This time last year, the area surrounding the corner of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue was alarming in its increasing vacancy. Victims of the economy included Heavenly Soles, Vera's Café, and jP American Bistro. Thankfully, things seem to be picking up. One recent addition is Sauce Spirits and Soundbar, a pleasantly posh bar with a low-key neighborhood feel. Located in the old La Bodega (a.k.a. Leola) space, Sauce provides pizza, pasta, and breakfast items, specialty cocktails and beer, and live music. Think of it like the Triple Rock of Uptown only with more of a hipster clientele, and less punk rock. Happy hours are daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and nightly Sunday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to midnight. It will get you $3 tap beers, wells, and house wine, plus half off appetizers. Looking for pizza? Sauce offers $2.50 slices after 10 p.m., and at any hour for that same price you can drink the official too-cool hipster drink of the moment: tallboy PBR. Yep, Sauce definitely is an Uptown bar. (Photo by IntangibleArts)
