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The Shanty 401 E. Ninth St. READERS' PICK: If you're looking for a dimly lit, quaint little bar with a classy atmosphere for a first date, go no farther than The Shanty. Anchoring the base of the Fourth Avenue district, The Shanty offers the ideal elements of a first-date bar. The neighborhood surrounding the pub helps set the tone by presenting you with a colorful and unique backdrop to chat over as you stroll from your car. Once inside, two principle options present themselves: You can stay inside and watch the pool-playing and perhaps play a game, or you can sit outside on one of the best patios in Tucson. Either way, your date is sure to be impressed with your fine taste in drinking establishments. You can further bedazzle the subject of your amorous machinations by already knowing some of the hundreds of beers available here and proceeding to order some obscure, but excellent, brew off the top of your head. READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: The Shelter, 4155 E. Grant Road. STAFF PICK: TIE--¡Toma! at El Charro, 311 N. Court Ave. and Laffs, 2900 E. Broadway. We had to choose both, and our split decision demonstrates a distinct dichotomy among us: that a first date is to laugh quietly, just the two of you, or to laugh in the safety of several dozen other people chortling and ha-ha-ing. The point is, we surmise, one must laugh on the first date. ¡Toma! is, indeed, a good place to get cozy with a first date, to create a few inside jokes between the two of you on your maiden voyage. The bar is to behold--a spectacular blend of traditional and modern Southwestern and south-of-the-border styles. As you enter through the courtyard just south of El Charro, you'll see the playful fountain where water bubbles over metal sombreros. A plaque beside the door says the place is dedicated to artist David Tineo--some lucky guy! The brushed chrome bar is classy. Order a margarita, then wander through the cozy rooms, all decorated and furnished differently and all sporting vibrant paint jobs in deep rose, cobalt blue, forest green. Fabulous retablos, tin cuttings and other art fill the walls. In the library, rough-hewn bookshelves line a wall, with tiny Milagros embedded in the wood. You can sit in a sturdy leather and wood rocker or snuggle up on a couch by the fireplace to giggle with your date. But if you want a little more safety in discovering what a person will or will not laugh at, which says a lot about them, take this hopeful with you for an evening at Laffs. Certainly you'll be more enlightened than if you have to hear your date's planned response to the usual first-date questions about his/her favorite movie or what three CDs they would take if stranded on a desert island that just happens to have electricity. Does your date guffaw when the headliner mentions the death penalty, or do they look offended when he makes fun of Melrose Place. Do they mercilessly heckle for any non-Cat sports references or stand up and applaud a Jack Nicholson meets Saddam Hussein bit? Where else can you get a well-prepared dinner, colorful drinks and a live show all in one location? And remember, Wednesday night is smoke-free for those of us with a cancer phobia.
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