Lederhosen optional
Power lunch in German Village
By Steve Croyle |
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German Village derives its name from the war of 1812, when Hessian forces, led by Hans Gruber, occupied the south end of the city. To prevent them from advancing any further, the Supreme Allied Commander of Ohio forces, Buck Reinhardt, commissioned the construction of the 70/71 split. For the next 220 years the German military struggled to figure out how to get off of the entrance ramp. Most of them ended up in Wheeling, West Virginia. This clever endeavor also prevented the northern migration of hicks, hillbillies and rednecks from places like Kentucky, West Virginia, and Grove City.
What was left behind is a classic Old-World urban neighborhood, complete with narrow brick streets and quirky bars, delis and restaurants - and all nestled among the historic homes. The German heritage of the area is tastefully low-key, and most businesses opt not to be decked out in Bavarian-themed festoonery. Thank God.
Club 185 has been part of that vibe for over 50 years now. In spite of a name that has a trendy post-modern ring to it, it's not a bourgeois hot spot. What you have is straightforward neighborhood bar that offers cheap drinks, good food and a cool-but-unpretentious setting, with exposed brick and a pressed tin ceiling.
There's no patio, they don't have 60 different beers on tap, and the staff isn't going to annoy you with its tragically hip, just-expressing-my-individuality-by-doing-what-all-the-other-emo-kids-do attitude. It's also not one of those grumpy old man bars that smells like mothballs and features glasses smudged with Super Poly Grip denture cement - a happy medium for those just looking for a damn bar.
The crowd one recent Tuesday night was large enough to keep the two servers too busy to talk to me. (I could have played the 'I'm a writer' card, but it accumulates d-bag points, and I really don't need any more of those while I wait for an ill-advised 70s moustache to grow in.) I was able, while I held my credit card hostage, to ask if it was a typical weeknight crowd.
"It's normal for a night like this," the bartender, reaching in vain for the card, informed me, "but when the weather's bad, it's 10 times busier."
On a Tuesday?
"Yep."
Damn.
Most of the patrons were locals, and since the servers seemed to know them, I assumed they were regulars as well. It was the jeans-and-t-shirt set. I had just missed the post-work posse of lawyers, lawmakers, and lobbyists who also put in appearances during the lunch rush.
Club 185 is the kind of bar you wish you had in your neighborhood. Most visitors avail themselves of the church parking lot across the street without any trouble. That's probably not an accepted practice during services, but otherwise it seems fine. If you opt to park elsewhere, just mind the signs, but, cheerily, if you do get towed, the impound lot is not too far away.
Club 185
185 East Livingston Ave.
(614) 228-3904
Originally Published: June 1, 2009
