Two drinks: Uncle C's Bar & Grill

Uncle C's owner Tommy Hicks pulls a draft beer. (Credit: Joseph Fuqua II | Metromix)

The look: We walk into Uncle C's and the memories flood in. Three months ago this bar was still called Stonehenge, a weathered watering hole with what seemed like an eternal smoky haze. Friends and I would come here after playing some serious two-hand touch football near Dayton High School on Saturday afternoons. (We were over 21, thank you.)

Uncle C's maintains the neighborhood bar feel, but the owners have remodeled the place - for the better. They removed the tiny stage to make room for pool and cricket, installed an HDTV, and painted over the Stonehenge mural, which wasn't that stunning anyway.

The crowd: A friend and I are here on a weekday evening watching the Reds take on the Rockies. We meet Tommy Hicks, who owns Uncle C's with his aunt and uncle, and take up two seats at the bar. Behind us are four guys draining pitchers of domestic beer (Budweiser, Bud Light or Miller Lite ... I didn't ask) as they knock around stripes and solids.

The two drinks: $5 pitchers? We ask for Budweiser. After a pint, I scan the neon list of shots. What's a Bellevue Sunrise? The bartender says it's vodka, OJ, Red Bull and grenadine ($3.50). I down one and make a fast judgment: It's Sunny D for the hungover.

As we're paying, one guy leaves the pool table and asks Tommy for more shots. He wants a few Tommy Knockers. My friend agrees to try the concoction: raspberry vodka, amaretto, cranberry, sour mix and Triple Sec ($3.50). "What do you think?" the bartender asks. "I'm more of a bourbon type of guy," my friend says. He later finds out that the Silky Swamp Water shot contains bourbon, Curacao, OJ and sour mix. Dang!

The grub: It's coming soon. We're told that the kitchen is under renovation and should be ready by early 2010. For now, remember that Pasquale's and Skinny Legs are not too far away.

The verdict: We're told to come back when a live band plays the weekend. Could be fun - this place is small enough that a crowd of 50 would look like 200.

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