America's Bar lures customers with spirited specials
If it's true that a bar is only as good as its owner, then 9-month-old America's Bar in Hoffman Estates has a leg up. Owner Richard Garcia entered the nightlife biz as a teenager, running valet lots and starting a bar security service. He immersed himself further into the scene with his own bar-related businesses. Remember the ladies selling roses in clubs several years back? Yeah, that was him.
Garcia opened America's Bar in September because he wanted an "upscale neighborhood bar" that caters to all bar-goers, regardless of age. "You can be 21 or 45," he says, "and can come here and have fun." That's why he called it America's Bar. Get it? A bar for everyone.
Its location in the Barrington Square Mall behind a Buena Beef and next to Garibaldi's throws America's Bar into hidden-treasure obscurity, but that's just fine with Garcia, who has more than a few connections up his sleeve. Notice those photos on the wall, featuring Garcia with celebs like Mike Meyers, Jennifer Aniston, Anna Nicole Smith and Jenny McCarthy? That's no Photoshop work; he really met these people. And besides all that? Well, he's gonna pilot a reality show, too.
Motif: The has a sculpture of the Statue of Liberty doing her best to imitate Marilyn Monroe's famous skirt flying pose. It stands tall atop the main bar and is the first thing patrons see when they walk in. People's first question: "Haven't I seen something like this before?" Yes, in Vegas. And their second: "What's it made of?" Fiberglass and plastic from Elgin's own ACME design.
The rest of the place strives for a pub-chic vibe, with wood tables and star-emblazed chairs giving way to a dance floor and sleek, bottle-piled bar. Garcia put the whole thing together himself, from the 75-seat outdoor dining patio and covered outdoor smoking area (it's totally legit, btw) to the star-studded photos and full-wall mirrors in the ladies room.
Events/crowd: Dedicated to his customers having fun above all else, Garcia booked Dueling Pianos for the Saturday night crowd and Ladies Nights on Tuesdays and Fridays. Though Garcia worked up his own special setup for squeezing two whole pianos into the wings of the dance-floor stage, he really prides himself on Ladies Night, which offers women a chance to win any of five $50 prize bags filled with facials, massages, hair cuts and beauty products for every $5 martini they purchase. Here's how it works: Buy a martini and get a gourmet fortune cookie. The cookie dictates the prize. (Psst: Your chances of winning are pretty good; Garcia says some gals walk out with multiple bags at the end of the night.)
Because the prizes include gift certificates and products from places like Sephora in Woodfield and Rockstar Salon in Roselle, the bar on Tuesdays and Fridays is using hopping with ladies of all ages. Every other night of the week, it's a mixed bag among happy hour suit-and-tie partiers, dinner-time nibblers and after-hours clubbers. Of course, no matter who they are, they'll all get the opportunity to audition for Garcia's reality-show vision.
Garcia figures there are few other hotbeds for reality show fodder than a bar. So on June 24 and July 1, he and a few friends will audition for stars. Nightlife stars, that is, and anyone else who frequents the scene and doesn't mind being documented for a pilot to be filmed this summer.
Liquid consumption: Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Bud Light and Miller Lite are served on tap, and Garcia says that on any given night, patrons can expect to see Bud and Miller drafts on special for $2.50 and the others for $3.50. A full bar surrounds America's Bar Marilyn Statue of Liberty. Other Ladies Night specials include $4 bombs and $3 U-Call-Its, besides those gift-laden $5 martinis.
Food: An area that many bars overlook in favor of amping up decor and music, food is one thing America's Bar tackles head on, repackaging upscale eats for a bar-goer's budget. First off, try the spinach and artichoke dip. No, seriously. One of the chef's secret recipes, the tortilla chips come clad in a special, slightly spicy seasoning, and the dip - well, let's just say, Garcia always asks the cooks to save him some in the pan. Other delicacies include filet mini sandwiches on Hawaiian bread, spicy chorizo wrap, pepper and egg sandwiches and jumbo wings.
Sounds: The music fluctuates based on time of night. On a recent evening around dinnertime, videos featuring Abba and Sheryl Crow screened around the dance floor. Piano cabaret sounds off on Saturdays and Top 40 claims the floor until 3:30 a.m.
Parking: Barrington Square Mall's parking lot is your oyster; take your pick among a bounty of spaces. Try for the middle of the lot near Garibaldi's.
Overall: It's tough finding new bars that toe the line between too-clubby and too-casual, and America's Bar manages to make its mark right in the middle.
If you can't stay late to dance, come early for a spot-on meal, or round up the girls for an event that's really worth the $5 drink.
America's Bar
2308 W. Higgins, Hoffman Estates
Phone: (847) 882-8600
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday; 4 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday