Happiness is a warm pizza potato skin

The name “Prankster’s: a neighborhood gar and brill” pretty much says it all.

Just east of Rural Road on the north side of University Drive, lies a self-proclaimed “friendly neighborhood bar.” Lucky for Prankster’s, and us, this happens to be true. But just one peek inside shows this is more than your average neighborhood bar; it has its own wireless Internet. Hooray for the Internet while drinking!

When I went inside, a bartender named Lisa Marie waited on me. This woman was so funny and chipper it brightened my whole day (which hadn't been good up to that point, or I wouldn't have been popping into a random bar).

I ended up having the fish tacos and a pear cider. You Arizona kids might not know about pear cider, but let me tell you — it is amazing! I got hooked on the stuff when I worked at a bar in Texas, and I can never find it out here. Now I know where to go, because Prankster’s has it.

I have been back there since the day I stumbled in, and I haven’t encountered a food I don’t like. The bar makes its own onion rings, which are great. The fish tacos are really good. Prankster’s even has pizza potato skins. That has to be the king of all munchies. I mean, the pizza potato skin? You should have a heart attack just looking at it, and they are every bit as delicious as they probably are bad for you.

Prankster's isn't a big place. It's a one pool table kind of bar, and if you brought all your friends, you could probably fill it. Then again, it's cozy. To be honest, sometimes I just have days where I want to go to a quiet little place in my scrub clothes and drink pear cider in peace. Another plus, it's very near to the bus stop, so no drinking and driving.

The last thing I should tell you is that on my last visit to Prankster's my tab for cider and lunch cost less than $10. That means you can't use the excuse that you're too poor to check it out.

— Jenifer Delemont

The best local music venue you probably haven’t heard of

The Sets music venue is near Arizona State University's Tempe Campus on Mill Avenue. However, many students never end up there because the venue is located south of the University, whereas most clubs and bars are located north of the campus. Still, at the southeast corner of Southern and Mill Avenues, this venue is closer than most people think.

Calling The Sets a music venue isn't really fair, as the room with a stage is only part of the club as a whole. There is an entire room full of pool tables, and a separate indoor and outdoor bar. Because of this, The Sets is really like a bar, a pool hall and a venue all in one club.

My reason for going wasn't the bar or pool hall however. I went to The Sets to check out the music. Kim LaRowe books the bands at The Sets, and while her name may not be familiar to many ASU students, she's well known in the local music community. A short history lesson can explain why.

There was a club called The Mason Jar in Phoenix that had played host to many bands such as Metallica over the years, when they where still unsigned and could be found at tiny clubs trying to gain a fallowing. The Mason Jar was a staple in the community, having been around for over 20 years; most smaller music venues only last a few years at best. Kim LaRowe was booking bands at The Mason Jar when I met her, and she had an eye for talent even then.

When The Mason Jar finally closed, LaRowe started Thirteenth Floor Entertainment, to continue booking and promoting for the bands she'd come to know at The Mason Jar. Then she got hired at The Sets, and the talent followed.

A lot of local venues pick bands to play based on a press kit alone. They often end up with a show where the bands are not even similar in style, and at least one or two are pretty bad. LaRowe is able to book excellent talent at The Sets because she has over a decade of experience dealing with our local bands, as well as national acts that come through town. For this reason, I would recommend The Sets as the best local venue to see a band from the Valley. You can go without recognizing the names of the bands, and be relatively sure that they will be talented.

The cover is usually $5 to $10, unless there is a national act playing, so it's inexpensive to check out the local bands playing at The Sets. And, because the club includes an indoor and outdoor bar and a pool room, you can always hang out somewhere else if it turns out the night's music isn't your style. The only room they let you in if you are under 21 is the room with the stage. So, if you're bringing your younger friends, warn them that they won't be able to play pool with you.

— Jenifer Delemont