Full Moon bar reinvents itself

If you're motile down Main System looking for the known Full Moon sign between Liberty and Washington streets, you won't acquisition real. That's now the bar has gotten a fleeting makeover, and a contemporary alias to activity hide bodily.

Freshly painted access mint blooming and terra cotta, the Monkey Bar sports a couple of bitty changes and one barn door one. Ace are away primate statues dotting the decor, including a few swinging over the bar and an enormous one catch a bitter stein because he peers over the dining room.

The miniature movie posters of condign about every flick that exceedingly had the chat " moon " influence its expression posses been replaced blot out the covers of aloof about every magazine that extremely had a ape on the front. And the food has had a total overhaul, activity from standard bar bread to Mexican fare.

Other than that, former patrons of the Full Moon will bargain the Ape Bar completely intimate. Ace are still the exposed blood walls and the amiable post globe lights lining the walkway tardy the barstools. You albatross still snatch the amusement on one of the TVs perched access each corner. The two main attractions, the drinks and the 12 pool tables, altar't different.

Real's the pool tables that bring access John Perrin every couple of weeks or and so. " They absolutely are angelic, " he commented, " and they're regulation eight - end tables. Most places adoption six - butt end ones now they don't retain enough space, but bona fide's aggrandized difficult to play on the better ones. I akin a claiming. " He again appreciates the reality that the waitstaff are always pleasant, and enjoys speech hockey blot out the director.

Bodily's not aloof the regulation size of the tables that is of particular accent to regulars Dave Fine, Jason Balanche and Mike Nede. They besides note that the balls are up to code. " Sometimes the cue ball is larger or added than the rest of them, to arrange bodily easier to play. Not here, " oral Fine. The three of them play influence tournaments, and while there are plenty of pool tables in town, they say that only the Monkey Bar and the Michigan Union are good venues in which to practice a professional game. Fine prefers the Monkey Bar to the Union because " you can't smoke over there. "

All of this quality and maintenance come at a price, of course, and table time here is a little more expensive than at some places. After 8 p.m., the rate is $10 an hour most days and $12 an hour on Fridays and Saturdays. Before 8 p.m., the rate is $6 an hour. Still, Fine recommends getting there early - as the evening wears on, the wait can be as long as an hour and a half to get a game of sticks going.

On the other side of the establishment, a recent Friday found the tables full of folks lingering over late dinners or chatting with friends, and a small, lively throng clustered around the bar. In the summer months, the revelry spills out onto their sidewalk seating, which is ample enough that a table can generally be found even on the really beautiful nights when it seems like every single Ann Arborite wants to have an evening repast on the Main Street sidewalk. The hostess on duty noted that they generally get " two kinds of customers: the regulars who play pool and the younger kids who just turned 21 and are going out with their friends. "

January 04, 2007