rear of the very small Wonder Bar space.

It used to be a coffee shop, a Seattle's Best if I recall rightly, so it's not big at all. There's still a coffee counter, and opposite that in the back is a little closet of a bar that they can barely fit a bartender into to make your drinks. Brandon rejoined me, and we drank in the tiny alcove next to the restrooms, between the bar and the coffee counter.

The drinks were fine, the glasses were good, the music took a break right after we got our cocktails. Prices were fine, as well. But we didn't get a good experience of the bar, because it was so very packed, and we weren't staying for the music, so I can't really say much about Wonder Bar except that it was kind of interesting.

We hurried across the street to our next stop, because Wolf was on his way and all.