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Ka-Ching! Sutter's Sports Bar at San Jose's version of Vegas can't be passed up as a glitzy place to imbibe. Viva Lost Wages! Fear and loathing without the drive By Kelly Luker Bay 101, Sutter's Sports Bar 1801 Bering Dr, SJ 408.451.8888 LOAN SHARKS! THUGS! Murky underworld! Ah yes, my friends, Bay 101 may be the closest we will ever get to the bright lights and broken kneecaps of Las Vegas. Poor ol' Bay 101 has found its name and salmon-colored face splashed across the Merc's front page for all kinds of '40s-style Glitter Gulch arm-twisting. Apparently, many readers were shocked, shocked! to find illegal activity at the nexus of gambling, large sums of money and desperate people. Which is all the more reason to hoist one at Sutter's Sports Bar, located right in the bloodless heart of this den of iniquity. Here's how you do it: rent Bugsy, study Warren Beatty's moves, put on your fedora and pretend you're heading over to the Flamingo of yesteryear. It's a bit of a stretch, since drinking and gambling in the same room is strictly verboten. For this reason, we must quaff a microbrew in a trendy sports bar rather than throw back a stiff one while pushing forward our stack of chips. Also, the Flamingo bar would have been filled with cigarette smoke and the ka-ching! of slot machines (neither being legal here, this being pantywaist California). The desert diamond would also be peopled with other fedora-sporting folks like yourself as opposed to the high-tech workers that drop in from the nearby industrial parks. Instead of watching long-legged cigarette girls strolling by and a sultry torch singer belting it out, relax and study the numerous screens broadcasting sports, sports and more sports. Okay, it's a long stretch--but so is the drive to Las Vegas. Go with it; practice snapping your felt brim and sidling up to the barkeep. Enjoy the extensive food and snack menu. Study the photos of famous athletes on the wall. And remember--it's 105 degrees in Vegas right now, so stay local for your walk on the wild side. [ Bars & Clubs Index | San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]