Best Bar For A First Date '97

Best Bar For A First Date

The Shanty
401 E. Ninth St.

READER'S PICK: You'll stumble across The Shanty at the southernmost tip of charmingly funky North Fourth Avenue. With a vast collection of imported and domestic brews served in a comfy ambiance, this is a great place to launch that lifelong love affair, as well as any number of torrid one-night stands. A word of caution, however, to those who would double-dip and then sip at The Shanty--nearly everybody who's anybody in this town winds up here. And you know how tongues will wag.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: The Hotel Congress Tap Room, 311 E. Congress St.

A REAL SCREAM: The Solarium, 6444 E. Tanque Verde Road, is the perfect place for a first date. While most bars provide a non-stop sensory assault, the atmosphere at the Solarium is one of tranquillity: soft music, inviting terrace, reasonable prices, and muted lighting, which can help facilitate a budding romance or provide adequate cover should the night take an ugly turn. In addition, the Solarium provides the closest facsimile to an adult treehouse we know of--whatever the hell that's good for.

1998 Winner: Hours
1996 Winner: The Shanty
1995 Winner: The Shanty