SUNY-Binghamton students have been raised in a world of monotonous drinking, where nearly everything they know draws them back to one familiar watering hole — State Street. However, outside the feeble boundaries of the proverbial “horse” of this one horse town, there lies a glorious kingdom of drinkeries, the likes of which most students can nary imagine. Thus Release has set out on a veritable drinking safari to explore the wonders of Binghamton consumption, and each week we’ll report on our discoveries.

You see, Simba, if everywhere the light touches is filled with good drinking, then State Street is the elephant graveyard.

Our inaugural venture into the brush brought us to a classic Binghamton landmark known as South Side Yanni’s. When taking the trip up Vestal Avenue, one can’t help but notice Yanni’s jolly mustachioed face peering out above the front entrance, inviting patrons to join in his revelry.

Upon opening the front door, patrons are immediately greeted by the emotionless face of a many-pointed buck affixed to the opposite wall. A look around yields a marlin, similarly adorning the wall, as well as authentic New York Yankees and Giants memorabilia. Make no mistake about it, any bar can attempt to look authentic by throwing sporting items willy-nilly, but it’s the courageous bars that risk alienating customers by actually showing their true colors.

Yanni’s prices are moderate, the $2.50 Miller Light bottles are cheaper than what can generally be found on State Street and the bar is stacked with a fine selection of liquors, capped off by the largest bottle of Knob Creek bourbon that the world has ever seen. While their lack of a general drink menu is a tad disconcerting, they do feature a generous wine list. Wine is sold by both glass (typically $6.95) and bottle; the most expensive feature they offer is a $22 bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.

Aside from the bar, Yanni’s has a dining area with a dozen or so tables. Their menu offers daily meal specials for $4.95, and one of the best chicken gyros in town, also $4.95.

Having drunk and eaten to our hearts’ content, we peered out of Yanni’s upon the vast oasis of Binghamton drinking that still lay before us. South Side Yanni’s may be an old mainstay that we knew would provide us with quality, but it was merely a gateway to what may someday be called the greatest Binghamton-area drinking exploration in over a decade.