Club Scout

Huey Lewis once said, "Sometimes 'bad' is bad." And I think he'd agree that saddling your bar with a name likely to net more Beavis-like snickers than business is one of those bad times. While there may have been other factors involved in the recent closing of Surges, I'll bet the club's original identity as Balls can share some of the blame. The streetside marquee in front of the space at 11475 West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood now reads "You win...We're Closed." Whether the message is intended for local residents -- for not providing better support, perhaps? -- or Colorado's Department of Revenue, which seized the space for non-payment of taxes, is unclear.

Fortunately, west suburbanites have other options for filling their booze and band needs, and with its new ownership, the Cherry Bomb Lounge has been elevated to one of the more attractive choices. The club -- whose official address is 11595 West Sixth Avenue in Lakewood -- occupies a corner of a building that was previously a Travelodge and is now known as Mile High Inn and Suites. Getting into the lot can be a little tricky, given its awkward positioning just off Simms, but loop through the driveway of the next-door Dent Clinic and you'll be sufficiently rewarded.

With cheery red trim and a pretty patio area, the revitalized Cherry looks ripe for the picking. Interior accoutrements seem nearly new and impressively clean, with the back room's three pool tables almost too spiffy to play on. The hardwood dance floor in the center of the space has been buffed to a shine, and the surrounding tables and chairs -- with your choice of low or high setting -- appear equally polished, if not plucked from a showroom. And it's much easier to see the scrumptious happy-hour spread, as well as a toppings setup that's a nacho lover's dream, now that the Cherry's been lightened up and its old gloom banished. Throw in a squad of staff dancers, DJ nights and more on the rotating entertainment schedule, and this club's reincarnation is far from a Bomb. In fact, the place looks like a blast.