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Cinebar 69 E. San Fernando St, San Jose 408.971.0209 Mineral Wealth Mining for meaning under the disco ball By Justin Berton It was our first date, and we met each other downtown on a hot summer night. She wore jeans, a white tank top and sandals. We walked around a little bit, held hands at the pinkies and stepped into Cinebar, a good dive bar with dirty floors, a lopsided pool table and a Motown-heavy jukebox. We took a seat at the bar, nursed a few sips from our drinks and let our eyes do the talking. The disco ball above us twirled with a limp, like it wasn't going to make it another rotation. Ace, the bantam-sized bartender, smiled and tucked his thumbs into a belt buckle the size of a watermelon. He bought the belt buckle at a pawn shop around the corner a dozen years earlier, he said, and it was plated with real buffalo nickels. Take a good look, Ace said. Buffalo nickels. That was three summers ago. Since then, Cinebar has cleaned up its décor, but not its story. Ace doesn't work there anymore and some fresh paint and new floors helped tidy the place. The pool table got a fixing, and the bathrooms are scented fresh. The jukebox still helps men fall in love. And that disco ball? Oh, it's still twirling, thank you. Hours: Daily 6am-2am Crowd Age: Everyone over 21 Music: Jukebox Décor: Titty dive bar Signature Drink: Beer Games/Amenities: Pool table, video games Listings by Geographical Location: Campbell | Cupertino | Los Gatos | Mtn. View | Peninsula | Central San Jose | San Jose 'Burbs | Santa Clara | Saratoga | South County | Sunnyvale | South County | Bar and Club Locator Features: Light's On, Door's Open: What makes a bar a favorite hangout the world over? One writer aims to find out. I'll Have What She's Having...: What's new and what's cool when it comes to the latest cocktail twists. Reviews: Senoritas and Margaritas: Left at Albuquerque--blame it all on Route 66. Scene Stealer: All the animals come out at night... to the Camera Cafe. Saddle Up: Sangria Restaurant, where sitting at the bar is a gripping experience. Retro Groovin': At the DancePlex. partygoers relive the '70s, '80s and... this morning! Flash and Dash: Mardi Gras and other surprises at Nola Restaurant and Bar. Knight Dreams: Black Watch--where swords cross and Stoli freezes over. United Nations: Lido's Nightclub, where world beat has a whole new meaning. Taste the Music: The Icon Supperclub is the new incarnation of the Edge. Mineral Wealth: Mining for meaning under the Cinebar's disco ball . In the Pink: All in a dogone day's work at the Pink Poodle. Rod's Roadstop: Britannia Arms at Almaden wears it well. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]