It was a friend's birthday last night; she's a native Texan in the middle of a one-year internship here but had already been to most of my usual birthday bar fallbacks, so we ventured a little farther north into Bethlehem than usual and found Machs Gute, a friendly establishment on Linden Street.

The Gute has recently been renovated, and it still shows as the overall clean look of the place gives it a definite edge over the other bars in the area but still off of Main Street. We got there around 11 last night and it was pretty busy, but there was room to breathe; a table was secured after only 5 minutes of waiting. After sitting and observing for a bit, I realized why this place could stay as clean-looking as it is; we're too far from the colleges. Everyone at Machs Gute last night was my age (26), a little older or a little younger, but if there was a college kid there I couldn't tell. It's a townie bar without the rundown feel; a place serious about catering to the Valley's young professionals without making them dress like they're back at work.

My friend enjoyed her birthday... a lot... as she was soon unaware of whether she was in Texas or not. The outstanding service at the Gute did her in, as anyone who ventured from the table to buy her a drink was back within two minutes tops despite a very busy bar. The prices are pretty much normal, with mixed drinks at around $3.75 and beers between the $2-$4 range. Be aware that you won't be barhopping in that area, though, as there aren't any other bars on that particular block of Linden and Main Street is too far away to walk. It's a small setback, as the laid-back atmosphere and clean presence will likely keep you at Mach's Gute until last call anyway.

-Ryan