Week Eight of the NFL season brings us to the Starlite Room, 3300 First Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids for a game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints. With the highflying Saints offense, this game should be very entertaining.

The Starlite Room is a Cedar Rapids landmark, so if you haven’t experienced this place yet, you need to give it a shot. The Starlite is like your grandparent’s basement, a place which hasn’t been updated in the past 40 years and yet is oddly comfortable. Vinyl chairs and wood paneling make up the bulk of the dated décor, but high tech enters the fray with fantastically large HDTVs. Eleven televisions dot the bar, with a few 55-inchers hanging on the wall showing the game in full HD glory.

Since the Starlite is primarily a restaurant, you will find a ring of booths along the outside of the dining area, along with several large tables in the middle, so any size group can be easily accommodated. TVs surround the dining area, so there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The staff was also more than happy to increase the volume so we could hear the play by play. Starlite offers a pool table, some video games and even a pinball machine to play if the game gets boring.

The Starlite’s claim to fame, as it’s written on their sign, is that they are “Home to the ½ lb Super Burger”. If you haven’t had one of these yet, you need to. It’s exactly how you want a cheeseburger to be: cheesy, juicy, greasy and delicious. If burgers aren’t your thing, you still have other options, since they offer a slew of sandwiches, some entree items and standard bar appetizers like cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers and onion rings. All their sandwiches are a la carte, so go ahead and get something else beside fries with your sandwich.

The beer options are standard with domestic options on tap and a variety of bottles and tall boys. Starlite is running a Monday Night Football special of $2.85 tall boys during the game. It’s not much of a deal, but I’ll still take it.

The Starlite Room is a sleeper pick on the Monday Night bar tour. The large TVs, good food and the large seating areas make this a great spot to catch the game, despite the dated décor. Don’t change, Starlite, I like you just as you are.

— DEREK