Two Drinks: Shorty's

Shorty's in Des Moines is located under Sbrocco and has reminiscent of a key club or speakeasy. (Credit: Eric Rowley/Metromix)

The look: To get to Shorty's, you either have to come in through a back-alley door or enter Sbrocco, go down the stairs, through the wine shop and into the backroom bar. Given the secretive space, Shorty's goes for a speakeasy-mixed-with-High Life vibe, with plenty of leather couches, round tables, dim lighting accented by '60s light-up beer signs (love the blue PBR lamps) and flat screen TVs, which were playing college basketball games when we stopped in.

The crowd: My fiance and I were the crowd on a Wednesday after work, but bartender Kevin Adams, 31, said a younger crowd fills the bar on weekends.

The two drinks: Adams said the specialty was bourbon, so we tried a Manhattan made with Knob Creek bourbon whiskey ($6). The bar carries a number of whiskeys, with Templeton Rye and Jameson the most popular. They also bring in the High Life theme with old-school options like cans of PBR. We took a cold Schlitz in a can ($2.50) for our second drink.

The grub: Thankfully we were able to pair the super strong Manhattan with a snack. A sign alerted us that "Chef Shorty's legendary Tombstone frozen pizzas are back," so we ordered one for $7.95. They were out of plain cheese, but Adams diligently picked off a Canadian Bacon version and popped it in the oven for us vegetarians. Other snacks, like a jar of pickled eggs and a box of Slim Jims, seemed to fit with the theme, but hot wings and sliders were also available. I'd never actually tried a pickled egg, so I took the $1 risk and bit into one. It tasted like a dense, salty hard-boiled egg, pretty much like I expected.

The verdict: During last year's flooding, Shorty's filled with four feet of water - you can still see where the walls have been cautiously unfinished. It could have disappeared forever, but the owners gave it a second chance and a quirky yet comfy decor update. I would definitely sneak back to this laid-back hideout.