The University Shopping Center across from Wright State’s Nutter Center is a unique place to eat. You have the normal options of Subway, McDonalds, Bob Evans, etc… but in the mix of the mediocre there are a few places like Jeet, The Flying Pizza, and Tiks Thai Express dishing out some really good food. But, my favorite is One Eyed Jacks. Founded April 14^thof 2008, Jacks has been serving up cold beer and hot burgers straight to the mouths of Wright State Students for years.

Busy behind the bar shot at One Eyed Jacks.

Friday night crowd keeping the bar busy on a Friday.

The brilliance of One Eyed Jacks lies in its mix of quality atmosphere, food, and drinks. During the day, Jacks is perfect for winding down with a cold beer and a burger, but on a weekend night the mood changes. As people roll in, the band sets up, and the group conversations all merge into a wall of sound and you find yourself in a pure party setting.
There is no musical prejudice at Jacks. The Rumpke Mountain Boys had several people trying their hand at a jig with others bumping, grinding, and yes hula-hooping to their wonderful bluegrass twang. Upcoming acts like Cappadonna from the Wu Tang Clan (Mach 30^th) will undoubtedly have a lot of people bouncing around the stage trying some new moves that maybe they shouldn’t. With smiles everywhere, band playing, the bar hostesses hard at work, and the kitchen buzzing, it is impossible to have a bad time at Jacks.

Egg, Burger, Bacon, Hashbrowns... That is all you need to know.

With all of that atmosphere, it would be a shame if there wasn’t substance to back it up. Jacks does not disappoint. The Veggie Zaffer (my regular choice) is the most amazing piece of late night satisfaction in Dayton. Two house sauces, siracha-kraut (a creative twist on kim-chi) and tatonka (a mildly spicy cream sauce) sit on a huge spicy black bean burger with cheese, onion, and swiss. It is spicy, rich, and if you think you need meat to have a good burger, this will prove you wrong. While the Zaffer is fantastic on its own, it is served with a mound of hot, perfectly greasy, seasoned, and battered french fries. There are few words outside of addictive that I would use to describe these flawless fries. While I am prone to ramble on about the $7.99 Zaffer basket and how every order should be placed with extra tatonka and blue cheese on the side their other options are something too.

Like the “2am” burger. For $7.99 you get a large beef patty sitting atop a hash brown and covered with cheddar, ketchup, bacon, and an egg. Or, if you’re just a little peckish share some pizza nuggets ($7.99) stuffed with cheese and pepperoni served up with marinara for dipping. The whole menu from pizza to wings, from burgers to salads is consistently good, packed with flavor, and reasonably priced all under $10.

The pickle spears are fantastically crunchy.

Open 11am-2:30am Monday through Saturday and 12pm-2:30am on Sunday, One Eyed Jacks is a fantastically assembled bar with great service, 19 beers on tap, fantastic food, and a variety of music that few rival. (Not to mention $3 shots of Jameson on the 14^thof every month.) Head to Jacks if you are down for a fun night with good people.

The best things in life come in martini glasses.

That is the valuable, out-of-the-classroom lesson I learned last Friday when my roommates who graduated this May came back in town for the University of Dayton’s annual Alumni Weekend to, in one of my friend’s words, “relive the glory days of one month ago.”

: I wish every weekend was Alumni Weekend: Enjoying drinks and appetizers at Bar Louie with some of my best friends!

After bouncing around ideas on how to start our weekend off right, we quickly agreed upon catching some drinks and food at Bar Louie, 4492 Glengarry Dr., in the Greene Town Center. Much to my surprise, this “casually cool” bar and restaurant offers a “Happy Hour with Louie” from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. How have I missed this amazing offer for the past four years?!? Have I been living in a cave?! I couldn’t have been more disappointed in myself. The sweet happy hour deals include $3 drafts, $5 martinis, $4 glasses of wine and select half price appetizers.

I wanted to make sure I made up for tragically wasted years without this happy hour in my life, and studied the menu extensively before making a decision.

: This Pom Peche martini, a mix of pomegranate syrup, mango purée, orange juice and Sprite, was simply exquisite!

The first solid choice of my night was ordering the Pom Peche martini. The magical bartenders mix absolut apeach, pomegranate syrup, mango purée, orange juice and Sprite together to make this fabulously fresh drink. My martini, served with an orange slice on the side, was sweet, summery and sophisticated.

These drinks were hard to turn down, though, and will be on my list for my next happy hour adventure:

-Diva, made with SKYY Pineapple, PAMA Liqueur, pomegranate syrup, pineapple juice and pineapple;

-Effen Good (I want to order this just so I can say “Give me the Effen Good one.”), a mix of Effen Cucumber, mint, fresh lime juice, cucumber and agave nectar; and

-The Abbey, made with Hendrick’s, fresh grapefruit and lemon juices, pure cane syrup, grenadine, and lemon twist.

While enjoying my drink and feeling young and hip amongst young professionals sitting at nearby tables, appetizers were served. Three of my friends decided to try the bruschetta pomodoro, and were kind enough to share with me. Probably because I couldn’t stop staring — This was the most beautifully arranged hors d’oeuvre I have ever seen.

Served in a giant martini glass, the grilled country pieces of bread are topped with a generous amount of garlic, tomato, oil, basil and parmesan. I’ve studied abroad in Rome and enjoyed tons of delicious Italian plates, and Bar Louie’s bruschetta is still TOP of the line on my list.

My beautiful friends Kim and Anna shared their half-price bruschetta pomodoro appetizer with me. It was stunning, unique and tasty -- Everything I could ever ask for in a hors d'oevre.

My friends Kim and Anna shared their half-price bruschetta pomodoro appetizer with me. It was stunning, unique and tasty -- Everything I could ever ask for in an hors d'oeuvre.

This appetizer doesn’t survive on good looks alone, though. It has a unique taste and decent price (normally $6.99; $3.50 during happy hours) to back it up, and is by itself a perfectly satisfying meal.

Other select happy hour appetizers specials abound. If bruschetta pomodoro isn’t the right choice for you, check out the half-price:

-Spinach & artichoke dip (with tortilla chips);

-Crispy calamari (flour dusted, crispy fried, with cocktail sauce);

-A cheese or chicken quesadilla (with sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole);

-Trio dips & chips (with salsa, guacamole and queso);

-Farmer’s Market Pizza; or

-Boneless wings.

Share them with your group, or consider ordering one or two items for a meal. You won’t be able to hold back. Or stop admiring the serving platters.

Bar Louie’s daily hours are from 11 to 2 a.m. You’ll feel classy in this restaurant and bar, full of contemporary photography, mosaic tiling, modern lighting and several plasma TVs. The menu, offering appetizers, pastas and entrees, along with beers, cocktails, microbrews, and wines by the glass and bottle, is worth checking out.

If you are looking to wind down after a tough day at work, or just want to start your weekend with a drink and meal with some good friends, stop into Louie’s between 4 and 7 p.m. for three hours of pure happiness.