BUTLER BAR; DES MOINES, WA Butler Bar’s stylin’
By Ty Hughes
The Butler Bar in Des Moines features a unique blend of antique character and contemporary design. From the street, the Butler Bar attracts the casual passerby by virtue of a fully-windowed façade and bay doors offering a wide view into the warmly lit interior and bustling bar.
It’s got a real vintage quality about it. The exterior architecture and design make it hard to ignore, so inviting. Drivers trudge by on Marine View Drive S, yearning to be inside, enjoying a tall cool one with good friends.
Josh, with Absolute Karaoke hosts the singing fun every Friday night here and the locals absolutely love the opportunity to get up and shed those inhibitions. You can always tell when the show has caught on when you see more than one in the audience with their own CD collections. Joe is one of Butler Bar’s favorites, he’ll get up and sing Cry Me A River like nobody else, this guy. It’s amazing.
The interior of the Butler Bar is just what you’d expect from the outside. Great vintage posters of the Rat Pack, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Betty Grable, Bing Crosby and so many more line the walls. Up high in the rafters hangs a neon “Gas” rocket about twelve feet long, and along the eves they’ve got an incredible collection of actual old-fashioned marquis signage, all neons, dating back decades. What a cool sight!
The building was actually built in the early 1900s and was originally a firehouse training center. They used those bay doors to drive trucks right into the, uh, bar. Later, it was a Texaco and then the Butler’s Auto Garage took over until now ’cause it’s a… bar. And a cool bar at that. Des Moines is better for the Butler Bar. I used to live there – cool waterfront town.
The funny thing is the dichotomy of antique memorabilia complimented by huge, beautiful flat screen televisions full of rich color. The Butler Bar brings you their Happy Hour everyday from 3:30pm to 6pm, featuring domestic draft beers for just $2.50 and house wines just $3.00.
The appetizer menu will put a smile on your face. How does a plate of Personal Nachos sound, or Sliders, Skins, Egg rolls, Potstickers, all for $3 to $5 each!
The bar is shrouded in a nicely-carved, heavy wooden, barback structure, dominating the room as it should. What are those called anyway? Every kind of liquor lines the mirrored wall. Songbooks are strewn around the bar, people sidled up. The karaoke is a focus and the audience is appreciative here.
Over along the wall are a couple of table booths in the cubby. Josh’s karaoke station is set up in front of the eight-foot glass bay doors, streetside. The only problem I saw was that incoming patrons were directed by the layout of tables, right through the karaoke stage area, even splitting up duets during their performance. Maybe they’re just not standing in the right spot.
Anyway, Josh brings his experience and sound system to Butler Bar and wants to see your shining face out there singin’ next Friday night!
Jason the Bartender sang 500 Miles, Joe B. sings Mack The Knife, Erin does Maybe This Time, Al sings Fools Rush In, Kelly did a little Patsy Kline action, Laurie totally killed (that’s good) Broken Wing! Mike and Rick kept up the pace behind the bar. Servers roamed the tables. Really neat place to visit. Bring your appetite for dinner and song on a Friday and join Josh for some singin’ and drinkin’, or drinkin’ and singin’, whichever suits ya.
Butler Bar opens at 3:30pm at 22341 Marine View Dr. S., Des Moines, WA 98198 (206) 429-3709 www.butlerbar.com.
