Volume 2, Issue 21 September 28 - October 11, 2000

Bar Guide

Whether you are a beginner, a hobbyist or a shark, pool tables are so abundant in the city you could probably close your eyes and chuck a cue ball from your front door and land it on a felt somewhere. My job is to make mention of a few halls that dedicate their existence to a superlative poolshooting experience.

SHAKESPEARE'S
2375 15th Street
303-433-6000

At Shakespeare's you won't find tipless cue sticks that are warped so terribly they could double as backscratchers. The balls won't roll to the downhill rail upon a break, and locating chalk or the bridge is not the equivalent of a scavenger hunt.

One step through the door explains everything this pool hall endeavors to be, which is a classy joint that caters to every level of player. Araised dining area is surrounded by 19 pool, four billiard and two snooker tables. A mahogany elegance is used throughout, from the finish on the tables to the 75yearold Brunswick bar back, complete with ornate Corinthian columns and lion gargoyles all centered by an exquisite antique, although inoperable golden espresso machine.

The worldclass tables sit off the carpeted floor on elevated level wooden planking. There are no issues pertaining to coin slots eating your money or balls getting stuck along the way to the rack as you are charged a computerized hourly charge of $3.85, putting the player in control of how they would like to play the game.

To improve upon the lunch crowd, Roland Camino-- formerly of Camino's restaurant-- has been brought in to revamp what was a struggling menu. Now the cuisine is entirely Italian with extra props going out to the Crostini appetizer and HoneySmoked Salmon Fetticine. But Shakespeare's Italian? Hmmm. During the 36 p. m. happy hour, $1 is knocked off a good selection of wines, wells and drafts, which change regularly to support beer trends. Tournaments are held on Mondays and Tuesdays, and on Sundays, gather around the baby grand piano and listen to classic jazz from 610 p. m. You'll be sure to find the best performers around, whether they are regulars or sitin special guests.

Simply put, if Shakespeare's is good enough to hold the National APAAmateur Preliminaries, it's good enough for all of us wannabes. I recommend arriving early on weekends or the waittoplay may range from 30 minutes to two hours.

THE FOUNDRY
1109 Walnut Street, Boulder
303-447-1803

Where Shakespeare's reaped its success by attending to every aspect of the classic pool experience, The Foundry thrives by maintaining aspects of former days as a dance club. Established in 1996, following the closing of The Marquee, the idea of creating a pool hall out of such a colossal piece of Boulder real estate was a daring endeavor. But by keeping a chic metro-retro concept as an underlying theme behind the greenfelted foundation of ten Brunswick regulation pool tables, The Foundry has created a harmony with what the structure once was, and a peculiar niche to attract the masses.

The entry serves as a café by day and also provides pizza, sandwiches and other bar fare for those who come for an afternoon shoot around. Further inside is a stately bar that stands opposite a large stage which features a DJ on Thursdays and live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The high ceilings expose the archetypal industrial minimalism of a wooden roof, a maze of ductwork, iron beams and ceiling fans. One immense wall composed of old brick and another of rocks bookend the pool hall. The rock wall also serves as a backdrop for metal stairs that lead to a quieter catwalk area of tables and chairs that look down on the room.

Smokers will be pleased to find that The Foundry seemed to go out of their way in making the smoking area the coolest part of the bar. It is an enclosed windowed area upstairs at the rear of the hall where one can enter a room cut from the concept of underground baroque coziness. Set your beer upon the traveltrunk cocktail table and sit upon any of an array of decorative velvet couches and chairs to get maximum enjoyment out of that fix.

This pool hall is a perfect example of form following function. The astute design utilization of glass blocks, mirrors, vintage European playbills, rococo furniture, iron staircases and maroon carpeting lends the patron an eyefull of urban archeology.

The daily rate to play is $2.50 an hour and increases to $5 during the busy evenings. As with all popular pool venues, you may not get a table right away most nights, but The Foundry provides a hearty embellishment of creature comforts to take the pain away from the wait. If all dressed up and no place to go on Halloween, The Foundry features MC Overlord October 27-28.