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...

One of These Beers...

• I will win the lottery and quit my job
• I will finish that thing
• I will go to Niceley's near the strip for a burger and beer
• Or will I?

That's all I've got. Honestly I was going to post some kind of list about drinking and a lame apology about being too busy to blog and hope to skate by for a while longer. Then I stumbled when spelling Niceley's, the second e gets me, but a quick Google search revealed a local blog that warned "Never go to..." and I got hooked. It sounded like it would be a very dramatic story but was basically your typical shitty service experience, which does suck. As ususal, the commenters keep fanning the flame.

Finally another blogger willing to bitch and complain once in a while.

Edit: More

Quote Overheard

"...if you'd spend less time trying to be hip and more time slinging drinks maybe you'd make some tips."

-KRTI 7/1/11 at Sapphire

More Beer Please

Regal Riviera 8 located downtown Knoxville has applied for a beer permit, soon to join Downtown West as local movie theatres offering beer at the movies. I'm all for it though I'm not sure if it will change my movie going experience very much. Certainly it will be a good option but logically it doesn't appeal to me as my first choice. If an alcoholic drink is desired I prefer to have a whiskey or wine and go easy on the bladder, even though my unique special training would probably allow me to make it through a 2 hour movie without much trouble.

Enjoy Knoxville.

Knoxville Brewfest

The inaugural Knoxville Brewfest has SOLD OUT. All signs lean toward a successful event and another beer drinking festival. Or is it a tasting festival? I suppose everyone will decide for themselves. I will not be in attendance so I'll have to rely on feedback from friends to let me know how it was. Please feel free to leave comments.

Apparently not everyone in town is pleased with the addition of another Brew event, according to KnoxNews.com. And I must say that I have to side with Woodruff Brewing Company on this one, they were snubbed without cause. Not having one of our local brewers as a participant just because they're part of another, similar event doesn't make sense. But I think the organizers realize this and will make the right call next year and everything will be fine. At least I hope so.

Good luck Knoxville Brewfest! Maybe I'll see you next year...

Downtown Wine + Spirits FREE Tastings

Good new from Downtown Wine + Spirits: Free wine tasting, sort of.

According to their newsletter a new law now allows sampling events on site so you can try before you buy. This is pretty cool and makes perfect sense. If you haven't signed up for thier newsletter yet, you should. The weekly specials offer a variety of spirits or wine to choose from and they're often pretty good deals. I'm guessing other package stores will be offering similar events from now on so I say it's a win-win for everybody.

From DTWS newsletter:

Try Before You Buy



Fact: everyone loves free samples. Now thanks to a change in Tennessee's laws we can have in-store tastings. Like shoes, bikes, and used cars, you can now try out some wine before you purchase it. Stop by this Friday from 5 - 7 to try out a nice viognier from the Rhone region, a dry rose from Ventoux, and a juicy California red blend. We will have cheese and assorted goodies on hand to complement the libations, so come in and do a little sipping.


Free Tasting Friday 5 - 7pm

Keg of Lies

I blame you, Atlas, for it was you who invited us over for beer at the pool last weekend. You tried to caution us that the keg would be dry at any moment. You suggested that we bring extra beer as a “backup” just to be safe. You lifted the keg numerous times to gauge its contents. We each had a bottled beer as we arrived that day, fully assuming that we’d be drinking it later. You were amazed that it didn’t blow pouring the first round of beers, then on the second round, and on to the third and fourth, and so on until we lost count. The night grew later and later yet the keg did not yield. Juan Moore won that battle. There were many lies poured that day. The only thing that came close to this farce was the never ending bottle of Powers.