Nick's, Pickett Street in Alexandria - Live Country Music Bar for Over 20 Years

[weezy]

Simply to ensure it does not continue un-reported in the Dining Guide, prior to a dance class last night, I had dinner at the bar at Nick's nightclub on Pickett Street. On tap, Shiner Bock ($2.50, i guess the HH price) and Bud. Several other offerings in bottles. Looking at the bottom shelf, they must sell a helluva lotta cheap flavored vodka. Probably 30 half-gallon bottles of the swill were lined up in all their various flavors. It makes me think there must be a whole lot of 16-17 year olds masquerading on fake IDs in there on the weekends. The barman said most of it got mixed into pineapple juice things. <shudder>

Menu is pub grub with a Tex-Mex slant. I decided to try the BBQ quesadilla. The runner who brought it out claimed to have smoked it himself. He did not menion if he was smoking anthing else. It came with bagged tortilla chips, some sour cream and salsa. The salsa was very pureed in texture and tasted mostly of lime juice. The beef was tender and chunky, the sauce a sweet smoky tomato-based thing, but the overwhelming taste was that of pickled jalapenos. After a couple of bites, that was the only flavor I could discern. I didn't come across any chunks of the jalapeno, so someone must have thought it a good idea to dump the juice into the vat of BBQ meat. No cheese and the sour cream did nothing to improve things.

I've got 7 more weeks of this class. It's supposed to be 1/2 price burgers on Wednesdays -- none of the fancy ones, just reg. hamburgers & cheeseburgers, so I may try one of those next week.

Verdict: If you want really sweet cheap drinks and to ogle underage wannabe cowgirls, this may be the perfect spot. Otherwise, just be glad I'm taking one for the team.

[weezy]

Back again. Got the hamburger this time, ordered medium, arrived pink in the center, served on a Kaiser roll with shredded lettuce, a slice of red onion and tomato, with a side of fries, but no condiments (except ketchup at the table). The roll was about 3/4" all around bigger than the burger, The burger itself was reasonably thick, but lacking juiciness even though it wasn't visibly overdone or smashed to all hell. Beef was a little below average in beefy flavor. The fries (frozen, natch), however, were surprisingly good. They had an extremely crispy exterior and were a bit puffy looking, so I expect they had been coated in some potato or rice flour before freezing, served nicely hot and not greasy, and well seasoned with salt and a bit of pepper.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Verdict: If you want really sweet cheap drinks and to ogle underage wannabe cowgirls, this may be the perfect spot. Otherwise, just be glad I'm taking one for the team.

Just curious, were you trapped there for a reason, or could you have broken away to some acceptable nearby eateries like Mediterranean Bakery on Pickett or Satay Sarinah....? Although underage wannabe cowgirls conjures up an interesting image....

[weezy]

Sort of a conglomeration of reasons -- after work laziness, too much glass in the farther reaches of the parking lot where one ends up when arriving later, and a chance to socialize with my fellow dancers before class starts.