Quench your thirst: CJ's Place

At CJ's Place, the price is right. There is no arguing with $1.50 Budweiser and PBR drafts coupled with $3 well drinks. Beyond that there is a lot to like about this ol' place located a dozen football fields off the peninsula. Note: This is the same establishment as CJ Thirsty’s, formerly located near the railroad crossing on Forest Ave. After seven years at that location, CJ’s Place has been here for four.

The entrance is unassuming and dark. One might be a bit nervous prior to entering because of the blacked out windows. Upon entry, the first thing that jumps out is the vast darkness of the bar, peppered with sparse club lighting.

It’s a decent-sized bar with three distinct areas. A dining area sits to the left of the entrance, virtually devoid of people due to the late hour of revelry. Further to the left is a pool room with a Golden Tee arcade game and the bathrooms. To the right is the bar/dance area, which on this night was reserved for the legendary drinking game, beer pong (or Beirut, depending on where you learned to play).

The rooms are dimly lit and though CJ’s isn't subterranean, there is a basement feel to the joint, with lots of toys you and your drinking buddies can fool around with while enjoying a few pints.

“We’re really casual,” says bar manager Doug Smith. “Not low class and not too fancy, kind of like our bar.”

There is also food on the docket, available until 11 p.m. Smith avoided the oft-heard phrase “upscale pub fare” when describing the menu, which is refreshing in a city where bars fight to be considered upscale.

There are 10 beers on tap, loads of liquor and a large, commercial blender for your complicated drink needs. The beer cooler is lit with an eerie green light, which creates a yuletide feel combined with the string of red lights above the bar.

The other decorations are nondescript, mostly on account of darkness, though a massive CJ’s collage stands out. This work of art shows the range of people that party here; the pictures capture an age-range that is rare at most demographically-inclined establishments.

“We attract everyone. People turning 21 come in to have a good time and we have regulars in their 50s and 60s,” Smiths says.

The Tuesday night we descended on CJ's was well-attended, though my coworkers and our friends made up a large portion of the crowd. On the docket for the evening's entertainment: beer pong with DJ Rob.

Now, when I read a listing for an event titled "Blah blah blah with DJ What'sHisFace," I envision, quite logically I think, a DJ will be spinning tunes, blending some beats and generally pumping up the party.

Instead, DJ Rob (of WCYY fame) was leading the beer pong ceremonies. There was no live music spinning. When they said "With DJ Rob," they meant it quite literally. This event might be even better. There’s something highly-entertaining about this celebrity drinking game. In the future they should invite other well-known people, like Kings (another juvenile drinking game) with Rustic Overtones. I really think this could work.

At the crowd's peak, there were over 20 people attending CJ’s, not a bad get-together for a Tuesday night. The people were nice at CJ’s Place, from the staff to fellow drinkers. There were even knowledgeable fans watching the Celtics’ demise to the Cavaliers (come back ASAP, Garnett).

Because of our Tuesday at CJ’s, I can only speculate about weekends. Smith says it is busy on Friday and Saturday due to CJ’s status as an alternative to the Old Port. But for a Tuesday, this was a good time. The beer pong is an excellent draw no other bar I know of offers and the drink specials are good.

Plus if you want life to be more like VH1, you can even compete against celebrity DJs.