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| The Rat: TVs out front |
The printed bills at the Rathskeller, a stalwart presence on Midland Street, have a note at the bottom: "Thanks for being part of our Rat family." The menu includes a Rat Dog for $4.25. And for dessert ("desert," the menu calls it), there are Rat Tails, described as "warm breadsticks sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar drizzled with chocolate caramel."
This is all in good humor, though it raises an ominous question. But we're happy to report that county Health Department inspections of the Rathskeller as far back as 2012 include no mention of actual rodents or other vermin or critters there.
They also fail to mention that this is a friendly place. Many bars on a Monday afternoon are all but deserted. This one is abuzz.
Originally, a rathskeller was a tavern or restaurant in the basement of a German town hall. And according to the Rat's (we'll go along with the nickname) website, the Rathskeller in Bay City started in the building's basement. So the name is (or was) sort of appropriate.
An old ad for the Rathskeller, back when it was in the keller (which is German for cellar) promotes piano sing-alongs and old-time movies. Old-timers recall peanut shells on the floor. (Now the basement is used for storage.)
Nowadays, Rathskeller turns out to be a common name for a restaurant or bar, and not always in a basement. As if to illustrate the common use, a locator map on the Rat's website turns out to actually show the location of the Rathskeller in downtown Indianapolis. We don't want to drive that far.
But just like at the Bier Garten on State Park Drive, a German-sounding name doesn't mean you should expect to find much German influence inside. Since the closure of Stein Haus downtown, nowhere around town offers German food or atmosphere. Too bad, considering all the German settlers in the area.
At the Rathskeller in Bay City, the closest thing to a wurst is that Rat Dog, which comes with sauerkraut. Maybe it's indeed best to think of the place as the Rat.
There is beer -- 12 drafts and lots of bottles and cans (the full list is available at beermenus.com. The only one from Germany is Clausthaler Premium, billed as a non-alcoholic (but actually low-alcoholic) brew from Frankfurt.
Among the others on the menu was Wells & Young Banana Bread Beer from England (5.2% percent alcohol; a 12-ounce bottle is $4.25), which, according to the menu, "hugs the palate with great intensity." That sounded like a potential choke hold, so we skipped it, opting instead for a Lagunitas Pils on draft, a hefty 6% alcohol at $4.25 for 16 ounces (described as "light and crisp
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| Breanna behind the bar |
If you go for Miller Lite or PBR, a 12-ounce bottle of either is $2.50 but a 12-ounce can is only $2. And a few canned beers (including the PBR) are $1.25 11 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 10 p.m. to close on Friday and Saturday.
The menu also includes some standard cocktails. We asked for a Manhattan, which isn't on the list, but Breanna the friendly bartender (we first met her four years ago when she worked at Hooligan's) produced a strong one with Maker's Mark. Assorted wines are also available.
There's a full food menu -- salads, burgers (The house burger, at $6.95 with olives, bacon, American cheese and mayo, may be the best in town for the price.), sandwiches, hot dogs, entrees, soup, a kids' menu and daily specials: Monday's was country-fried chicken for $6.95. A great cup of corn chowder was $1.50. (On Sundays, smaller burgers sell for $1.60.)
If you sit at the bar, little wooden trays that fit over the edge make eating much easier. (Hooligan's, where Breanna once worked, had similar devices.)
The bar's decor, rather than anything Germanic, is best described as modern TV. Most of the wall space is covered with large sets, which on a Monday showed assorted sports and a financial report. For the summer, two outdoor TVs are in front of the building with outdoor seats.
The Rat has no table games but there are lottery games and a device that lets you play trivia or poker on one of the TVs behind the bar. And on a Monday afternoon, three tables of people were playing Smear (or Schmier or Shmear, if you prefer). On Monday nights, the bar hosts a trivia game.
The men's room is clean and has piped-in music. An inviting tent for smokers is out back.
The Rat is open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon-Thur, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri-Sat and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.
And really, there's nothing at all ratty about it.
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See Doc’s
report: An afternoon of street-level fun and games at the Rat
Rathskeller Food & Spirits
600 E. Midland
989-892-0621
baycityrat.net
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