| Caves Lounge 900 W Division St, Arlington. 817-460-5510. |
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Spelunking
OK, let’s be real: Arlington is not so much a city (what skyline?) as an exurb, a conurbation of fast-food joints and car dealerships and lots and lots of asphalt. Finding a cool place to hang out is no easy task. But as a recent excursion into A-town proves, if you cruise along one of the city’s many four-lane highways long enough, you’re bound to run into someplace worthwhile.
Planted on a pothole-laden parking lot and wedged in between a half-dozen grimy car lots, Caves Lounge is decked out like a hipster’s haven. Magenta light illuminates the bar, shading everything — from the black leather chairs to the faux-fireplace — a hue of coooool. Not only does the place look like a million bucks, it’s probably worth that much. There’s a flippin’ projection screen on the back deck (for “Movie Night,” Monday). On the night of a recent Last Call visit, there was an added plus — $2 Negro Modelos, $2 Cuervo tequila shots.
You just gotta wonder — and no offense to our beloved Arlingtonian readers — but is Caves too cool for A-town?
“When I moved back from Seattle I wanted a place that didn’t exist here,” said owner Tom Osbakken. “I mean, yeah, we could have opened a sports bar and made a gazillion dollars, but why, when you can have something a little different?”
Word seems to be getting out. On the night of Last Call’s visit, a lot of thirsty mouths were crowded around the perpetually moving bartenders. Most of the partiers could have come from the Wreck Room — a bubbly housekeeper with tats on the small of her back, pony-tailed goths in (what else?) black tees, Dobie Gillis-looking music snobs. Couple this crew with the sounds from the juke — great ’90s-era coffee-shop rock (Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Portishead) — and you got yourself a little piece of the East Village, circa 1994 (back before Bloomberg’s buzz-killing anti-smoking law).
The sad thing is, you now gotta wonder if Arlington has the upper hand on Fort Worth in Clubland’s alt-lounge department. Local bohemians used to have a similar place, one with a friendly vibe and sense of unique style, but then the 7th Haven burned.
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