McCarthy's Ale House   

Give the folks at McCarthy's credit for one thing: They know how to take chances. With bars closing in the Flats like convertibles in a car wash, McCarthy's picked the depleting district as the place to set up shop. Sitting on the West Bank of the Flats in an old Spaghetti Warehouse (and, we suspect, an old warehouse before that), McCarthy's has an old-school feel outside and an ultra-modern look inside. Bargoers can sip the numerous draft beers pumped out of a state-of-the-art tap system while watching the game on giant plasma-screen TVs, the new wave in sports-bar goodies. Music fans can be treated to the occasional live show on the bar's small stage, where such acts as Mini-KISS come to perform. Bar munchies, from finger food all the way up to the five-for-$5 burgers, supplement the flowing brew. Pool tables, a dart board and a couple of Golden Tee machines add to the overall entertainment. If the Flats bounces back, McCarthy's can take credit for being the spring board.