Nightlife in Forest Lake

Since 1986, Champps Americana's kitchen has sizzled with burgers and classic American dishes, satiating sports fans and families with a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. Amid the sunlit dining room, diners at wooden tabletops have views of 25 TVs broadcasting sports games, competing with a cluster of arcade games for eyes' attention. Chefs cater to taste buds by plumping up pastas with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables and piling rolls with beef patties, barbecued pulled pork, and spicy buffalo chicken. Behind the bar, bartenders whip up specialty cocktails and margaritas and fill goblets with an expansive selection of draft beers and wine. The bar and grill draws guests with regular specials and events throughout the week, including daily happy hours, Thursday-night trivia, and Sunday brunch. Every Tuesday, the restaurant serves up free meals to children, as a magician saunters table to table, entertaining kids with tricks and balloon art, crafting replacement siblings on request.

Metal fences extend above a brushed metal bar, where platforms hold custom hogs––motorcycles decked out with flames and thick, silver rims. If the bikes don't paint a picture, how about staggered biker signs dangling from the rafters, or a homestyle menu of flame-kissed favorites? Fatboys was formed in 2004 as a place for bikers to compare tattoos and crochet helmet cozies, but as time passed, a more diverse clientele began streaming in for the food and ambiance.

Amid neon signs and the clack of pool balls, black lacquered tables populate with golden-fried apps, meaty sandwiches, and the signature Fatboy burger––a full-pound of USDA Choice beef with three kinds of cheese and four strips of bacon. Warm weather triggers the opening of an enormous V-twin patio, where patrons can sip a brew while watching barbecue-slathered ribs slide right off the bone.

In addition to supporting charitable organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Fatboys hosts events such as karaoke, live music, and the Biker Babe Bike Wash, which allows bikers and rebellious chariot drivers to have their wheels shined to a pristine sheen.

Lone Spur’s menu offers a massive selection of tasty eats known to spark spontaneous “Yeehaws” and unprintable Deadwood quotes from dining city slickers. Master cooks harness a slow-cooking heat to ensure that each brisket emerges from the pit 14 hours later in a delicious smoky cloud that won't try to kill you like the monster from your favorite island program. After a lunch of sandwiches and ol’ Mexico bites such as the buffalo burger ($9.50), brisket melt ($7.95), and lunch taco burrito ($7.75), you can ride back through town for some dinner barbecue (any two meats, $12.95; any three meats, $15.95), which includes Texas toast; a choice of cole slaw, potato salad, or soup; and a choice of seasoned steak fries, ranch house beans, cornbread, or baked potato with your beef, pork, or poultry order. If you still miss the danger of high noon shoot-outs, Lone Spur offers a chili so hot it requires a signed release before consumption. And if you can't take the heat, try the smoked sautéed pork barbecue ($11.45, Texas size $13.95) or three pounds of turkey leg ($12.95) instead. For dessert, dive into a hot fudge brownie stampede ($4.99) or Texas saucy banana ($4.99), just like real cowboys did before they settled in for a night of pillow fights and painting each other's nails.

Harry's Food and Cocktails recently coronated Ryan Stechschulte as its new chef after he proved the only applicant capable of pulling the chef's knife from its enchanted cutlery block (in accordance with the prophecy). Ryan's updated menu features an eclectic selection of steaks, chops, seafood, burgers, and more. Start with an order of poutine (house-cut french fries topped with cheese curds, pickles, and onion gravy, $9.95) or opt for a more continental beginning with an order of mussels sautéed in white wine ($10.95) or grilled asparagus ($8.95) drizzled with truffle oil, crowned with parmesan, and served with a soft-boiled egg. Lunchtimers can savor the gooey barbecue pork, pepper-jack cheese, and jalapeño-relish-covered cowboy burger ($14.95) made from Angus chuck or impress the Bavarian polka virtuoso of their dreams by ordering a liverwurst sandwich ($9.95). The beef stroganoff with roasted mushrooms and crème fraîche ($15.95) and the seared duck breast ($22.95) with potato dumplings and wilted greens will quell carnivorous cravings, and aquaphiles will find much to love in the red snapper with grits and sweet-pepper sausage ($17.95). Finally, impress your date with a dignified dessert by alternately slamming your face into a toasted fluffer-nutter sandwich, with house-made marshmallow and redskin peanut butter topped with malted vanilla ice cream ($6.95), and a caramelized banana split, with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel, and Chantilly cream ($7.95).

The Independent is a locally owned dining and cocktail destination boasting one of the happiest happy hours around. From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day, city dwellers gather in the restaurant's chic yet casual confines to mingle over impressive daily specials, including $5 select appetizers, $5 specialty martinis, and $3 select draft beers and house wines. Pair a frothy Bells’ Two Hearted Ale tap brew ($3) with a classic Margherita pizza ($5), or wash down a chipotle-tinged plate of onion rings ($5) with a glass of crisp chardonnay ($3).

In 1971, brothers Bill, Jim, and Tony Nicklow opened their first restaurant, naming it the Shorewood Inn. The eatery prospered for decades thanks to a clear view of Moore Lake and a collection of Greek recipes handed down through the family. In 2005, though, Jim Nicklow retired, leasing the lakeside property to another restaurant. When the building became available again in 2009, Jim came out of retirement to revitalize the old family business.

At the revamped location, chefs roast gyro meat on a vertical spit for tzatziki-sauced sandwiches or mediterranean pizzas decorated with feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Traditional American favorites, such as barbecue ribs, offer edible comfort to diners on strict teddy-bear-free diets. On Sunday, diners put together custom feasts at a brunch buffet with an omelet station and a bloody-mary bar. Shorewood Bar & Grill dispenses culture in addition to cuisine with a schedule of live music, and an outdoor patio is available for al fresco dining.