Salmon dipThe Place: The Garage, 1130 Broadway, 322-2296The Hours: 3 – 7

Salmon dipThe Place: The Garage, 1130 Broadway, 322-2296The Hours: 3 – 7 p.m. every day and from 10 p.m. until close Sunday – ThursdayThe Digs: The Garage is like a classed-up, adult version of the bowling alleys most of us frequented growing up, only without the children. If you’ve ever had the experience of showing up unannounced to a bowling alley on a Friday night in hopes of knocking back a few pitchers and then getting some kid’s root beer spilled on you while you’re waiting in line to find out you should have made reservations two weeks ago because there are three birthday parties happening that night…well. This is where the Garage comes in. It is a glorious haven where those of us who’d like to bowl (and booze) away from the sticky hands and shrill utterances of the young can act like the aforementioned beer-spilling kids without worrying about frightening the real children in the room. Also, no one will get mad if you accidentally hurl your ball into the next lane over. Probably. Yes, they have billiards too, but what’s great about this place is that it’s like having an adult swim for bowlers. The Deal: During the “normal” happy hour, draft beers are $2.50 a pint and well drinks are $3. This is standard, but bowling is the major discount: lanes also cost $10 per hour instead of $25. After 10 p.m. on weeknights, that gets knocked down to $5. There aren’t deals on food unless it’s late at night, but the primary focus is the sporting: they make the bowling part cheap enough to afford the beer part. Pool tables run $5 per hour during happy hour.The Verdict: The booze specials are decent, and the well liquor here actually isn’t terrible, but what’s special about the Garage isn’t its drink deals: it’s that you can actually hurl (or hit) heavy objects while getting drunk for the same price of getting drunk at another bar.