Life is a study of contrast. Rather than focus on one bar this week, I am going to focus on two vastly different establishments. While some similarities exist, it is the differences that create the most meaning. Let’s begin . . .
Last Friday night, I went with a group of friends to Casbah Lounge, located off the Capitol on East Main Street. I had heard good things from a few people about Casbah, such as the food, music and eclectic atmosphere. Needless to say, my expectations were high.
We paid our $5 cover charge, which came as no surprise given that not one, but two DJs would be spinning. As we walked inside, the vibe was energetic, the crowd was stylish and there was plenty of eye candy showing off spring break tans. Instinctively, we walked up to the bar to order some drinks.
The place was packed. The downstairs bar, which extends out into the middle of the room like a runway, was two or three deep. I could not believe how many people were here. The secret is out — the Casbah must be the new “in” place in Madison!
Standing in line at the bar, we waited. Five minutes passed, and we were still waiting. In five more minutes, we were now finally at the bar, and it became obvious the bartenders were overwhelmed. I noticed not only was it taking an extremely long time for us to get a drink, but others around the bar as well. Five more minutes, and we were finally able to get our drink order placed.
The fact that the bartenders were overwhelmed is no fault of theirs. Management needs to take these things into account, and this was a clear-cut case of an inability to meet demand. When a bar becomes more popular, it is necessary to hire more staff, and I seriously doubt Casbah all of a sudden became an instant hit last Friday night. Even if it had, simple measures need to be considered, such as controlling occupancy levels, provided the existing staff is unable to fulfill demand.
It is a quality versus quantity argument, and in this case quality was being sacrificed in the name of quantity. Good bars are able to manage this equation, even when customers begin to hammer the bartenders.
After waiting a total of 15 minutes, with little to show other than a hand stamp and an ever-increasing level of impatience, we were rewarded with some vodka tonics, priced quite high, in small plastic cups.
The plastic cup really pissed me off. It is one thing to wait in line, pay a cover and then wait some more. But for a place that is clearly trying to establish itself as the “trendy” place, appealing to the “fashionable” crowd, I was totally perplexed at this level of presentation.
Frustrated, we decided to check out the rest of the bar, and navigated our way through the throng toward the back staircase. There was another DJ spinning upstairs, and we decided to check out the scene.
The small second-floor room and bar were packed, but the first thing that struck me was that I had reached some sort of surreal Madison landscape. Girls and guys were dancing to hip-hop, but something wasn’t right. I felt as if I had landed into a world where Stillwaters meets Club Amazon meets fraternity party — a type of mix that does not blend particularly well. People were pushing and yelling, screaming instead of talking, and it was stressful. It became all too clear of Madison’s desperation for anything that resembles a “stylish” dance club; Casbah is hardly the appropriate venue, and is simply too small to handle such a large crowd.
It was time for us to leave.
The crowd outside Casbah was huge, but I felt as if I were witnessing lemmings looking down the cliff. Given the crowd’s patience to wait in line for over 15 minutes and pay $5 just for the privilege of being inside, I guess their ability to wait another 15 minutes, only to get an expensive drink in a plastic cup, is stronger than mine.
What confused me most is why people would be willing to wait so long outside when two of Madison’s finer bars, Maduro and Argus, are on either side of Casbah. I don’t think I’m the only one who wants a drink when I go to a bar, as opposed to standing around waiting for a drink to happen.
Right now, the Casbah is for rookies, wanting to be noticed at a “chic” place. If that is your objective, then go right ahead but expect to wait. I’m not counting the Casbah out; I hope these are mere growing pains. Regardless, the Casbah has a way to go before entering the big leagues.
Speaking of sports, it is with a certain level of melancholy to announce that Babe’s Campus Bar and Grill closed its doors this past weekend. Babe’s played the game well, but given new building ownership and the difficulty of drawing a consistent student crowd, its fate was sealed after six years on West Washington.
Rather than cry in their beer, Babe’s management decided to throw a party — a going-away party. They offered a simple concept: every drink was $2 and every pitcher was $5, until every last drop was gone. Babe’s was not going to follow T.S. Eliot’s footsteps and leave with a whimper — it was going to leave with a bang.
What a bang it was! Relying totally on word of mouth, Babe’s was packed and spirits were high — a stark contrast to the circumstances. Former waitress Sarah Morgan was delighted. “We didn’t expect such a crowd — it was great, and it felt good,” she explained.
Ordering drinks was an adventure. Usually your first choice was sold out, which created some experimentation that nobody seemed to mind, even if they were mixed in plastic cups. The bartenders did their best to quench the thirsty crowd, pouring generous drinks of interesting combinations at a feverish pace.
As the night crept closer to the bitter end, it became obvious customers and staff didn’t want to leave. Finally, at about 3:00 a.m., one of the bartenders announced, “We are now finally closed!” Diehard sports fans will now have to find another venue for a Packer Backer, a lime-vodka drink with orange juice that was popular during game days.
The staff took it the hardest, but in stride.
“We worked well as a team,” former waitress Michelle Wegner said, “and we will miss our regulars and colleagues the most.”
The festive atmosphere certainly softened the blow. A closing is not easy to take in any case, but it is done best with your friends side by side. Although underappreciated, Babe’s was friendly to the end, and it will be missed.
Bartime will be at Barriques Wine Cave for wine tasting this Friday evening, April 12, at 7:00 p.m. Barriques is located at 1831 Monroe St., and can be reached at 284-WINE. Cheers!
