RATING: 4/5

Girls in Daisy Dukes, a mechanical bull and a menu item called the “Jackie Chan” have all arrived in town.

Daisy’s Sports Bar & Grill, 901 Lucinda Ave., opened its doors last week after five years of planning.

Priding itself for its “eatery, drinkery and scenery,” Daisy’s operates under a modernized country theme. Sure, there are cowboy hats and picnic table seating, but there are giant HD TV’s playing “Sportscenter” and because it’s owned by 20-somethings, has a hip feeling, in the zeitgeist sense.

This is evident by just looking at the extensive menu offered. There are burgers named the “Kardashian” and “Ba-Donka-Donk,” a lemon chicken dish called the “Glen Quagmire” and a Philly wrap called the “Will Smith.” Where else in DeKalb can you get that? Where else anywhere can you get that?

The humor is tongue-in-cheek, but the food speaks for itself — the chef is a veteran. It’s mostly American-style food, though, with a lot of meat-centered dishes, so vegetarians may be put off. The prices are reasonable for college kids with a lot of items coming in at $7.50. Drinks are also priced nicely with cans of import and domestic beer always being $2, and mixed drinks and shots at $3.

One of the biggest reasons to stop in is obviously the mechanical bull. Named “Fu Manchu,” it may seem like a gimmick at first, but again, when’s the last time you’ve seen a mechanical bull around here? Or ever? With upcoming “weekly rodeo contests,” it’s sure to be a draw to students and town folk alike.

And yes, the servers are girls in Daisy Dukes.

The strength of Daisy’s lies with its location and niche-filling. It’s a country bar in a rural area; how wouldn’t that attract people? And a place like this in that area is something rarely seen. It’s fresh. It’s different. It can be a place to go to between classes for lunch during the day or a place to hang out at night. Being central on campus doesn’t hurt either, as some undergrads have never ventured downtown or on Rt. 23.

Daisy’s is not like anything else in DeKalb. It’s kind of novel, but it works. It’s not a bar to get wasted in, it’s not a restaurant to politely sit and eat in. It’s able to find balance effectively.

Daisy’s is open Mondays through Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Thursdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.