Cheap Beer, Cheaper Food, Free Bocce Ball?

It's been awhile... First time at this bar we saw a decrepit man banging away on some spoons to CCR and could barely contain our laughter while we sat outside. Second time was the last night with our best friend (he passed away from cardiac dysrythmia later that night and we chose to avoid the bar until we both came to terms with the tragedy of that night. We have, and I'm glad we have because it made for an enjoyable night in his memory.

Rays Evergreen Tavern: Home of the Rolle Bolle
Often times a secret is best kept as a secret. Fortunately for web users, I despise secrets. Imagine a place where the beer (all drinks, not just barley-pops) is cheap, the food puts a dent of $0.50 in a wallet, and there is a wonderful astroturf bocce ball and bags court that is free (and sheltered).

The Crowd:
...it varies from night to night. One night it may be 70 something war veterans and another night it could be a bar full of young 20 somethings. Either way the music is always in decent taste, whether it's hip-hop or the picks from the older crowd (my taste in music is vast, so I appreciate what they put on the majority of the time until Bryan Adams Summer of 69 comes on, and then I become upset). As long as that song doesn't rear its ugly head, I'm a happy camper and love everyone there that much more. When I say it's old and young, don't be too surprised if you see some creepy Miley Cyrus dirty dancing going on there. Obviously they won't be 16, but to reassure, it's typically more funny than that is creepy.

The Drinks:
As much as I have loved my time in the city, I hated the price I paid for drinks. The drink specials at Rays make me feel like I'm robbing the place. Monday happened to be $1.50 tall boys of PBR and High Life and $2.00 well-drinks (Bottom of the barrel nasty booze that I happen to love. They don't cost much, taste decent and do what they're supposed to- make you feel good). Think Popov, but not nearly as bad. Few steps above that. If you haven't tried Popov I highly recommend leaving this computer screen, going to the grocery/liquor store and purchasing a bottle. You'll never bitch about the taste of booze again, and you'll consider everything quite palatable after that.



The Grub:
I'm a bigger guy, so I like to eat. I came to the realization that I like food when we had barely anything in our cabinets a few months ago (before my return back here) and went to sleep and had some explicit dreams about eating a bigggass sandwich. Dreams aside, the joint had $0.25 tacos to complement the beer. We sipped on quite a few drinks and quickly made friends with the 40 whatever couple sitting next to us. Lucky us, he was a cook there and a few drinks later he was back in the kitchen cooking us up a little bit of everything from the menu. After trying the burgers, fries, sloppy joes, nachos, etc etc (all specials during the week) I will definitely head back at some point with an appetite.

The Venue:
Rays is a nice place found away from the regular stretch of bars in St. Charles, which I appreciate. The bar was originally built in 1928 and hasn't moved since and has quite a few pieces of the original bar within. The most enjoyable part of Rays is once the weather turns warm the inside bar is shut down, and they run solely on the new tiki bar located behind the bar (It is roofed, so don't fret about rain). There are Hawaiian accents all over to complement the astroturf floor and several flat screens lining the bar wall for those looking to watch TV rather than drink or smoke or whatever your preference is.

Location:
1400 West Main Street
St Charles, IL 60174-1626

My Opinion:
I'm typically the guy who bitches and moans about 'plagiarism of food'- restaurant opens and makes the same dishes as down the street but calls themselves unique because the cheese is pepper, or some bullshit like this. No. Not many restaurants can survive on serving up 'typical American' cuisine, but some how Rays has kept the doors open for 82 YEARS, so obviously they're doing it right. My drinks were cheap and so was my food- yet it was more than palatable, it was delicious. If you need a helping hand, try the chili. Outstanding.


While I may not