Soccer Taco Market Square Expanding



(via Market Square District Association)


Soccer Taco will soon open a chic and contemporary bar in the basement of its Market Square location.

"La Cueva del Chango" (translation: the monkey cave) will combine a lively urban atmosphere with a creative menu and cocktail list. Featuring antojitos - Mexican small plates - ceviches and tacos, plus unique margaritas and an extensive selection of tequilas, La Cueva del Chango is sure to become Knoxville's next greatest Hot Spot.

Not to worry, your Soccer Taco classics are still available upstairs! Sip on a famous margarita and dig into your favorite burrito or chimichanga while watching Big Orange Football on one of 13 flat-screen satellite televisions. Or simply relax on the outdoor patio with a bowl of fresh guacamole and a beer. It's no coincidence that Soccer Taco has won awards from three separate media outlets in Knoxville and East Tennessee (including the Metro Pulse Best of Knoxville) for Best Mexican Restaurant and Best Margarita. Take advantage of "The Best" with fabulous Happy Hour Specials Monday - Thursday from 12 until 7pm including $3 Margaritas on the Rocks and $3.50 Frozen Margaritas. Happy Hour Draught and Bottled Beer Specials, too!

Open until 1am Fridays & Saturdays
9 Market Square, Suite 101

Weekend (Drinking) Options

Pork Knox Q Fest – Has anyone heard about this BBQ competition at World’s Fair Park this weekend? (Note - this is the worst event name I've ever heard, just saying) I just saw them setting up yesterday and was immediately interested. Their website has all the details of this first-time event, although I thought we’ve had a couple of other Knoxville BBQ competitions over the years. I guess this is first one sponsored by the Disability Resource Center so that explains it. I’m sure it’s supporting a good cause so good luck to them and hopefully it will grow into a popular event.

The thing I’ve noticed about most BBQ contests is that you don’t usually have the opportunity to taste competition BBQ unless you’re on a team. Visitors are left to purchase food items from “outside” vendors who may or may not have high quality products, so it’s kind of a crap shoot. I understand that the teams cannot provide enough food for every guest but it has always been sad to know there is much better food available only a few feet away but it’s off limits. Oh well, my 2 cents. And most importantly I looked at the fair site and the website and did NOT see beer vendors set up so I hope that changes soon. You’ve got to have cold beer with some ‘que – no one denies this!

Rossini Festival – Ah yes, drinking in the streets. Rain or shine this will be the highlight of my weekend. We’ve talked about this event for years and we think it is one of the best outdoor events in Knoxville. Always fun and subject to bizarre behavior, you can always count on something noteworthy happening. Like the year I was kicked out of KRTI’s apartment for “touching his baseball glove”, or catching a glimpse of young, male adults having a caricature drawn of themselves, or drunken hookups/breakups, or being incoherently drunk by 5 PM but staying out ‘til 11 PM with 6+ hours of stories that you have to piece together via secondhand drunken accounts and pocket forensics. Plus the street vendors will have tasty Italian sausages. Ooof, I see a Sunday hangover in my future.

Latitude 35 Grand Opening – Word is that they will open Friday, 4/23. Despite the rainy weather this is a great opening weekend for them with lots of activity downtown to draw a crowd to the newest bar & restaurant on Market Square. I’m sure it will be mayhem while they get their act together during the grand opening but we’ll have plenty of opportunities to sample and review their place soon enough so expect updates within the next few weeks.

Enjoy the weekend folks, cheers!

Sneak Peek - Latitude 35

About 1 week to go before Market Square welcomes its newest bar, Latitude 35. We're ready. This place is going to be NICE! Here are some random pictures that may give an idea of what to expect but honestly they do not do the place justice. Everything in the building is brand new with the exception of the old downstairs bar that they've refurbished. If you look closely at the menu pics you can see the prices are reasonable and the dinner menu (not pictured) is also affordable. In no particular order:

Big table at entrance:

New beer lines:

Downstairs near the old bar area:

Downstairs bench seating:

Downstairs:

Brand new kitchen:

Breakfast menu:

Late nite menu:

Old downstairs bar:

Tables & chairs:

Up bar:

Up bar black granite:

After hours beer:

Up bar taps, tv:

Upstairs bath (the ladies room downstairs is nicer!):

One of the VIP areas:

Class

Let's face it, who among us has it? To be fair, I know that the few of you that read us- are among the truly hip and 'with it' clique. The rest of us fall into the 'full of shit' clique. The line is quite thin.

Anyway. Approximately ten days to the opening of Latitude 35 in Market Square. We've blogged on it before, made mention of our friends in the know, and paid early visits. By Jupiter's Cock it should work. Apart from the main area, we are told by management that party rooms and banquet-style areas seating 50-150 are available for the right coin.

Dress is emphasized. I don't say it often, but let's get out the good clothes you damn mendicants.

Mr. Owl Isn't Impressed, But He Still Appreciates Your Graffiti Efforts

Oooooooohhhh:

Mr. Fish

What did he say?!!!

Aisle 9 and Latitude 35

Sounds like a Shuggie Otis song but I’m referring to two new locations opening downtown, hopefully soon. First up, Aisle 9, or maybe Nine as the sign reads:

I first learned of this place a few months ago when a mutual friend of the co-owner was in town and we took a brief tour of the building. I haven’t really heard anything else about it until I noticed some workers there a couple of weeks ago while cruising through the Old City. Now the windows are covered up and the beer application was posted on the door indicating they are making progress. No idea when they will be open for business but I’m looking forward it.

Also making progress and inching closer to opening their doors is Latitude 35. I was actually inside the building with one of the co-owners recently and they’ve done a ton of work since the last time I was there, but it still looked weeks away from being finished and it doesn’t appear they will make it in time for St. Patrick’s Day as he had mentioned as a target date. But the good news is that they aren’t cutting corners just to rush an opening, the building is basically being redone from top to bottom and I think they’re adding a top deck featuring a patio and bar area, so we’ll see when it all comes together. An advertisement in the March issue of Blank reads: “breakfast, lunch, dinner entertainment venue coming soon to Market Square”. And there will be multiple fully stocked bars with all your favorite beer, booze and wine so don’t worry about that.

Drinking for Vengeance Preview

Ah yes, this is more like it...the mini-season DfV set squarely between Drinksgiving and Whiskey Season. Consumption at a brisk and unrelenting pace, wielding the heavy hand at local bars, and resulting in a great deal of pain the next morning.

A big word of thanks to Preservation Pub, Back Room BBQ, and Urban Bar. You saved our asses on Thanksgiving proper simply by opening your doors. My sour ass found refuge in your Lowenbraus, Newcastles, and Yuenglings. Mackey and the Royalty put on a clinic in Jager and Jamesons.

Most places close down so that their weary employees can enjoy the holiday with family and loved ones. These few joints buck the establishment and provide a necessary outlet for those of us that desperately need a ennui-killing mini pub crawl. Thanks folks, you came through in a pinch. So with that, let DfV begin...

Rainy Day Catchup

Sometime back in June I posted an entry about Market Sq. and Sundown in the City. Due to some technical issues I wasn't able to include the artwork mentioned at the time. Today's rainy weather has me uninspired, so I thought now would be a good time to remedy that situation and mark it off the list.

Pay up suckers!

Crappy, macro-brew available to all...

Knoxville's only(?) street performer. This guy couldn't make it in NOLA after Katrina, give him some change...
The Scream, Edvard Munch would be proud. Notice the couple above right can't get their minds on the same idea...

Hmmmm....

Uhhhhhhh....



"I was hurt by that remark"


?????


"Dammit!! DO NOT piss on our door anymore"

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