Chris in the Evening

John Corbett live at Tin Roof! Tickets are only $10 and are available online. You've seen him on Sex and the City, Northern Exposure, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and now catch him live in an intimate show at the Roof performing songs off his billboard charting self-titled debut album and his new release, Leaving Nothin' Behind.  Show begins at 8 PM. More details here.

Tin Roof, Redbull Play and Destroy

Play and Destroy is a collegiate student vs. student music battle where all you need is an iPod, creativity, and a solid song list. Competitors are given categories ex. best make out song, stripper anthems, singing in the shower, etc.


RULES:

-Build a playlist with your best song for each category and battle your opponent for the grand prize.
-You'll get to play each song for 30 seconds, so cue it up to the good part.
-Winners are judged by crowd response, ties are decided by playing an additional song.
-You must create a DJ Name for yourself in order to compete.
-You can't use the same song twice.

Play and Destroy will take place November 27th at Tin Roof Knoxville on the Strip
Event begins at 10:30 pm - 21+
For more information and to register to compete visit - www.RedBullPlayAndDestroy.com

Gnome Improvements

Looks like the Roaming Gnome Pub on Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville is undergoing some outdoor renovations (not Stefano's). I noticed some workers on their patio the other day and figured they were sprucing up the place in preparation of football season. Fairly obvious but I was going to contact them via their website to ask for details only to discover that it has lapsed and is now Blackjack En Ligne. After a search it appears they are going the Twitter/facebook route. Fine.

So if you want to know what's new you're going to have to visit in person and see what the hell is going on. Or just drink at home and play online Blackjack.

No, don't do that.

Blackjack En Ligne

Ooga Mooga Tiki Bar

Well shit, here we go again with the old Hawkeye's building. Will no one ever learn? Niceley's had the best shot of anyone in years making something work there and he barely lasted a year. What were some of the other failed concepts over the past 5 years? A hotdog joint. A gay bar. And there was some kind of Caribbean place that never opened. Oh - it must be noted that those 3 failed bars all tried to move in at the end of Spring semester while students were leaving town fast as possible.

The marquee should read: NOT A DAMN CHANCE just to save us all the trouble.

P.S. I will not see you there opening night, whenever that may be...

NOT A DAMN CHANCE WE'LL SUCCEED

Niceley's Tavern

It's been a few weeks since I found the blog entry about Niceley's Tavern and the infamous burger service, or lack of service, but our cadre of drunkards went for a taste of our own and conducted hands on research. Hands on a lot of Woodruff IPA and burgers - ho ho!

The night went pretty well, much better than the service described by the aforementioned blogger. We went fairly early on a Friday night and there was a good gathering of folks - not crowded but far from empty. Old habits die hard so we went upstairs and had the place to ourselves for a while before the dinner crowd spilled in. Six patrons, five burgers (three half-pounders) and lots of beer were not a problem for our attentive waitress. The place is still a work in progress for sure, but the food and drinks were our main objectives and we didn't leave disappointed. IPA has its own way of making things special, but the burgers held their own and there wasn't a complaint among us, which is not easy with our drunk asses.

The oblong, football shaped bun was unique but sturdy to the task of big, juicy patties and cheesy goodness. The flavor of the meat was delicious and paired well with my toppings of onions and mushrooms. And the hand cut fries were also K.A. I'll admit the menu is very limited but honestly I appreciate a place sticking to doing what it knows best and not cluttering up the menu with a bunch of prepackaged crap.

Niceley's Tavern is now on my rotation of campus bars when I want a good burger and beer. The IPA makes this an easier choice. Niceley done...

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.

Busted Flat in Knoxville

OK, we're back for another year of this mess. Things have been pretty quite for the past month as we've drank our way through the holidays. Now that we're through the bulk of them (sorry Presidents/MLK) the drudgery of work and winter return to the forefront. Shit, not cool. Though I am thankful to be employed since it helps with booze vouchers.

Here are a couple of notes tying up some loose ends from 2010 and looking ahead to a drunken, great year in 2011.

I have put myself through the wringer this bowl season, undertaking one of the greatest self-imposed challenges ever - watching every damn one of the 35 bowl games. It started back on 12/18 innocently enough when I had very little to do and watched the first 3 games. I was fired up (and impaired) and decided to make a go of this boast. Now 28 games later - including a brutal stretch of 3, 3, 4 and 6 games played on four consecutive days - I am over the hump to the other side. Watching the final seven games in 8 days will be like drinking a 6-pack of ponies on a hot day - almost too easy, yet satisfying nonetheless.

New Year's Day games were the most difficult to coordinate, forcing an early trip to a sports bar with multiple TV screens to take in the simulcast bowls. That was a rough 1-2 hour patch as we started 2011 staring at full beers after a night of heavy boozing for NYE. So rough that two hours into our day, the bar stool of our most accomplished lady-boozer just gave the fuck out and collapsed. We were surprised as QT slowly sank, then fell out of sight and landed flat on her ass for all to see. We were almost too baffled to laugh, but we did anyway. She was fine and got some free drinks out of the deal so all worked out in the end.

Our recent trip to Gatlinburg had an inside joke that is too lurid to share here, so I'll just say these three letters to annoy our drunkard reader MC: VPA. Eh, eh there? Did we ever get an answer? Please keep me posted.

Local recognition! The Metro Pulse did an article on local blogs you may not have read before and we were very surprised to be included. Call it a slow news cycle or year-end fodder, it was a nice little piece about some pretty cool sites that you can check out via the above link. Thanks MP!

That will do for now, I've got football to watch and beer to drink!

Tin Roof – Sober Recon

I haven’t had an opportunity to visit the Tin Roof during prime drinking hours but I did some daytime recon to get an idea of what they have to offer. I went for lunch during their second week of business and to be honest the place was pretty empty. There were two tables with diners inside and a group on the patio. I grabbed a spot near the bar and ordered a sandwich then took a look around the place while I waited for my food.

They’ve definitely done a lot of redecorating that transforms the place into something completely different from O’Charleys. The space is very open presumably for the crowds they expect with live music performances. I can’t exactly put my finger on it but the décor falls somewhere between Joe’s Crab Shack and maybe Hooters. At the entrance you see a banner promoting the game day experience with big gulp specials and “after class” specials (aka happy hour) from 2 – 7 pm every day except UT home games.

I particularly like the welcome sign that encourages you quench your thirst with cold beer. Thanks for the reminder, too bad I wasn’t able to sample any drinks but they do appear to have a large draft selection with a fully stocked bar of booze. I don’t think anybody would have a problem finding a suitable beverage to get their fix.

The shrimp po’ boy I ordered arrived and I must admit that it was better than expected. The picture doesn’t do it justice but as you can see there were ample shrimp on the sandwich and the bread was especially good. The rest of the menu reads like any other casual restaurant around town: fried appetizers, salads, sandwiches and quesadillas. Nothing on the menu is going to stand out for uniqueness but based on the quality of the meal I had it seems they do a good job with these standards. I plan to go back for another visit and have some adult drinks to complete the experience.

Booze News

Just a friendly notice to all the thirsty folks out there, The Copper Cellar-Cumberland Grill edition is offering 99 cent draught after nine o'clock. According to their signage and the bartender, this is an everyday occurance. Since sometimes they tend to close around ten or shortly thereafter, think of this as a last-chance happy hour scenario.

The beers aren't pints, mind you-coming in the little 12 oz mugs...but that's still a nice little bargain from a joint that over the years has been anything but clear on its drinking agenda.

Many years ago, The Cumberland Grill was a desirable option for the bargain drinker during Happy Hour both in the week and all day Saturday. Since those halcyon days however, they have steadily raised prices and reduced their applicable hours. It was a real shame since our little ragtag group would descend on that place like locusts. I'll give credit where its due though, this is a step in the right direction.

Finally After 4 Years…

Something has begun to stir the wasteland that O’Charley’s once occupied on the Strip. A couple of weeks ago I noticed the semi-permanent realty sign had been replaced by that of a construction company with a 615 area code. A friend told me that she had heard a Nashville based company was opening a new restaurant location but I forgot the name. Since that time there has been ongoing progress as they remove debris, old equipment and I’m sure a bunch of dusty, useless furnishings left to rot when O’Chuck’s split town.

I phoned my friend to get the name and after minimal searching online I found their website and it appears this rumor is about to become reality. Tin Roof (they have a Knoxville tab that says they are under construction) is set to open their newest location right smack in the middle of Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville by September – an early timeline but hopefully they can get the job done. I’ve been wishing something good would move in that location for years and for the sake of my liver I hope they don’t disappoint.

From the information on their website it looks like we’re in for another casual, live music venue that will appeal to college students and young professionals. Their menu has all the staple bar foods even though they claim not to do the usual “bar food”. I think they mean to say they do it fresh and better, we’ll see. Some of the items look good and I’m interested in trying a deep-fried hot dog just because I haven’t heard of that one before and I need to expand my culinary horizons. The “Del Sol” and “Sunny” quesadillas sound good but everything else looks pretty standard. I will give them a chance, for sure. There wasn’t a bar/drink menu but if you look at the pictures on their site there is plenty of evidence showing they know how to serve up the booze and good times. I’m fired up and look forward to their success!

From the "Holy Fucking Shit" Files

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this thing:

Behold: The Silver God

I am grateful and disturbed that someone actually had the foresight during the 70's, 80's, or 90's to take a picture of Knoxville's most horrifying shitter this side of Neyland Stadium. This...thing, resided in the gentlemen's lavatory at the now defunct The Last Lap. We've blogged on the nostalgic bygones from Cumberland Avenue's glory days, but this majestic piece of photography brings a smile to my face and a powerful desire to drink leaded Budweiser.

Sometimes less is more, and I don't feel my standard need to be garrulous here. Those of us that remember this seemingly indestructible piece of Knoxville history really do not need my bullshit perspective to reminisce.

Let's just say that it doesn't matter if the film was in color or black and white, the powerful energies emanating from The Silver God would have made it look as it did during my foggiest memories. Secondly, the amount of piss in the bowl was always less than the urine puddled in the corner, which is not surprising when you consider that just off camera to the left is the trough which made for uncomfortably close quarters(think U-Boats).

I can remember only one time ever seeing anyone sit on the damn thing. I presume that person is deceased now. Fucking bacteria and voodoo have seen to that.

A New Hope - Ft. Sanders Yacht Club

The Cumberland Avenue “strip” isn’t what it used to be. Everyone I’ve read and talked to agrees that it has declined right before our eyes the last decade or so. I’ll skip all my favorite bar memories and jump right into the best new place (bar) I’ve seen there in a long time.

Ft. Sanders Yacht Club is a “barcade” that has been open since spring and seems to have enough momentum to keep it going a while. Video games have taken over the planet. I hadn’t played one in a decade and haven’t had a gaming system since the Atari 2600, but FSYC has 1980’s era video games that I can still play and not have to relearn everything. Plus there’s a bar right in the corner selling beer! The bottled selection is pretty standard but still good enough for anybody to find something they can drink, and they have 3 beers on tap. Happy hour is 12 – 9 and I think they have a $2 bottle special all the time but I could be wrong (Sierra Nevada Porter was on special last time I went). All this and more can be found on their official website. The place isn't very big. It stretches narrowly from the entry to the back patio with arcade games lined on both sides, but it is comfortable enough and has a laid back vibe.

The thing I like best about this place is that it is owned and operated by some guys who went to UT, and that it isn’t a franchise. Or a chicken or sandwich shop. And they serve beer with a gimmick that works. I definitely need to improve my skills – my 14 year old self would be embarrassed by my pathetic scores at Dig Dug, Asteroids, Galaga, Tetris and even Ms. Pacman. I sucked at them all, but there are definitely more games I want to go back and play, while drinking. At 25c a game I can afford to get blown up or eaten alive as long as I catch a buzz while it happens. And don't act like you're too good for Dig Dug! You know you want to pump those little floating bastards full of hot air til they pop, and maybe excavate some rocks to fall on the dragon.