002houston May 11_002houston 4/20/11 2:33 PM Page 74
club+lounge review By Travis Jones Photography by Daniel Ortiz
360sports lounge long live the middleman 4601 washington ave., houston, tx 77007 713.677.0398 | www.360sportslounge.com
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HE PHRASE “CUT OUT THE MIDDLEMAN” HAS BECOME A BADGE OF HONOR IN THE BUSINESS WORLD. THIS CALL TO ARMS TO CUT THE FAT IS USUALLY A GOOD THING, BUT OVER TIME, IT HAS ELIMINATED A GRAY AREA THAT CAN BE PRETTY DARNED INTERESTING. WHILE THE MANTRA HAS DRIVEN PLENTY OF PEOPLE AND PLACES TO BE ONE THING OR THE OTHER, BLACK-TIE OR BLUE JEANS, BEATLES OR STONES, 360 SPORTS LOUNGE ON 4601 WASHINGTON AVE. IS A MIDDLEMAN THAT ISN’T BUDGING.
360 borrows the best from the pomp and circumstance of its neighbors and leaves tired sports bar stereotypes behind, all while maintaining the charm of that favorite old haunt. A visit to Jimmy’s Laundromat & Sports Shack provides you with broken chairs and a standing-room-only attitude. 360? Ample, comfortable seating. Your trusty standby is a dank cube with a few regulars hoarding the good staff and the 1996, bubble-screen Sanyo. Meanwhile, 360 is bright and inviting. Looking at the clean lines, the sharp paint jobs and the bar adorned with giant flatscreens in all the right places, it’s clear to see that 360 spared no expense to provide one of the classiest sports bar experiences in Houston. 360’s kitchen is open late and aims to please, taking your typical bar food for a ride. The house-made pizzas have freshness in every bite, and the quintessential fried fare doesn’t follow that freezer-togrease-to-plate pattern that it does in your usual sports joint. Onion rings and cheese sticks emerge consistently crispy and delicious. While what 360 takes from its more upscale brethren is refreshing, what it’s borrowed from those lore-inspiring dives is just as important. The open design and booming acoustics create a sense of
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community during big games no matter who you’re rooting for. There’s a great private room for reservation with a pool table and a secluded grouping of couches and barstools, but being on the floor puts you in the middle of the action with a grandiose sense of Houston camaraderie. Pick your poison. Either way, just like your old, trusty stomping grounds, the personnel behind the bar and walking the floor will know your name after one visit to your table. A smile, handshake and an earnest attempt to show customer appreciation on Washington Ave.? Yes, it does exist. Sure, the sports dive you’re used to doesn’t offer $5 champagne on Wednesdays like 360, but that concept of hospitality is near and dear to divejunkies like me. Happy hour every weekday from 3-7 and $25 all-you-can-eat crawfish on the weekends seal the deal on bringing Houston the best of two worlds. In a world of polarizing opinions, I suppose it’s nice just to have a choice to begin with. It’s even better though, when a place can really thrive in the gray area, becoming a go-between that meets multiple needs. On a foundation of Washington Ave. class and traditional sports bar charisma, 360 Sports Lounge is a perfect example of the middleman standing tall in Houston.