Al's Blue Toad

It's only right to re-launch the bar tour with a couple cherry bombs and some Czech fried cheese, right?! Well, whether it is right or wrong, that is what we did. Al's Blue Toad has a nice bar atmosphere late at night but seems to be a well functioning local eatery by day, as well. There was a decent crowd but it was not as many as a bar would want on what is supposed to be their busiest night of the week. The Blue Toad has a neighborhood bar feel and we got the idea that it isn't necessarily a bar that you travel to, but one that people who live nearby would frequent. There is plenty of entertainment for bar patrons, though, including a awesome jukebox that looks like a giant iPad. It wasn't too loud that you couldn't talk (I'm always annoyed when I can't talk, let alone hear myself think) and the service was great. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful in making suggestions for the best value on beer, etc. She even tasted the Creole sauce that came with the Czech fried cheese so she could tell us what it tasted like before we ordered. HAH! Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and would go back if we had a reason to. You've gotta love when you order a cherry bomb and it comes in a 3/4 full pint glass for the price of a normal size one!

We liked this bar the first time around when we visited it, and this really was the same experience as before. It definitely has a lot of what we thought were regulars, but we did not feel out of place among them. The decor is pretty nice, but it was rebuilt after the flood, so everything is fairly new. The bar is pretty small, but mainly because they are cramming a bar area, and a restaurant area in a small space.

Side note: and thanks to my co-worker who told me about the Android application for TouchTunes! (the program that runs almost every jukebox in town) We were able to play "tunes" over the jukebox without even getting up! How efficient!

The Grades:
Atmosphere: 8
Not a ton of seating, and small, but everything is brand spanking new due to the flood.
Service: 7
Slower service, but the server was very chatty and helpful!
Food: 6
This may need further investigation, we have only had a few appetizers here, but they were generally good.