Nama - Coming Soon!

Hey drunkards, I've got an unofficial opening date for Nama's new location on Gay St. next to Regal Riviera Stadium 8. Someone inside told me they were aiming for a very ambitious target date of Friday, 2/18/11. That's about 2.5 weeks away, though my source didn't seem confident that it could happen. Who knows? New restaurants, even existing ones who are expanding or relocating, often have hiccups the first few weeks for the usual variety of reasons: new staff, new equipment, new menu items - just about anything can go wrong. Hell, I say go ahead and do it. Jump right in and test the waters with everything. Sake it to us, baby!

Sidestreet Tavern Gone Too?

Noooooooo. Say it ain’t so. This weekend I heard a rumor that yet another local bar had to close their doors. Just a couple of weeks after the bigger stories of Regas and S & W Grand ceasing operations (not to mention Arby’s) it appears Sidestreet Tavern is among the list of restaurant/bar casualties. I haven’t called or done any real investigating of course, though I did drive by late Saturday afternoon and no one was there, so that’s almost like research. If it turns out to be true I am going to miss them. It was my 2nd favorite smoky bar in town behind Preservation Pub, making it a favorite place to go with friends who smoke. They also had a decent menu, friendly staff, good happy hour and specials, and weren’t too far from home. Admittedly I did not frequent any of the three aforementioned bars/restaurants enough to be considered a regular, so I’m not going to cry tears in my beer over their loss, though I will miss Sidestreet most. At least they were WYSIWYG vs. PC BS.

If anyone out there has some information about Sidestreet Tavern to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Sidestreet Tavern Knoxville

(Image from Knoxville520, via Google)

Rumor Mill

For weeks I’ve been meaning to generate some idle talk about an Old City grocery that will be opening soon. Distractions aside, the latest update I’ve heard is that things are progressing, though I’ve driven by several times and have yet to see any changes inside or out. The space is somewhere between the costume shop and Hannah’s on Central. Despite not knowing the actual address I have been inside the building with one of the co-owners and it is ideal for the concept he is going for. It’s not going to be any kind of chain or franchise establishment but more of a quaint, neighborhood style mini-grocery that carries staple items and hopefully beer. It will also have a deli menu, a couple of tables and bicycle delivery for limited areas. Of course all of this is subject to change. Keep your eyes open in 2010 for this little gem that just may fill a void that has been dogging downtown for a long time. Good luck!