Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Side Door Lounge = My New Home Away from Home


This is The Side Door Lounge. You will love it.

 I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Steve Jamrozy the other day when he came into the shop to look for a new bicycle.  Boy am I glad I did.  He just opened The Side Door Lounge on 35th and Leavenworth about a month ago and it is fantastic.  He is also the owner of The Flatiron Cafe and Espana and if you've ever been to either of these fine establishments you'll understand the caliber of The Side Door Lounge.
Bike sculpture out front. 
We rolled up and locked our bikes up out front.  I did come to find out (during our top to bottom personal tour from Mr. J.) that there are additional bike racks in the back as well.  Steve is all about the Bicycle Friendly Destination project that I'm working on and I'm happy to announce that The Side Door is now on the list!  If you ride in you get an 18oz pint (pint + really) for $3.00.  And we're not talking about Busch Light either.  I enjoyed a Hopluia for my first beverage and a Point Winter Ale for my second.  Ridiculously delicious and cheap!! 



Looking at the stage. Sooo much cool art inside!!

Once inside we were instantly impressed.  We were given the royal tour, from bathroom to basement and every square inch oozed with character.  There's live jazz there most nights it sounds like and we were treated to a saxophonist and keyboard duo that really added to the atmosphere.  We pushed some tables together and made ourselves at home, which Steve J. insists upon. He kept talking about how he wanted to create a place where bike geeks could hang, and folks, I think he's done it.  Help support the guy who wants to support us! I know I'll be there (probably too much).

Looking at the bar.

Yup, The Side Door
I really can't say enough good about this place.  In fact, I'm heading back there tonight and Greenstreet just planned our holiday party there with catering from Mother India which is right next door. Another aspect that I'm excited about is the green factor: he built the place with mostly re-used materials (about 80% if he were to guess) and is understandably proud of all of it.  It is heated using geothermal and was rather toasty! The basement has a sweet old tin ceiling that he tore out of the main floor when he replaced it with acoustic tiling top to bottom. 

3 comments:

  1. This place looks awesome! Can't wait to check it out.

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  2. You won't be disappointed Ashley!

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  3. I first went to the side door in mid november and it fast became my most favorite place. It also helped that at the time I lived three blocks away. I absolutely love the craft cocktails, bartenders, the vibe of the place, the acts that they book, the barbecue, and the warm nature that Steve greets people with. This is my new home.

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