#6414 - Pickle Bill's, Grand River, OH - 11/22/2025

Pickle Bill's Lobster House
Grand River, OH

Yesterday we stopped for lunch at Pickle Bill's Lobster House in Grand River, OH, hard by the eponymous river and just a few blocks south of Lake Erie. Pickle Bill's started in 1967 in "The Flats" in Cleveland, which I was lucky enough to visit in its rocking heyday. "I virtually started the Flats," founder Jerry Powell once said.  (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec 16, 1991)

Eventually the originally business foundered, apparently based on problems with a ship called the Flying Cloud which Powell converted to a floating restaurant and which eventually led to a punishing set of building inspections. 

Powell worked odd jobs for six years, until a friend gave him virtually free access to a building at the current location, which he refurbished with the help of family members and some financing help from an old high school friend. The new Pickle Bill's (named in homage to the perennially pickled W.C. Fields) opened in 1982, originally seating 50 to 90 people (the number varies by source). With continued additions over the years, including a floating barge bar, rooftop bar with swings for seats, boardwalk seating, etc. is now said to seat nearly 700 patrons, and serve up to 1,000 meals on sunny days in Summer, boosted by Jerry's "all you can eat" features. The new place has demonstrated its resilience by rebuilding after being leveled by fire in 1998, and pounded by floodwaters in 2006. (Ibid)

A printed history in the restaurant itself, describes the concurrently blooming relationship with his wife:

"In 1984, the beautiful and brilliant Marianne Benkowski began working at Pickle Bill's as a lunch server and bartender. Within 2 months, her business savvy mind and passion for the restaurant earned her a manager position. While bonding over their enthusiasm and visions for Pickle Bill's, Jerry and Marianne fell in love. In 1998, Marianne became Jerry's co-captain and partner in life when they married in Scotland. For over two decades, Jerry and Marianne Powell ran Pickle Bill's side by side, creating fun and unique ways to continue ever-elevating the restaurant's architecture and dining experience. Unfortunately, Jerry passed away February 8th of 2021, but Marianne continues to maintain ownership and keep Jerry's vision and golden standard of service for this iconic All You Can Eat Lobster House alive."

101 River St, Grand River, OH 44045 - (440) 352-6343
Est. 1982 (1967 in original location) 
Web site: picklebills.com
Reviews: link - link - link

#6415 - Hoff's (Reithoffer's), Auburn Township, OH - 11/22/2025

Reithoffer's, Auburn Township, OH

Today Trista and I took a mini road trip up to Lake Erie, making several interesting stops, with my favorite being Reithoffer's craft cocktail bar, music venue, art gallery, and event center (AKA "Hoff's"). The facility lies in Auburn Township, Ohio, just southeast of Cleveland and Chagrin Falls, and is named for longtime resident and junk collector John Reithoffer. John, whose parents bought the 1906 building in the 1930s, passed away in 2016, and in 2018 the property was purchased by artists Jason and Debby Wein, who have transformed it into a lovely and unique space for lovers of bars, art, and design.

Hoff's, Auburn Township, OH

The building hosting the bar -- actually 3 of them -- and the galleries upstairs, is comprised primarily of Jason's work, his furnishings and decor, and in particular his glasswork. Jason, the founder of Cleveland Art whose work is found everywhere from Vegas casinos to various private homes and buildings, is a welder and glassblower, with particular eye for melding industrial salvage into beautiful new furnishings. Along with arts events, the bar now serves craft cocktails and hosts musical events. The scene we stumbled into this afternoon seemed to me some kind of neighborly open mic night with a large and friendly set of guitarists and other performers laughing and comparing notes as they took turns performing.

I immediately added Hoff's to my favorite bars list, and am looking forward to many future visits on our trips to the greater Cleveland area.

17711 Ravenna Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 - (216) 246-7644
Est. 2018? - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: reithoffers.com - facebook - instagram
Articles: guaugamapleleaf.com - voyageohio.com 

#6343 - Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas, TX - 9/10/2025

Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas, TX

I'm not sure how old the bar at the Sons of Hermann Hall is, but it appears to have had a bar and a ballroom right from the start, i.e. when it opened in 1911* for the Dallas chapter of the fraternal organization created to preserve German traditions and ease the transition of German immigrants into American society.

Looking at the building today, I see no reason to doubt that the bar and ballroom started out in the same segments of the building as they do today?  Indeed, given its private status (and home to so many Germans) during prohibition, one assumes that its life as a bar barely slowed during federal prohibition. 

It is said to be the last remaining all-wood structure in Dallas, and it gradually transitioned from a private fraternal club to being open to the public, including hosting bands and swing dances in the ballroom upstairs. It is now a treasured venue, particularly for country music, with artists who have played there including the Drive-By Truckers, Wilco, Dixie Chicks, Arlo Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, Whiskeytown, James McMurtry, The New Bohemians, Junior Brown, Lost Highway, Son Volt, and Slobberbone.

*Some sources say it opened in 1910, but the history page for the site itself says 1911.

3414 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226 - (214) 747-4422
Est. 1911? - Building constructed: 1911
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: sonsofhermannhall.com
Reviews: dallasobserver - centraltrack.com - dallasobserver - nbcdfw 

#6324 - Lucky Frank's Irish Pub, Braddock, PA - 8/27/2025

Lucky Frank's Irish Pub, Braddock, PA

A lot of people assume Lucky Frank's Irish Pub is no longer open, and that's what I had done until a local informed me that it's one of those places where you have to ring the doorbell and hope they let you in. Standing on the main drag of Braddock, PA, with an attention grabbing "Harper Whiskey" ad painted on the side, it's not that you'd miss Frank's, but from the front doorway there are no signs of lights on inside, and not knowing about the doorbell, my previous attempts ended when I found the door locked. This time, however, the door was actually slightly propped open, and I entered and took a seat at the bar, in front of two interesting old back bars, and amidst some curious stares.

Lucky Frank's Irish Pub, Braddock, PA

The borough of Braddock, just southeast of Pittsburgh, was name for the British General who died here in a failed mission to take Fort Duquesne from the French (his aide-de-camp Lieutenant-Colonel George Washington would live to fight another day). It has been a struggling community ever since the Carnegie steel mills closed down in the 1970s and 1980s. It was named a "financially distressed municipality" by the state, and in 2006 elected a hulking, shorts and hoodie wearing mayor named John Fetterman, who initiated various revitalization efforts. On this day, in addition to Frank's, I was able to visited the recently reopened and still being remodeled "Carnegie One," the very first of the over sixteen hundred libraries erected with funding from the steel magnate.

It should go without saying that inside Frank's is a classic dive bar, and it was tended by a woman who told me her name was Henrietta, but was curiously called "Mary" by all the patrons. Mary/Henrietta examined my ID carefully, quizzing me about whether I worked for a lawyer or was an inspector of some sort. The bar has a posted policy of not allowing anyone under the age of 35, a policy that is not so much enforced anymore, esp. since COVID. Mary told me she's a tough broad, and informed me that "There's something wrong with you and I'm going to figure it out." When I asked her if it was okay if I took some pictures she called Frank, who gave the okay.

With a cold Yuengling in hand and my web page on the phone, I eventually convinced Mary that I was who I said I was and I was there because of my bar hobby. It turned out that Mary had a lot of information to share about the bar, its history, and people there and around the neighborhood, and we slowly become something like buddies. She dug out relics from the bar, including pulling out boxes of old bottles she'd founding digging in and around the building, unwrapping each one from the packing paper to show me.

It's clear that the Frank's building is pretty old, and that it's hosted bars for a long time, but I've only been able to find snippets of information, especially post-prohibition. There have been saloons at this address since at least 1889, under the following succession of owners:

Samuel R. Holmes (-1889-)

Patrick McKeown (-1890-1902) and John O. Lightner (-1892-)

Christian Echart (1901-1904)

Fritz Totzke and Peter Schmidt (1904-1905)

Matthew Marohnick (1905-1907)

Michael Kalina (1907-1908-)

Peter J. Caulfield (-1909-1919-)

Frank Skrabec (-1913-1921-)

From there the info becomes more sparse. In 1935 it was a tavern named the "Barcewicz Café," by 1949 it was the "Silver Grill," and it was "Lucky Frank's Irish Pub" by 1993. Around 15 years ago it was closed by the authorities for several years due to rampart drug activity. It was reopened in 2012, under a plan from owners Frank Evanovich and Charles Blon that included banning anyone under 30 and staying open only from 8am to 6pm.

As I left Frank's, Mary escorted me out the door, continuing to share information, until we each took a photo of the other in front of the place, and gave each other a departing hug. I'm really hoping I can dig out substantially more of the history of the bars here, and definitely plan to return.

312 Braddock Ave, Braddock, PA 15104 - (412) 545-2914

#6323 - Dante Club, Rankin, PA - 8/27/2025

Dante Club, Rankin, PA

The Dante Club is not a place you are likely to stumble upon if you are not seeking it out, tucked in the shadow of the Rankin Bridge in the old steel and wire manufacturing borough down the Monongahela River from Pittsburgh. Even the Google Street View images give no hint of business, showing instead the bridge flying over it. But one cohort who can find are movie producers -- flicks that were partially filmed here include "The Deliverance," "Last Flag Flying," "Mindhunter," "The Road," "American Rust," and "Out of the Furnace."

Owner and bartender Danielle Cioppa told me there were two types of people who find the bar without being locals/regulars: People who attended the local community high schools that are memorialized in the space, and movie people. She was surprised to find out I was neither.

Dante Club, Rankin, PA

The movie people obviously like the old, classic working man's bar vibe in the historic space - as do I. This neighborhood used to be heavily Italian, and as can be seen in an old book of club by-laws, rules, and regulations possessed by the bar owners, the "Dante Club" can be traced all the way back to 1924, when it began in the home of Mrs. Teresa Russo. The club began renting the current space in 1936 (shortly after prohibition), and became a chartered club with a liquor license in 1937.

It would remain the members-only Dante Club for more than half a century, because it was sold in 1998 to someone who opened it to the public renamed "Hidy's Cafe." But finally in 2022 Todd Cioppa purchased it for his (Italian) mother Anita, who was 80 years old at the time and returned it to the original name and ran it briefly before passing away two years later. It's now run by Todd and his wife Danielle.

Danielle noted that attendance at the bar varies widely, from very slow nights to big crowds. She hosts a lot of different sorts of events, bringing in old bar owners for interviews, staging a fish fry contests from the innumerable churches and volunteer fire departments that produce them every Lent, craft nights, live music, comedy shows, Steeler games, Pride week specials, and watch parties for the various films created here. The bar has also served as the hub 

As we were discussing my hobby, Danielle provided various historical notes on the bar, and quizzed me about other interesting local bars, adding a few to my to-do list. I'm following the club on Facebook now for future events.

  

Anita Cioppa's coats hang in an
abiding homage

115 W Braddock Ave, Braddock, PA 15104 - (412) 852-6919
Est. 1937 (first becomes a club and bar), 1998 (opens to public)
Previous bars in this location: Hidy's Cafe
Web site: dantesrankin.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles and reviews: yajagoff.com  

#6182 - Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH - 5/16/2025

Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

Find the purple orb light on Republican Street, descend the stairs down four stories below street level into the lagering caves last used by a Cincinnati brewing company in the 1850s, and you'll find a couple of the more beautiful bars I've been to. This is Ghost Baby, purportedly named for an infant specter that was somehow responsible for the shattering of the first light bulb inserted in the reopening of the caves. 

The first room, reservation not required, is the "Rattle Room," featuring a central bar that is said to have been designed after a baby's rattle. Step past that and behind the velvet curtains -- although you will probably need a reservation, into "The Den," with a bar in the corner and romantically lit tables, with a velvet curtain lined stage on the opposite end hosting various forms of live music performances. The award winning design, the fine craft cocktails, and the overall vibe all make it well worth a reservation (and fifty-some stair steps).

Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

I also had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Heather and Chuck at the bar. They are a couple from Kentucky, she a school teacher, and he with the airline industry for many years. Chuck's job allowed them to fly for free on Delta flights that had available seating at takeoff time. So they would pack up the kids, go to the airport, and ask at the desk about any flights with several open seats; where ever those flights were going, they went. It sounded like a fun family.

Chuck and Heather,
at Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

1314 Republic St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 - (513) 381-5333
Est. Feb 18, 2020 - Building constructed: Pre-1850
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: ghost-baby.com - facebook - instagram 
Reviews: cincinnatidesignawards - esquire - cincinnati.com - 5chw4r7z - yelp - tripadvisor 

#6163 - Weedville Hotel, Jay Township, PA - 4/22/2025

As far as I can tell, from online sources and chatting with current owner Jeremy Rippey, no one knows how long the Weedville Hotel and bar have been here. (I hope to make it to the Elk County Historical Society's Robinson Museum in a future trip to see if I can find more.) The Dec 30, 1904 issue of the Brockway Record indicates that there has been a Weedville Hotel serving liquor here since at 1903. But old sources didn't find it necessary to list the exact address, and the Weedville Hotel structure appears to have been destroyed by fire at least twice -- once in 1908 and again in 1933. The former conflagration was described as "cremating"  one Samuel Dutsy, who was in a hotel room and purportedly drunk.

Weedville Hotel, Weedville, PA

So it is difficult to date the current building, and it does not seem to show any obvious vestiges of the pre-prohibition business. However it does have features that harken back to shortly after prohibition, including the antique back bar and the murals painted throughout the restaurant portion, which Rippey said were done in 1941 by a resident in exchange for room and board.

Weedville is an unincorporated community within Jay Township, ins southeastern Elk County, some 120 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, in an area best known for its elk viewing. According to Nancy Piper the first white settler in the community was John Boyd in 1816, who built a sawmill there which he sold the next year to Frederick Weed and Captain Weed. 

Weedville Hotel, Weedville, PA

Today the bar is a pleasant small town stop, serving Italian dinners, pub standards, and a small but quite adequate selection of spirits and beers.

As a random historical note, here is a list of past owners that I have found in primary sources:

David Thomas (-1904-1908-, d.1911)

William J. Thomas (-1914-) (son of David)

Frank Frarie (1916-)

Sam Betta (-1940, d.1940)

Raymond Parisi (-1956-)

Alice Demonte (-1965-)

Robert Larkin (-1976-)

Rick Crocco (-1983-)

Jeremy Rippey (2000-2025-)

Weedville Hotel token, author's collection

625 River Rd, Weedville, PA 15868 - (814) 787-8079
Est. 1904 OE - Building constructed: 1933?
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor