STEPH DEROSA: IDA'S IS NOW THE MIX >>>

Back in April of this year, Bandito Betty and I raided the dive bar below Puget Sound Pizza then known as Ida’s Pub. On May 15, Ida’s Pub was sold, and is now called The Mix. The exchange has taken place, the attitude has been re-vamped, and the façade has been given a facelift. This is something Carmen Jones and I have been dying to investigate, so into The Mix we went.

New owners Brock and Jon spent more than a month with Buck and Ida (the previous owners), slowly transitioning the business and learning the ropes. These guys seem like two smart cookies that are taking much needed baby steps when it comes to making this bar successful. By not immediately spending money on big fixes, they are prioritizing expenditures and cleaning up as they go.

Friend Beth McBride designed the new logo that now graces The Mix’s front windows. One of the first things the new owners did was rip down drapes that once covered the front windows, and rally-up some window artwork that you can see from the street. McBride graciously credits Artwork Signs for the implementation of the art and signage.

Due to the kitchen limitations and health department regulations, food will be frozen or pre-packaged. Oh, and you can still get a Hungry Man dinner â€" but it will cost you $15. Why the high price? “Because we want to keep them for ourselves,” states Jon. The Mix is certainly not shy about sending you to Puget Sound Pizza for some grub; they love their new pizza-making neighbors.

Fine beers and wines will make their debut appearance at The Mix starting next week, and you can still quench your thirst with what liquor Ida’s Pub always had on hand.

Karaoke will be rockin’ the joint Friday and Saturday nights, the free pool table is not going anywhere, and the new atmosphere is an all-encompassing one. Brock and Johnathan both emphasized that The Mix is a neighborhood bar, a fun time, and a place for everyone to socialize. There is no genre, no demographic, no median income, and no lifestyle preference. “It’s not so much a pick-up joint as it is just friends getting together,” notes Brock.

During the day, you have the regulars â€" the Ida’s crowd. At night the bar is filled with a social swarm of many different people. According to Brock and Jon, The Mix has been filled to the rim with bar patrons for the last few weekends â€" and things are only looking up.

What I wanted to know was: What happened to the infamous faux fireplace Bandito Betty posed in front of for my Bar Exam picture? Well, I found out that it was sold for a few hundred dollars to a neighborhood man who apparently wanted it very badly. There were definitely no tears shed, as Brock and Jon had no quandaries about selling it to him immediately upon his request.

Sorry Bandito Betty, the fireplace is gone. We’ll simply have to drop into The Mix and find warmth in the comfort of St. Helen’s fantastic new neighborhood bar.

[The Mix, 635 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.383.4327] 

LINK: Steph DeRosa's take on Ida's Pub in Bar Exam