Trivia Vagabond: The Irish Emigrant (June 27)

A note, before we get started: As requested, next time we try a new pub, we'll let you know ahead of time so you can try to win our money.

Quiz: Three rounds. First round is A-Z trivia, second round is trivia bingo, and the third round varies. Last night it involved multiple choice questions worth a variety of points -- positive points for getting them right, negative points for getting them wrong.

A-Z trivia consists of 26 questions; each answer starts with a different letter of the alphabet (except for Q, Z, and sometimes other letters). Trivia bingo is 25 questions; you write answers on a sheet and on a bingo card. When correct answers are read out, you win $25 if you're the first to get 5 correct ones in a row.

Trust us: it all makes sense at the time.

Entry fee: $2 per person. Teams are capped at 6 players.

Scoring: Take your answer sheets up to the quiz host at the end of each round. He corrects them, then reads the current standings before starting the next round.

Prize pool: Last night, with 10 teams, first place won the pot, minus the $25 for trivia bingo. We've been there before when more teams were playing, and then there's a main pot and a secondary pot for teams who don't do so well in the early rounds.

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult, tending towards the latter. Round 2 last night was brutal. At first we though maybe we were just unedumacated, but it turned out no one scored a lot of points that round.

Where and when: Monday nights at 8:00 at the Irish Emigrant, 5260 University Way NE. (Note: there will be no quiz next week because of the July 4 holiday.)

The takeaway: We've always liked the quiz at the Irish Emigrant, and squeaking out a one-point victory last night did nothing to change that. It's an Irish pub with a real Irish quizmaster who keeps things moving -- the contest proper started at 8:10 or so and wrapped up at 9:40 (plenty of time to clear the stage for karaoke at 10). You're not going to get rich -- our team of 5 ended up grossing $9 each. We would've netted about $3 if we'd just stuck with cider and hadn't ordered dinner. (Cider: Magner's, in bottles.) But we don't play trivia to get rich -- we play for the cameraderie.

One disappointment: the Emigrant downsized their menu a few months ago. You're in luck if you like a) fish and chips or b) appetizers and entrees covered in melted cheese. Last night we had the shepherd's pie. It looked great and tasted OK, which puts it ahead of the game for pub food.

Overall: recommended!