Dive! Dive! Dive!

This week, Bar Wars salutes some of the fine establishments that might not have made your top ten lists, but they should have.

The Buffet
538 E. Ninth Street

Rating: 4.6 of 5

A classic blue-collar watering hole, the Buffet is a relic of 1930s Tucson andthe spot for some sweet deals on drinks.

Seeking to sink our teeth into one of the best-kept secrets of the Fourth Avenue area bar scene, my buddies and I ventured into the smoky and well-worn confines of the Buffet at a quarter to 11.

Why go to a dive bar at this late hour you ask? Simple: "happy minute."

That's right. At 11 p.m. every night, the Buffet offers happy minute, where for a single greenback you can get a second drink.

If you have a Budweiser at 11, another is a dollar. Bloody Mary? $1. Pitcher of Coors Light (Note: This is the only beer on tap)? $1.

For my money, I think the pitcher is the best way to go; especially if it's you and a few friends.

The inside of the Buffet is an experience all of its own. Each time I go in, I am reminded of some corner bar in the Ironbound district of Newark, N.J., or any one of the thousands of bars across the country in industrial or well run-down areas.

You've seen them before: The wooden walls are scratched and battered, and senseless graffiti is scrawled over their surfaces in any number of colored markers or chalk from the pool table.

The linoleum floor is cracked, barstools line the outer walls. Television sets are perched in the corners with a commanding view of the bar.

The bar itself includes a humidor with some good cigars, and resting next to the supply of hard-alcohol bottles sits a jar of pickled eggs and a crock pot full of Polish sausages. (I've never had one myself but hear they're quite tasty.)

Music at the Buffet comes from a large jukebox between the entrance and the exit that contains well over a hundred classic rock and country CDs.

There's also a pool table and shuffleboard set up on opposing sides of the bar, and a decent selection of bottled beers.

The ambiance and the clientele of the Buffet are extremely friendly. If you (like me) have been getting tired of some of the more high-pressure bars on Fourth Ave; you might do well to check it out: At least for happy minute.

What I love about the Buffet: happy minute

What I don't so much love about the Buffet: the bathrooms

The Shelter
4155 E. Grant Road

Rating: 4 of 5

Looking to expand our horizons, a few friends and I recently started making the trek out to the Shelter.

Though a bit further from campus, and not as cheap as some other locations, the Shelter is a laid-back bar that offers pool, some good deals on Honey Brown and Jack & Coke, and seating arrangements that are a bit more private than some college bars.

And, just like the Buffet, the people are friendly.

The decorum of the Shelter is something of the early '60s, complete with effigies of JFK. (One even lights up.) There are dinette-style tables and chairs, a gigantic tin advertisement for a car air-conditioning unit, and a partition between the main bar area and the pool table that screams 1964.

It's more like a lounge than anything else. The semi-circle bar dominates the center of the room and is ringed by barstools and then booths and stools around an inside half-wall. The pool table is in a separate area, a few steps up from the main floor, and has a view of the entire bar area and the television.

The Shelter also offers two vintage pinball machines ÷ nice and simple for fun and competitive play.

As far as music goes, the Shelter pumps out more than enough classic rock. (I've heard various tracks of the "Boogie Nights" soundtrack almost every time I've been there.) And sometimes, the Shelter has theme nights when DJs spin some classic tunes of recent decades or more contemporary tracks.

The Shelter is a great place to come for a few drinks with friends and have a quiet evening away from some of the more turbulent and over-priced college bars.

What I love about the Shelter: No lines, no over-priced drinks, and no belligerently drunk patrons.

What I don't so much love about the Shelter: It's a hike from my house.