Wando's must be a popular bar, as many of Madison's thirstiest waited in the butt-ass cold to enter the home of the fishbowl Saturday night, when this reviewer decided to throw a few down.
The bar, found on the corner of University Avenue and Frances Street, is known for its fishbowls, a drink roughly the size of a Culligan water cooler. The fruity concoctions come in different flavors, like red and green, and the only thing different about them are the ingredients and taste — all of which are delicious. Try them all! Except, try them on different nights, because after one of these, you'll be hard pressed to operate the heavy machinery you unfortunately brought to the bar. And, although a fishbowl is best shared between three of your close friends, the nice bar maiden offered to make me a more personal size fishbowl — what I like to call the fish cup. But, I think she could have just had a crush on me.
On the night in question, my first choice was a Long Island Iced Tea costing four bones. The Tea, created for the long train ride from New York City to businessmen's homes on Long Island, tasted just like the stuff you get from the can that says "Cool" on it with the snowman commercials. It was the best and most memorable drink I had all night. At first, it seemed a little strong, but it definitely got smoother, better and less biting as I drained it. I don't know how they do it, either — magic.
My second choice for imbibing was the standby of Jack and Coke. This was a man's drink for $4.50, and they added just enough Coke to flavor the Tennessee whiskey. Again, the drink got less strong as time went on.
The atmosphere, other than only having beautiful people in the bar, was friendly. With biker stuff (they built the bar around an elevated Harley in a stand-alone window) to sports jerseys adorning the wall, Wando's made me feel like I had a bedroom at the American Chopper garage, if they had a kid who married Jerry Rice. The staff was incredibly friendly, from the huge bouncers that must talk about Care Bears to the bar staff on both levels (you can get drinks at both the upstairs and the downstairs, which is, oh, so convenient) who were extremely accommodating, I felt good leaving the bar. The music was hott, with tracks shuffling from old school Metallica (great watching all the girls who left their jackets at home grinding to Seek & Destroy) and Ludacris's new album. No need for a dance floor at Wando's, and few tables occupy the floor, making it, for the most part during busy times, a standing-room only establishment.
The bathrooms, in my opinion, are fresh, but in a good way. Only a three-holer for the guys, but they smelled flowery. The bathroom had what looked to be like a functioning condom machine for those of you that enjoy premarital sex.
As for me, it was good I did not go home with a girl because she would have torn her blouse on some barbed wire.