Great Lakes Perfects the Art of Simplicity

As with all things, Park Slope has a side that only comes to life when the sun goes down. 

After dark, the neighborhood teems with electricity, generated solely by the multitudes hopping from restaurant, to bar, to the next bar, to late night eats and then, sometimes, back to another bar for a nightcap.

Indeed, the Slope does not want for quality eateries and watering holes; walk a block or two in any direction between Fifth and Eighth avenues, and you're sure to find something to tickle your fancy (whether that is fried mac 'n' cheese balls at the  or a bit of chocolate and wine at ).

Situated at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and First Street,  is an understated dive bar of the highest caliber. Marked only by an unassuming plywood and stencil-lettered sign and with curtains drawn tightly shut, it is almost impossible to see in the dead of night, that is, unless you know what you're looking for. Beyond the single, lonely door is a bar that offers little in the way of extra accommodations, but is all the better for it.

Great Lakes finest strength is, perhaps, its simplicity; you won't find the walls adorned with flat-screen televisions replaying the day's sports highlights, nor will you see a single pool table or dartboard for witling away those precious post-midnight hours.

There is no kitchen serving up Frito pies, and there are no board games for exercising that keen, if inebriated, intellect. What you see is essentially what you get; a long bar with plenty of seating, large tables for group gatherings, one table-top Pac Man cabinet, a single Buck Hunter Pro machine and a neon-tinged jukebox littered with classic punk, metal, 80s new wave and modern day indie records.

The bar offers little in the way of extras, but what they do, they do very well. Drinks fly out at a solid clip, with draft beer offerings that include Six Point's Sweet Action and Bengali Tiger IPA, Lionshead Pilsner and the ever-popular Brooklyn Lager, as well as a decent whiskey, bourbon and scotch selection.

The bartenders are both friendly and polite, even on the busiest nights. Ample seating ensures that groups of four or more can be seated comfortably, and because of this, Great Lakes is never lacking for lively conversation. On a typical Friday or Saturday night, you're as likely to overhear an engaged discussion about the Democratic Party's prospects in 2012 as you are to catch spoilers for last week's episode of Boardwalk Empire.

Sure, the place isn't perfect. Its décor is ostentatious, with multi-colored Christmas lights strung haphazardly from corner to corner and a rather confused-looking fish mounted on the wall, and its disastrously tiny bathrooms would make even the divey-est LES bars blush. This, however, is the price that is to be paid for a neighborhood bar where stories are often told shared amongst friends, and occasionally even made on premises.

Great Lakes serves as a reminder to all of Park Slope that a bar doesn't need a fancy gimmick to be good. It just needs to induce its patrons to sit, speak, share and laugh, accompanied by good drinks and good tunes.