The Brass Ring.

Madison.

Through a series of unexpected events, we managed to find a decent new bar last night. Originally, Sharon and I had planned to rent a movie and stay in. We were going to head up to Four Star, stop in at the Chocolate Shoppe for ice cream, and spend the evening lounging on the couch.

Except that there was no parking downtown, not without paying for the garages, which are always $3 "Event Parking" on Friday nights. There's always something going on at the Overture Center, and usually something at the Kohl Center, so parking's a flat fee. Not a big deal if you're going out for dinner and drinks, seeing a movie, whatever. But I see it as raising the cost of a rental up to $7 and change, which is just silly.

We were still in an ice cream mood. The Roman Candle has Chocolate Shoppe ice cream, and, being at the south end of Willy Street, parking there is never a problem. The place was jammed, as usual for a Friday night, but we didn't need a table. We walked up to the front, and, surprise, Ben's there. His first time at Roman Candle, nonetheless. He'd been planning to go Ian's for a slice of pizza, but ran into the same no-parking problem we did. He's even got a motorcycle and couldn't find space for it.

He was by himself, because he was going to meet Pete over at the Brass Ring for drinks. It sounded good, so we went along. Turns out it's like a less-crowded version of the Dane - brightly lit, plenty of pool tables, outdoor seating, and plenty of good beers on tap. (Two different Bell's brews, and two more from Lake Louie.)

The location's a little awkward for most folks, I think, which is why it wasn't packed. It's out on East Wash, by the High Noon Saloon. Far enough that you wouldn't really want to walk from downtown or Willy Street, and why drive if you're going to be drinking, but have so many other options within walking distance of home? If nothing else, it keeps the student level to a minimum.

And that, by now, is a critical factor in picking a bar.