When I hear the words "opening party", I think of new faces, new places, new experiences.

At Mike's Places Ramat Hayal last Thursday evening, I got each and every one of those things. I figured I would find myself in the same Mike's Place I found on Hayarkon Ave. on the beach in Tel Aviv; and for the most part, that is exactly what I saw. But after the 25 minute car ride, and with the excitement clearly written on my face I moved past the entrance of the surprisingly endearing piazza that the bar is located in, and found that all I could have wanted in an "opening party" was waiting for me right there.

The beer tasted as good as beer can taste, the service was on par, and the bar was fully stocked with liquor, wine, and American beer galore. Food Prices were normally priced, maybe even on the cheaper side then what I am used to paying.

The staff even has to speak English (what a treat!), even though they do know Hebrew as well.

And while I made my way to the bar so that I could get all the enticing types of experiences I felt Mike's Place had to offer me, I couldn’t help but feel this was not the ordinary Mike’s Place on Hayarkon. Mike’s Place is where to be for American football games, American food, American alcohol and almost anything else American you could want from a venue.

Mike’s Place is usually filled with young American tourists, I was blown away when I saw what must have been a 70 year old man smoking a pipe sitting seats away. Although he belligerently restricted himself to a stool at the entrance to the bar, he encompassed what I felt was the true message that Mike's Place tries to send to its customers and Israel as a whole. It is in fact America in a bar, or as close as Israel comes to it. American decor, American drinks, American staff, American crowd. And while he was yapping away about some war he'd fought in ( I think it was Vietnam, but who knows), I did see some girls I thought looked my age and looked to be good company. However the main groups in attendance were a middle-aged crowd, allowing for a more matured atmosphere.

Bottom Line: Mikes place is a full-out American style bar with a great vibe and some killer live music. If you happen to be over 30 years old, and have some eccentric quirk about you or you simply want a bar filled with an older crowd, then Mikes Place Ramat Hayal is the place to be.