Soon after arriving, I started chatting with a friendly regular. A shady-looking dude immediately approached and asked if we wanted to buy some cheese. I declined knowing that cheese is slang for a Black-Tar heroin/cold medication combo. But the guy beside me wanted a taste and followed the dealer outside. It was sad watching a nice fellow succumb to drugs.
This nice fellow soon returned with his purchase, three bars of cheddar cheese. The dealer was actually selling real cheese—half-price stolen cheese.
When I told the down-market cheesemonger I thought he was peddling heroin, he firmly responded that selling drugs is against the law.
So sets the stage for the Sunshine Restaurant.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Jacksoul Poster: No
Price: $3.75 domestic bottles
Service: Slightly drunk.
Décor:
Beer Rep Chic
Everything on their walls hails from a beer company. Especially the splash marks.
Washroom facilities:
If you like exposed brick, you can’t do any better than their restroom. And like all urinals, someone leaves a message on the wall above.
Cleanliness:
Clean enough but dirty pool is played.
Games/Amusements:
TV (cable and closed-circuit), jukebox, billiard table, and meeting real ex-cons.
Value-adds:
The four basic food groups
Reality TV
From the comfort of your barstool watch CCTV featuring real dealing in sex, drugs, and Double-Crème Brie.
Flat Rate Drinking
High Performance Automotive
Zero to 60 in 5.2 seconds. 60 degrees Fahrenheit, that is.
In 1930, when Walter P. Chrysler needed A/C for his new Chrysler Building in NYC, he asked for help from his team at Chrysler Corporation. They delivered and thus was born the first fully air-conditioned skyscraper and as a result, Airtemp Corporation. Witness this chilling 1960s example.
Suspense
People look at you threateningly until they believe you’re not a cop.
Devout Drinking
Bar dominates the room like a church altar. Makes sense because for many, drinking is a religious experience. All I know is a hangover leaves me on my knees.
World-class Entertainment
Forget the living statues at high-profile downtown tourist hubs, by my watch this guy didn’t move a muscle for over an hour.
Suggested ear-bud musical accompaniment:
“Piss on the Wall” by J. Geils Band
The Last Call:
Dive Bar Mike recommends this bar for cheap beer and cheese lovers, and Hells Angels prospects.