A Few Quick Beers to End 2009

21 December 2009 No Comment

Wanting to get a few more bars in before 2009 comes to an end, I grabbed one of my brothers at headed east to fill in one of the holes in my map.

(See also: Scoot’s Complete Bar List)

We started our Saturday afternoon in Grain Valley, where we visited a bar that had only just had its grand opening a week earlier…

#670 (#1 today):

BT’s Sports Bar & Grill

640-B NE Yennie St.
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 867-1187

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Had it not been for the giant banner hanging from the front of the building, BT’s would never have set off my BARDAR at all. It’s in the last place anyone would expect to find a sports bar — located inside a tiny, enclosed strip strip mall attached to the leasing office of a large suburban apartment complex.

BT’s is brand new — in fact it had only been open just over a week when we visited — and so obviously hadn’t had time to develop a sense of character yet. But business was brisk and it does seem to have already established a steady stream of regulars. There are several large screen TVs around the room and each table has an individual sound system that can be tuned to any of the TVs. There’s also a good variety of bar food with different daily specials. The staff were very friendly, too.

An interesting feature — if you live in the attached Bristol Park apartment complex, you can order “room service” (food only) from BT’s.

#671 (#2 today):

Nila’s Pizza & Pub

522 Main
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 847-7990

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This was a bit unexpected, I checked it out on a whim but wasn’t expecting to find an actual bar inside.

Granted, the bar area is very small, a platform next to the kitchen with seating for maybe 6-8. But it does indeed seem to be serving as a neighborhood bar.

A couple of young guys setting next to us had been there drinking since opening. They had had breakfast (an appetizer sampler), has just finished lunch when we arrived (pizza), and were planning to stick around for dinner.

A handful of video games, a dart board, and a couple of TVs give this place a slight sports bar feel but it’s first and foremost a pizza place. And the pizza is VERY good. A true cracker crust and LOADED with cheese. I’ll have to come back for more.

#672 (#3 today):

DA’s Bar

112 SW Eagles Pkwy
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 847-2226

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While not obvious in the photo, I arrived to a nearly full parking lot and mine was the only vehicle in the lot that was not a pickup-truck.

The interior is painted what I like to call East Berlin Gray, a medium-dark slate gray that makes the area seem darker and smaller than it actually is. This is definitely the “roughest” of the Grain Valley bars (apart from the dance club Whiskey Tango which has actually had a shooting).

My drinking companion was nervous about being here, but the rough & rowdy atmosphere wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen many times before.

Year’s ago on this site was a small white wooden shack that housed a tavern called Pete’s Place. It burned down in the 1980s and was replaced with the stark cinderblock building that sits here today.

Next it was time to head on down the road to Oak Grove…

#673 (#4 today):

Miss Kelly Jo’s

1219 Broadway
Oak Grove, MO 64075
(816) 690-0039

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There were three bars we planned to visit in Oak Grove. One turned out to be a formal restaurant, another appeared to be closed. But Miss Kelly Jo’s made the stop in Oak Grove worthwhile.

The space is clearly set up for live music and dancing, though none of that was going on this afternoon. There’s plenty here to keep you entertained, though, at any time of day.

The actual bar is a little tricky, it’s slightly elevated and as a result the stools are bolted to the floor, so if you’ve had a lot to drink it’s a bit of a challenge to get to get in and out of your seat. :)

With Oak Grove finished sooner than we expected, we headed on to Odessa…

#674 (#5 today):

Woody’s Tavern

111 S. 2nd St.
Odessa, MO 64076
(816) 918-6634

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Your basic neighborhood dive bar, exactly the type of place you expect to find downtown in a small town.

There were several customers here and they were all women. I wondered briefly if it was a lesbian bar, but I could find no obvious evidence. After we were here about 20 minutes several other guys came in, so I guess that was just a fluke. :)

Something about this place seemed familiar to me, even down to the Woody Woodpecker car hood hanging on the wall. I never figured out why I was having such a sense of deja vu here.

#675 (#6 today):

Jugheads

121 S. 2nd St.
Odessa, MO 64076
(816) 651-0397

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Another basic small down, downtown neighborhood dive. There was some cleaning/repair work underway.

Though there was essentially no difference between Jugheads and its neighbor Woody’s, Jugheads was nearly empty while Woody’s had maybe a dozen or so customers. I have no idea why the disparity.

We ended up spending a lot more time here than I had planned, because I accidentally let myself get sucked into an episode of Dateline that was airing on one of the TVs.

#676 (#7 today):

Red Rocket Saloon

115 W. Mason St.
Odessa, MO 64076
(816) 456-8663

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From outside I expected this place to be huge, instead I found Odessa’s tiniest bar. The few barstools were occupied so we had to take one of a few small tables. By the front door several people were playing at the one pool table that could fit, while the jukebox blared ’90s dance hits.

I was seated next to a staircase going up, I didn’t notice if this led to another room for this bar or not. I do know they sometimes have bands, I don’t know if they move the pool table or if there is a stage upstairs.