What's up with Soda Bar?

Subject: What's up with Soda Bar?

I remember when Soda was a place I could walk in and see a friendly neighborhood face behind the bar. There would be an interesting soundtrack and if you'd like the bartender could offer some intelligent banter. Those times seem few and far between these days. Over the last year the familiar faces have dwindled and it seems each time I go in for a drink there is a new one behind the bar. The personality of Soda Bar is slipping away to mindless robots that can almost make a basic cocktail. Very little thought is given to the music that is being played. Almost as if the house ipod is on continuous shuffle. Don't get me wrong there are a few personable bartenders left and if you are lucky enough to encounter one you'll be pleasantly surprised. Nothing beats a well mixed cocktail, good tunes and a bartender that knows how to hold, entertain a crowd and set a mellow vibe.

It leads me to believe it's all a matter of shotty management. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out if you are the only late night bar left in your neighborhood it would be smart and profitable to keep your kitchen open till at least 2, the bar open till 4. Reliability goes a long way. A moron could run this place and still make money and apparently is...

Don't get me wrong though. The food is great, they show some pretty interesting films and the patio is revamped. Just watch out for the vermin. Saw them scare a few patrons this past weekend.

Be careful of rocket surgeons who can't kill rats or mix a drink,don't get me wrong.

Subject: Re: What's up with Soda Bar?

misterreview wrote: can almost make a basic cocktail.

exactly. i can't tell whether i've changed or whether soda has, but we don't go there anymore either. luckily, there are a host of better options in the vicinity.

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Yeah, it's just the nature of things, bars get more popular, your favorite bartender moves to the most popular shift, etc, etc....feel the same way about barbes. Still love both places, but not the same.


ps - i also blame those damn Commonwealth guys who are buying up every bar in the neighborhood.

I wonder if the expansion of Franklin Park bar has anything to do with it? I heard that the owners of Soda also own Franklin Park. Since they opened up the other half of the place and have a dj playing old school, the place is packed on weekends. Maybe the Soda crowd has come over to this side of the neighborhood? Also because it has a brighter outside area, unlike the always dark Soda, maybe thats part of the reason as well. Maybe I'm just prejudiced because FP is only 2 streets away from me.

I wonder if the expansion of Franklin Park bar has anything to do with it? I heard that the owners of Soda also own Franklin Park. Since they opened up the other half of the place and have a dj playing old school, the place is packed on weekends. Maybe the Soda crowd has come over to this side of the neighborhood? Also because it has a brighter outside area, unlike the always dark Soda, maybe thats part of the reason as well. Maybe I'm just prejudiced because FP is only 2 streets away from me.

franklin park is awesome.

one of the more fun bars in the area, for sure.

franklin park is awesome.

one of the more fun bars in the area, for sure.

franklin park is awesome.

one of the more fun bars in the area, for sure.

i've never been too impressed with franklin park. is their a positive consensus?

I def prefer FP to Soda

Most of the bars in the area seem the same to me though

It's more who you're there with

franklin park is so overpriced -- it's a joke.

5 or 6 bucks for a beer is overpriced...?

mr. met wrote: franklin park is so overpriced -- it's a joke.

happy hour is $4 any draft beer. that's like suburban prices.

Yea, I had a not-completely-disgusting glass of wine last night for $6. Good pour.

FP is okay for beer, but their cocktail prices are mostly silly, considering you can pay the same amount or only slightly more for a really great cocktail at weather up.

even the wine-loving gf has finally learned not to order wine there, though. it's generally execrable. "not-completely-disgusting" amounts to an improvement.

still, it's close to the home front, and i like sitting around in the outside part. i do hope they never get their kitchen going, as part of the charm is ordering chavella's.

sweet tea:

what you say makes sense considering Franklin Park is a beer garden.

not a wine bar, not a fancy cocktail place, but a place to drink beer.

who goes to a beer garden to order a cosmo anyway...?

thanks for the condescension. i generally do order beer. however, FP is a lot more like a regular bar than it is like a beer garden, particularly in the winter. their beer selection is fine but not outstanding, and they promote several house cocktails. if they're not supposed to be doing that, maybe someone should tell them.

didn't mean it to be condescending one bit.

i was agreeing with you....gf wants good wine - total wine bar
want a great cocktail - weather up
want a fun place to sit outside and drink a beer, franklin park.

5 or 6 bucks for a beer is overpriced...?

for crown heights? yes! at least i think so.

all prices should be lower, and there should be a few $2 beers.

happy hour is $4 any draft beer

it should be $4 regular price

$2 beers? :shock:

$2 beers do exist and they are lovely

mr. met wrote: $2 beers do exist and they are lovely

Not if they're PBR/Bud/Milwaukee's Best/Miller/Coor's/Golden Anniversary/Natural Light or whatever other piss they're generally foisting off at that price.

well, luckily, if they did have $2 beers, they wouldn't force everyone to drink them.

$2 beers are all that some, like me, can afford to enjoy on a regular basis. i think that, considering Franklin Park is in Crown Heights, they should have some beers in that price range.

also, i think franklin park intentionally doesn't carry hennessy (sp?). interesting decision, to say the least.

Mr met- I gotta say- as someone who's done the Crown Heights Bar crawl a few times now, FP probably has the cheapest drinks in the area, no joke. Try getting a $6 wine at 95 South, the gay bar, or Essence. Fat chance.

Mr met- I gotta say- as someone who's done the Crown Heights Bar crawl a few times now, FP probably has the cheapest drinks in the area, no joke.

that sucks. doesn't Soda have $3 beers? i know Imperial Biker Club does

i paid $4 for a beer that came in a can a few weeks ago at franklin park. just ain't right.

mr. met wrote:

Mr met- I gotta say- as someone who's done the Crown Heights Bar crawl a few times now, FP probably has the cheapest drinks in the area, no joke.

that sucks. doesn't Soda have $3 beers? i know Imperial Biker Club does

i paid $4 for a beer that came in a can a few weeks ago at franklin park. just ain't right.

Soda isn't in CH. Imperial Biker Club wasn't on the tour, but TOTALLY should be. I really want to check it out.

oh, right, Soda is in PH. i thought we were just talking about the area in general.

does Soda have $3 beers? i haven't been in over a year.