Last Minute New Year's Eve

If you’re anything like the rest of us around here you already know what doing on New Year’s Eve: Drinking. That doesn’t mean you know Where you’re drinking, just that you’ll be drinking somewhere. There are many ways to drink away the last night of the year, and below is a variety of last minute ideas to get you into 2010. (Sorry north, south and east Knoxville) Who knows, maybe we can all get together for that drink we’ve been talking about? Uh, no, I’ll be staying home watching the Vols and drinking bourbon. Feel free to comment on your plans or other options. Thanks to everyone for stopping by to check us out throughout the year. Here’s to more fun in 2010, cheers!

Downtown/Market Sq.
Club Le Conte – Society Only
Downtown Grill & Brewery – The rest of us
Le Parigo - Wonder if the duck was shipped in from Alsace?
Preservation Pub – Tiki party
Valarium & Cider House – VooDoo NY10 with downtown Hilton hotel package

The Old City
Barley’s Taproom – The usual, live music and good beer selection
Patrick Sullivan’s – Live music and the bar is open
The Crown & Goose – The Old City’s fanciest gastropub!
The Melting Pot – Someone tell Tony there’s a reservation on line 2.

The Strip
BAR Knoxville – Er, maybe not?
Tin Roof – UT Basketball, UT Football. Let’s face it, there’s no way you’re sober at midnight.
Level 10 – Short West

West Knoxville
Baker Peters Jazz Club – Damn that chicken entrée sounds delicious
Northshore Brasserie – Everything looks delicious
Paul’s Oasis – WTF
Ray’s ESG – Scarlett O’Harlot, where are you?

Cold Monday Hangover

Brrrrr – I knew the weather was turning cold but that was pretty damn fast! I scraped the first of many frosted windshields this morning, so that was good to get out of the way. Er, whatever. Let’s officially say whiskey season is here. Friday night I ventured to Barley’s in the Old City to catch the Richard Lloyd concert I read about in Metro Pulse and heard on WUTK 90.3 that afternoon. I’m glad I decided to go because not only was it a great performance but I ran into a couple of friends I haven’t seen in a while and had a good time catching up with them. A few beers and couple of Maker’s Mark whiskeys helped things along nicely. On a side note, not that I recommend the practice, I happened to notice a lady doing the old “pour your own airplane drinks in cola” routine that amused me for some reason. Hey, times are tough out there.

Friday’s whiskey consumption was nothing compared to that on Saturday at OCI on the strip. I met the group for an “entertaining” affair of food, drink and belated birthday celebration that wound up as it usually does – drunken, obnoxious public behavior. Very surprisingly we toned down the profanity and f-bombs when some families with minors showed up, but not completely of course. I don’t blame the $3 big gulps of beer as much as I do the countless shots of Jameson’s, Maker’s and other various shots. Plus no group outing would be complete without pointless arguing, drama and dangerous face plants (not me this time!). I hope everyone has recovered adequately enough to return to work this week.

Sunday was a day of recovery as it often is. Football and couches go together so well. I managed to keep my beer intake under 5-6 pints and ended a very tranquil day with a fine pork sandwich with slaw from Dead End BBQ (updated website). This is the first time I’ve had their sandwich and the slaw contains bleu cheese that sends the taste off the charts, at least IMHO. It was exquisite!


Oh, did you think I’d forget to add these?

Yeah, it's droat season.