Mark's House of Rock aims to live up to its name

Hangouts' former space had been left vacant for years until Mark's House of Rock 'N' Roll took over in November of 2009. The new neighborhood bar caters to an older crowd looking for a place to hang out and jam to classic tunes with a drink in hand.

Motif: A long wooden ramp leads up to a narrow patio which serves as a place to mingle on warm nights. Inside is a large, square-shaped wooden bar, lined with padded barstools in mismatched colors. The walls in the bar area are decorated with beer signs and posters, giving way to images of musicians near the music area. Tables are arranged around the huge stage so big groups can sit and watch. A flat screen TV behind the bar and a few other sets mounted in the corners are tuned to sports by day and turned off when there are bands playing. The bar plans to open earlier when Bears season rolls around and show games on a projector set up on the stage. The bar also has a few bags sets for parties.

Service: The staff is small so it can be tough to get a drink order in when the bar is crowded. Still, the bartenders performed admirably, darting between customers while handing out orders, taking cash and keeping the bar top clean.

Liquid consumption: You won't find any fancy cocktails or microbrews here. The bar dishes out shots, simply mixed or straight spirits and bottled domestic beer. Blue Moon and Leinenkugel Summer Shandy are served on draft. With a little lemon in a frosted glass, the beer serves as a great way to cool off on a hot night.

Food: The menu is limited to frozen pizza, egg rolls and chips with a sweet, heavily tomato-flavored salsa.

Crowd: The bar brings in locals in the 30 and up age range. The late hours mean Mark's gathers traffic from more daytime-focused spots. Boisterous groups congregate around the bar sharing rounds of shots. Dress is decidedly casual, dominated by T-shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Sounds: True to its name, Mark's House of Rock 'N' Roll is all about the music. Bands start up around 9:30 p.m., with co-owner Mark Fowkes's group Mass Dynamic playing '70s rock every Friday night, sometimes joined by young local bands. Other local groups take the stage Saturday, when there's a $5 cover. While classic rock covers are the focus, blues bands periodically perform on Saturdays too and every Wednesday is a blues jam. On Tuesdays you can catch Mass Dynamic rehearsing and stick around for an open mic. Sunday is karaoke. The stage is huge so it can host larger bands, which can either bring their own instruments or use the ones provided. The impressive sound system means things can get quite loud.

Parking: Mark's shares a parking lot with Kilcoyne's Redmoon Inn and it can get pretty full on a busy night.

Overall: A casual bar for locals to rock out.

Mark's House of Rock 'N' RollInfo: 322 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, (224) 676-0327, markshouseofrocknroll.comHours: 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. dailyFalse20001343Mark's House of Rock 'N' Roll sits along Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling.Bill Zars | Staff PhotographerFalse