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The Scoop on Cooper'stown

Rock star's eat-and-drinkery is a hit

Alice Cooper - he may be a hometown celebrity, but saddling up to the bar and ordering a Bloody Mary from this ex-glam rocker might scare some people off.

Don't worry, we found Alice Cooper'stown to be a friendly place, even though the employees are a little heavy-handed with the eyeliner.

The recently renovated warehouse in downtown Phoenix was done right. Outside there's a big patio for live music. Inside, tall windows and doors offer natural lighting during the day. The whole place is very big and open. Rock-and-roll and sports memorabilia hang on red exposed-brick walls. Autographed guitars hang vertically in glass cases as you walk in, along with photos and posters of rock stars. You even walk in on an official NBA wood floor from 1995.

They smartly sit smoking patrons upstairs on an open veranda that hangs half inside and half outside the building. Smoking is also allowed outside on the patio. We found the whole place to be well ventilated.

All this openness doesn't cut down on the noise, though. Daytime hours aren't bad - it's the normal lunchtime chatterbox crowd you'd find anywhere. However, it's very loud in this joint at night. If you want to converse with your neighbor, plan to get close - like mouth-to-ear close.

Hey, loud and proud. Cooper'stown is Alice Cooper. Large and small video screens are everywhere. There's a huge screen behind the bar that is almost surreal it's so big. They play music videos along with sporting events, and every once in a while they play an Alice Cooper video. Want to sing along? Just open your mouth as wide as you can and scream.

Speaking of opening your mouth, we were very impressed with the food. They heavily tout the barbecue, and they should because it's really tasty. We tried the "Pratt's" Pulled Pork sandwiches ($6.95) and the Half Chicken ($8.95). Both are awesome and come with your choice of two sides. The Coop's slaw was our favorite.

The names are cute - "Mega Death" Meatloaf ($7.95) is a thick slice of meatloaf sitting atop a piece of Texas toast, topped with a huge scoop of garlic mashed potatoes, onion strings and gravy. Yummers.

We're wimps. Beware of the "Dale's Dynamite" chicken wings, $6.95. They come in one style - superhot. Ouch! We couldn't finish them.

Good mix of brew on tap: Foster's, Bass, Guinness, Sierra Nevada and more. Served nice and cold. Also, plenty of bottled beers to choose from along with wine and full bar.

Specialty drinks come with cute names, too: "Sammy Hagar's Waborita" ($6.95) is basically a margarita with a little sass - Cabo Wabo tequila, Cointreau and freshly squeezed lime juice. Sammy is good friends with Alice - don't be surprised ifhe drops by and plays a set when he's in town, or so we've heard.

There's also the "Danny "Z' Wake-Up" ($6.95), a Bloody Mary named after Evening Star Productions' Danny Zelisko. He's one of the partners and books all the music acts at Cooper'stown.

There are T-shirts, ball caps, shot glasses and other paraphernalia with the Alice Cooper'stown logo for sale.

Somebody thought of all the details when putting this place together. Ain't nothing to be scared of, although you might want to say no when the employees ask if you'd like help applying your eye makeup.

Alice Cooper'stown

Where: 101 E. Jackson St., Phoenix. 253-7337.Landmarks: In a renovated circa-1925 building just south of America West Arena.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

Scenery: Cool framed posters. Sports and rock memorabilia galore. Video and

Employees, sweet or sour? Pretty happy bunch, underneath all the eyeliner.

ATM damage: Reasonable.

What to wear: Come as you are. Or paint your face with classic Alice Cooper diamonds.

Bathroom, stinky or scented? Nice enough for what you need to do.

Claim to fame: Hmmm, let's see. Could it be ALICE COOPER? And all of his celebrity friends who visit occasionally.

© Phoenix Newspaper Inc. Reprinted with permission.