Drunken Jukebox 7

Behold the Drunken Jukebox: Music to Motivate Your Liver. A little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll, punk, rap, hip hop and pop crap, old or new– all musical genres and periods are open for exploitation. Quarters and crisp dollar bills not required.


Fine. Inspired by a recent visit to the Shamrock Lounge and LVL’s reminder of KISS bar stools I present this vintage favorite.

Well it was their best album...

Now imagine about twenty of these sumbitches. For some reason The Shamrock Lounge was replete with them. Awesome barstools.

SANDWICH ACCOMPLISHED

It only took about 3 months but we did it - we had the best goddamned Reuben sandwich in Gatlinburg. (As far as we know because I don’t think any of us have any comparisons to go on.) Nevertheless it was a fantastic sandwich that thankfully didn’t disappoint. I don’t know how the rest of the weekend would have gone otherwise. Guns, knives and fisticuffs were possibilities.

It all started during our December trip to Gatlinburg when we saw it pictured in the window of the Hofbrauhaus Cheese Shop in the Village section of town. The timing just wasn’t right but we all agreed that we’d have to have it at some point. The anticipation started immediately. Glib days of jokes grew into weeks of derisive comments and accusations. A daytrip wouldn’t be good enough for this sandwich, so hotel rooms were booked, dates set and we waited even more. Finally one Saturday morning the time had come to accomplish this mission.

We made the drive up in separate vehicles to our hotel with separate rooms and began the day by sipping whiskey in the hotel parking lot, which was nice. We trekked through “Battle LA” to the strip and found our way to the Village. Good, the place hadn’t burned down without us knowing so we ventured inside and up the narrow stairwell to the dining area. We were the only guests. The kind lady took our order: 5 Reuben sandwiches and various beers. Only a few minutes to go until…

Nama Report

These photos are from a couple of weeks ago and I have been delayed from posting them until now due to work overload. Briefly stated: this was awesome sushi. This chef roll creation is my new favorite, even surpassing the "soy joy" we all love so damn much. The new Nama location is worth checking out and wasn't as bad as some rumors I have heard. I sat in the bar area facing the dining room and had excellent service on a mildly busy weeknight. Unsure of what I wanted to order, the bartender suggested the chef roll which basically allows you to pick your favorite ingredients and have the chefs prepare something. My selection included yellow tail, salmon, tuna and no cucumber. It was that simple and it turned out delicious. There were some spouts, avocado and sauce that tied it all together. I drank a couple of Sweetwater IPAs, scarfed down my food and was out the door in about 30 minutes. Awesome.

I has a sad

If you haven't heard by now that Old College Inn will be moving closer to the center of Cumberland Avenue, then please consider reading other blogs. Thanks.

We don't offer a lot of negative comments here regarding old favorites, particularly on The Strip since it is a markedly different place than when I fell in love with it. If I might become the proverbial old fart, I remember when the old location was revered and honored. The new home of OCI was an old house with brush all around it. Creepy at first, but you got used to it.

I'm not sure I can get used to the idea of OCI moving to the old Chilis. I understand the rationale of the owner, particularly regarding kitchen space. However, it's a risk in my layman's opinion to 'move' a household name. Fellow alums that visit Mackey and me all request -at length- to make OCI part of the visit, and it's a bar that I still frequented when I got down to Cumberland. It's a tie for many of us former students to The Strip's heyday...which we all understand now was insanely out of control. Way too sentimental I grant you. I hope they know what they are doing.

Good luck guys.

Interlude

Those were drinking days, and most men drank hard.

-A Tale of Two Cities

Boy that was some shit Monday huh? If the actual shock of sitting through that solid mass of water wasn't a kick enough for the balls, the cringing at seeing so many up to their asses in that nasty mess certainly will. Once again, Mother Nature brings the heat and I'll be damned if she doesn't have one more ace up her sleeve. Of course, we recommend copious boozing to erase the taste of this event, and while you are at it lend a hand to those with damaged homes and vehicles.

So before I tell you why it's time to get back to drinking, let me first preface by saying that the good people here with the Second Harvest Food Bank got walloped and lost a good bit of supplies. Worse, there is damage to their hardware which complicates the already tenuous collection effort. I am told there is an ad hoc and improvised effort from our friends at Downtown Grill and Brewery to organize aid for Second Harvest, so if you are a local business that can help there is a good place to start. In addition, one can always donate directly at the effort's website:

http://www.secondharvestknox.com/ as well learn more about what they are facing after the waters receded.

Okay, now for some motivation. Today is Beer Day in Iceland, where Reykjavik recognized the complete folly of 75 years of prohibition and allowed beer (as we know it) to resume its rightful place in 1989. Hoist one if you need a reason to drink on a Tuesday(we do not).

Also on March 1st(or 2nd in some climes) is the commemoration of the Feast of Vesta, the ancient ritual where the hearth fire was stoked.

Not exactly the Bacchanal but it's a start and a reason to shake off the Whiskey Season and look to the future. So in that spirit, lets get ready for proper Spring drinking-St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, as well as a needed get-the-fuck-out-of-town happy fun times.