Get Out of the House on Super Bowl Sunday!

Going stir-crazy at home because of the snow and ice lately?  With the Super Bowl coming up this Sunday, perhaps it’s time to forgo the couch and hit the local bar instead – after all, you’re not going to have the chance to watch pro football with hundreds of like-minded fans again until September (and that’s assuming the NFL and players association solves their labor issues by then)!

Just about every area bar and restaurant is doing something special for Super Bowl Sunday.  And while we all may not be fans of the Steelers or the Packers, it’s safe to say most of us are fans of discounted food and winning flat-screen televisions.

Here’s a small sampling of Woodbridge-area establishments and what they’re planning for the big game (and remember, all food and drink specials are tentative, be sure to call the bar itself if the price of wings is a deal-breaker):

Champps Americana

 418 Menlo Park Drive, Edison – 732-906-1333

• Specials: Coors Lite - $2.50 pints,  5 buckets for $12.  Blue Moon pints for $3.50.  Half-price wings.
• Location: Champps is attached to Menlo Park Mall, so parking most certainly won’t be an issue.  Get there early if you need to pick up a football jersey to watch the game in, there’s a similarly-named-yet-entirely-different Champs Sports store inside the mall.
• Watching the big game:  34 TVs (26 high definition).  Not the most of local bars, but enough to comfortably watch from wherever you may be in the building.
• Giveaways:  Champps holds a weekly Punt/Pass/Kick competition where you can test your accuracy throwing a football like the pros.  Prizes associated with the competition include Jets and Giants jerseys, coolers, and other items.
• The crowd:  They can hold and expect up to 400 football fans to pack the place on Sunday. 

Big Shots

780 Rt. 1 North, Iselin – 732-750-5050

• Specials: $2 Coors Lite pints, $10 towers, $12 buckets.  There will also be food specials, but those are still to be determined.
• Location:  Big Shots is located on Route 1 North, where Routes 1 & 9 converge.  Parking’s a little tight, but manageable if you don’t mind walking (and with the amount of food you’re likely to ingest on Super Bowl Sunday, a walk might not be a bad idea anyway).
• Watching the big game:  Over 80 HDTVs.  Yes, 80.  That’s a TV for every player on a football team and enough left over for the practice squad and coaching staff, too.
• Giveaways: They’ll be raffling off a television, a mini-fridge, signed footballs, football jerseys, tickets, and a bunch of other stuff.
• The crowd:  Big Shots is what the name suggestions – they’re big shots when it comes to football Sundays.  The bar holds around 500 people, and on a typical Sunday, there’s usually a line to get in.  Expect the same this Sunday as well.

Fox & Hound

250 Menlo Park Drive, Edison - 732-452-9100

• Specials: $3.50 Coors Lites, $4 Stoli drinks.  $50 gets you an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner, guaranteed seating in one of the two back rooms, and 5 raffle tickets (you might want to make a reservation – the back rooms hold about 150 and 1/3^rd of the tickets have already been sold).  Hosting a party of your own, or just don’t want to be in a crowd?  No worries, Fox & Hound has you covered – Buy X number of wings, get an equal amount free (Buy 50 wings, get 50 free; buy 10 get 10, etc.)  The wing special is PICK UP ONLY, not for at the restaurant itself.
• Location:  Like Champps, Fox & Hound is located on the grounds of Menlo Park Mall, so you’re not going to have an issue with parking.  Unlikely Champps, you can’t access the mall directly from the bar, so try not to park on the other side of the mall or you’ll be in for a long, cold walk after the Super Bowl champion has been decided.
• Watching the big game:  41 HDTVs, plus 6 plasmas and 6 projectors.  Seeing the game certainly won’t be a problem if your eyes are open.
• Giveaways:  Raffles (which you can enter by purchasing buffet tickets) will be held, with prizes including a flat screen TV, a mini fridge, tee shirts, hats, and football jerseys.
• The crowd:  Fox & Hound management didn’t want to put a specific capacity number, citing only “ample seating” for everyone.  There are at least four large dining areas, so they should hold approximately the same amount as other large bars in the area.  Oh, and if you’re a Steelers fan, this is where you want to be – Fox & Hound is considered a “Steelers Bar” by steelersbars.com, and Fox & Hound has a regular black & gold contingent for every Steelers game.

The Waiting Room

66 East Cherry St, Rahway – 732-382-0900

• Specials: To be determined (“we kind of make it up as we go along”), but expect tailgate-style food all day (hamburgers and hot dogs) along with food and drink specials.
• Location:  The Waiting Room is located on Cherry Street in downtown Rahway.  There’s a good-sized parking lot located behind the bar – access it from Main Street across from Luciano’s or by driving just past The Waiting Room on East Cherry (a one-way street).  If the lot fills up (which seems unlikely), there’s also a parking deck a block away, near the Rahway train station.
• Watching the big game:  Six flat screen TVs, one large projector, all showing the game.  Four TVs at the bar, two on the floor, plus the projector which can be seen easily from both.
• Giveaways:  As with the food and drink specials, the exact giveaways and giveaway method is to be determined, but expect the usual football-related raffle giveaways.
• The crowd:  The Waiting Room is not a large place, but it’s a good old-fashioned local bar.  They expect a capacity crowd of about 100 people – 80 at the tables and another 20-25 at the bar.  If you want a spot, get there early.

Rugs & Riffy’s

493 Rahway Ave, Woodbridge – 732-636-3747

• Specials:  Coors Lite specials throughout the game, $1-$2 football menu.  There’s also a brand new shot wheel, so expect plenty of shot specials throughout the night.
• Location:  Just outside of downtown Woodbridge, near the intersection of Green St. and Rahway Ave.  The parking lot at Riffy’s itself is tiny; luckily, you’re a quick walk from the Woodbridge train station and it’s ample parking. 
• Watching the big game:  Riffy’s has about 15 televisions spread throughout the bar and dining areas.  For the size of the bar, the number of TVs seems appropriate.
• Giveaways:  Possibly the best giveaway in town, Rugs & Riffys will be raffling off your choice of either two tickets to an NFL game in the 2011 season, or two physical seats from the old Giants Stadium (the seats are on display at the bar).  In addition to the big prize, they’ll be raffling off the usual football Sunday fare – tee shirts, hats, etc.
• The crowd:  Like The Waiting Room, Rugs & Riffys is not very large (they expect about 150 football fans for Sunday’s game), so get there early if you want a prime spot at the bar or a table.