Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Trini Montes' goals for his new bar can be summed up in his to-the-point motto: "The bar is stocked, and we're ready to rock."

Montes and his wife Amy plan to do just that at their recently purchased The Bengal lounge (4612 Quincy St., Metairie, 456-0986), which they hope to turn into a Metairie hotspot where booze and rock music abound.

The couple purchased the bar a little over three months ago and have worked tirelessly to make their dreams for the bar a reality. Things seem to be going according to plan so far. The Bengal lounge has attracted a slew of local acts such as Chee-Weez, the Topcats and the Molly Ringwalds and, as the motto says, the staff makes sure the bar is always stocked.

"When people come in and ask for a certain brand of liquor and we don't have it, we say, 'We don't have it, but we'll have it next time' -- and we do," he says.

The Bengal also has special nights during the week that always draw a crowd. Rows of motorcycles crowd The Bengal's facade Wednesdays for Bike Night, where bikers congregate and listen to the Topcats. Members of the Topcats and other bands that frequent the bar also return on Mondays to help out with The Bengal's Rock 'n' Roll Karaoke night. It's traditional karaoke with a live band, and Montes says the event "gets more and more popular every week."

"People can get up there and sing, play instruments, whatever their talent may be," he says.

Montes recently initiated a Ladies' Night on Thursdays to help make the bar the "kicking and hopping" spot he envisions it to be. Except for special events, the bar never charges a cover.

"If you wanna come in on the weekend and watch a band -- you can do it for free," he says.

With enough liquor and rock music to go around it looks like this business is on a roll. "As time goes by, it'll keep getting better and better," Montes says.