Trivia night fun at LI bars and restaurants

Can you name all four members of the Monkees? Do you know what species of North American canine is known as the prairie wolf? Exercise your brain at one of Long Island's trivia nights, where people test their knowledge over food and drinks.

"It can be a fun family outing or cool date night because it's very social," says Angela Careccia, whose company, Let's Get Quizzical, runs trivia events at four Suffolk County spots each week. "It's a nice, clean-cut activity that's not expensive and you are home early."

There's no board or dice needed -- and you don't have to worry about the size of your team.

PLAYING WITH WORDS

On Tuesday nights at the Village Idiot Pub in Patchogue, Team Trivia host Michelle Foronjy lures people away from the flatscreens and the Buffalo wings to engage in her trivia game, which is free to play.

Foronjy runs six rounds of three questions. Clues can sometimes be found in the music she plays, and a free answer is posted on the Team Trivia Facebook page the day before an event. Winners walk away with gift certificates to the pub.

Questions range from "Which one of Snow White's dwarfs has a one-syllable name?" (Answer: Doc) to "Napoleon Bonaparte spent the last six years of his life imprisoned on what British Island?" (Answer: Saint Helena).

NO TECH ALLOWED

Don't even think of taking out your cellphone to look up an answer. The only tool you are allowed to use is your noggin. "If I see you with a cellphone, you're out. There are not even three strikes," Foronjy says.

SEE PHOTOSTrivia nights on Long Island

Colleen McKennett of Hampton Bays comes down to the Village Idiot every Tuesday with her friends. Together they compose team Trivia Newton-John and have several wins under their belt.

"We all loved doing this in college and we wanted to continue the tradition," says McKennett, 24. "It's something fun to do that's smart. Besides, what else are you going to do on a Tuesday?"

CASH = COMPETITION

Hard-core trivia fans head over to C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson, where Tuesdays are quite different in terms of intensity. Regular teams get serious because here they are playing for cash.

"People get very competitive," says Careccia. "No one is getting mad, but there's definitely some trash talking."

Each player puts $5 into the pot to play the game, which is structured in four rounds of 10 questions -- all freshly crafted by Careccia each week. She's known to get specific.

"On the TV series 'Murphy Brown,' what was the name of the news program she worked for?" (Answer: "FYI.") Or: "What band released the album 'Parklife' in 1994?" (Answer: Blur.)

Careccia's themed bonus questions at the end of each round can boost your total and make up for some misses along the way.

On this particular night, the competition is extra-heated, as there's a tie for first place between teams Scott Free and This Is America. Each has 34 points, therefore a tiebreaker must be held.

Scott Free's Andy Kirsch, 46, of Port Jefferson Station goes head to head with This Is America's Jason Perry, 24, of Miller Place, each grasping a scrap of paper and a pencil.

Careccia announces the question: "What's the capital of Vietnam?" and they both go blank. An alternate question is offered: "What's the capital of Cuba?" Kirsch quickly scribbles "Havana" and hands it in for the win.

"That was nerve-racking," says Kirsch, exhaling. "But I can't take credit for the victory. It was an overall group effort."

When asked what they'll do with their $123 winnings, he says, "We'll use it to fund our trivia hobby, of course!"

WHERE TO PLAY

Two companies make a business of hosting weekly trivia nights at several bars and restaurants around Long Island. Here's where and when to find them:

LET'S GET QUIZZICAL, facebook.com/LetsGetQuizzicalTrivia; $5 a player

-- Sage Café in Blue Point, Mondays at 8 p.m.

-- Twisted Tavern in Bohemia, Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.

-- C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson, Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.

-- The Portly Villager in Sayville, Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.

TEAM TRIVIA, facebook.com/TeamTriviaLongIsland; Free

-- The Post Office Cafe in West Babylon, Mondays at 7 p.m.

-- The Main Event in Farmingdale, Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

-- The Fifth Season in Port Jefferson, Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

-- Napper Tandy's in Miller Place, Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.

-- Eleanor Rigby's in Mineola, Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

-- Finley's of Greene Street in Huntington, Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

-- Lion's Den in West Islip, Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

-- Hurricane Grill and Wings in Lindenhurst, Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.

-- Park Lounge in Kings Park, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.

-- Long Island Pour House in Port Jefferson, Thursdays at 9 p.m.

-- The Greene Turtle in Franklin Square, Fridays at 10 p.m.

-- TGI Fridays in Massapequa Park, Sundays at 7 p.m.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.