Catch up on your drinking! See below for suggestions!
Pub/Restaurant Archive
"The problem with the world is that
everyone is a few drinks behind."
- Humphrey Bogart
Catch up on your drinking! See below for
suggestions!
Rich
O’s Public House
We list this first without regard to alphabetization because, dammit, this
place is just that good! Rich O’s is simply Shangrila for beer connoisseurs. We love this place!
Located in New Albany, Rich O’s offers more than 200 beers, some
domestic, some world and some brewed right there at Rich O’s. Our
waiter, Steve, was hilarious and EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the beer.
If we were hesitant about trying a new beer he would say, “What do you
have to lose? If you don’t like it, I’ll drink it! I do that a lot.”
The food here also is amazing, with an array of pizzas, sandwiches
and appetizers. We ordered the Spinach Kase, which was a spicy, cheesy
spinach dip with chips. Wonderful! The prices are very
reasonable here, but they do have a few more rare, expensive beers. One
from Belgium, for example, sells for $39.75 a bottle. The décor in this
place is amusing. There are world beer signs, random post cards on the
walls, a beer quilt hangs by one of the beer lists, there are sofas in the
bar and yes—there is a Communist Dictator room. Where else can you drink
a Finnish beer under an oversized poster of Lenin!?
Location: 3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany, IN
Website: www.richos.com
Buffalo
Wild Wings
That’s
right. Buffalo Wild Wings. We love it. We know it’s not some local brew
pub. We realize it’s a chain. But it’s cheap, cold and there’s NTN trivia, which ought to
be enough for anyone, dammit. We love the Highlands location, mainly
because we love Stephanie, the bartender. She yells your name when you
enter and remembers your favorite beer. The trivia is too much fun and no
words can describe the sublime feeling of thrashing intoxicated
competitors on their knowledge of Russian literature, Hess’ Law and who
designed Audrey Hepburn’s gowns in “Sabrina.”
We go there frequently with some friends, who berated us
unmercifully for not being mentioned on this site. So here you go: Sam
Mannino, Kathi Jones and Holly Liter. There. Fame is yours. Use it wisely.
Location:
Louisville, specifically The Highlands location
Website: www.buffalowildwings.com
Bluegrass
Brewing Company (BBC)
BBC
is a Louisville-based microbrewery with two locations in Louisville and
one in the Cincy airport. If you MUST be stuck in an airport on a layover
during a business trip, get stuck at the BBC! They brew
approximately 10 different beers which should suit everyone's taste.
On a recent trip through Cincy, I (Shannon) had the Altbier
and although it was slightly more fizzy than I like, its flavor more than
made up for it. Tom, the bartender, proudly told me he was a trivia buff
and when I said I, too, enjoyed trivia, he immediately (and inexplicably)
began to quiz me on the song lyrics from The Sound of Music. Oh, and the
phone rang and before he answered it, he yelled across the bar,
"Okay, Patrons. Let's get our story straight. You're all at the
library, right?" To which we raised our glasses and responded with an
enthusiastic, "RIGHT!" He was fabulous! And should you go to the
Downtown Louisville location of BBC, tell the bartender, Matt, that Kenny
and Shannon said hi!
Location:
Louisville and the Cincinnati/Northern KY Airport
Beer Website: www.bbcbrew.com/index.php
Brendan’s Irish Restaurant and
Pub
Brendan's Pub, which just opened up at 3921 Shelbyville Road, is a truly
unique Irish pub in that there is basically nothing Irish about it but the
name! Nothing is green, there are no shamrocks on the walls. There are a
few photos depicting what I think are Irish scenes, but none of this
matters because Brendan’s has created an upscale, bistro atmosphere with
a notable beer list and tempting menu.
But if you’re going with me, wear something flame
retardant.
Brendan's is owned by the same folks who own O'Shea's,
which is one of my favorite pubs in Louisville. It's located in the
old Maier's
Tavern building and has gotten quite a facelift! The bar
itself is massive and gorgeous and the fixtures and seating have a
"Modern Craftsman" look to them. The menu here is
outstanding, with a variety of unique appetizers, sandwiches and entrees.
We tried the crab dip and the shrimp wontons, which were both stellar!
The beer selection here is pretty good and it's
certainly diverse. I tried a new Belgian beer called Nostradamus,
which
was excellent in two notable ways: 1.) It just tasted good and 2.) It put out the beer list after it burst into
flames. Yes, I set the beer list on fire.Now, in my defense, I had only ONE beer at that point
and the candle holders on the tables had NO SIDES, so it wasn't that
difficult for the menu to stray into the danger zone. Fortunately, I saw
the first flames in time and my good friend Nostradamus Belgian Dark
sprang into action and avoided tragedy. Happily, I ran into a
friend AFTER the Great Brendan's Belgian Blaze incident. The less
witnesses the better. But let's not dwell in the past. Brendan's is
delightful and I look forward to going back sans inferno.
Location: 3921 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville
Website: www.brendanslouisville.com
Cha Cha Coconuts, The Pier, St. Petersburg, FL
I was on a business trip in Tampa recently when I found myself with a
free afternoon. Tampa is a nice enough little town, but since it's kind of
like one giant strip mall, I decided to use my unexpected free time to
make the 20 minute trip to St. Petersburg and check out The
Pier. Let me start by saying that St.
Petersburg is a DARLING town and I would live there in a heartbeat if
it weren't for the constant freaking threat of a cataclysmic hurricane. (I
try not to live anywhere that has a widely known and
well-publicized SEASON for natural disasters.) Moving on. If you're in St.
Pete, definitely make a trip by the The Pier, which is an entertainment
complex right on the water. They have several restaurants, shops, a local
wine store and a small aquarium. And definitely visit The Pier's rooftop
cantina, Cha Cha
Coconuts. The food here is fairly standard, i.e. conch fritters,
shrimp skewers, jerk chicken sandwiches, etc. but the view is spectacular!
Their specialty is frou frou frozen drinks and they only have a handful of
beers, but given the location, I didn't care! It's hard to be picky about
your beverage when you're kicked back at a waterfront bar in St. Pete!
Can't wait to go back!
Location: The Pier, 800 2nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg, FL
Website: www.stpete-pier.com/index.php
Cleveland
ChopHouse and Brewery
By Scott Isgett, Beer Chronicles Contributor and All Around Cool
Beer Guy
What takes the edge off of being in a strange city? Beer, of course.
Like a pig rooting for truffles, I'm on the hunt for a brewery. I
found one in the "Historic Warehouse District" of Cleveland,
OH. The Cleveland ChopHouse & Brewery is one of those
neo-retro-themed yuppie places with the gleaming brew vessels and vintage
pictures on the walls. Here, from 4pm - 7pm they have a happy hour with $3
mugs of beer (22 ounces.) I ordered up an Irish Stout and had
a mind-boggling experience.
Instead of writing Dear Abby to see if there's something wrong with me, I
decided to try writing the Beer Chronicles! This Irish Stout, bear with
me, had too much taste! Can I say that? Is it even possible?
Am I a freak? I had a mouth full of chocolaty, espresso, roasted hop
flavor that I could barely choke down. I'm a real fan of
stout beer, but this cornucopia of excess flavor had my tongue in a knot.
After the Irish Stout, I switched to the Irish Red. The Irish Red
was advertised as having a mild roasted caramel flavor. It was quite
good and was exactly as advertised. I slurped down two of those 22
ounce/$3 mugs. Kudos to the Irish Red. My question is:
Did they have an intern making the Irish Stout, or am I just a freak?
Signed, Am-I-a-freak-for-saying-my-stout-beer-had-too-much-taste?
Location: Cleveland, OH
Website: www.chophouse.com
Beer Chronicles Response: Of course you're not a freak! Some
beer overdoes it. WAAAY overdoes it. Have you tried Oaken Barrel's Razz
Wheat? Look on the home page for a review. You'll see what we mean.
Fox and Hound Pub and Grille, Louisville, KY
I can hear it now. Sure, it’s a chain. Sure, it looks nothing like an actual
British pub, but dammit, it’s fun, it’s inexpensive and they have a
notable selection of food and beer! It’s also ideal for watching sports
with its many flat screens scattered throughout the bar and restaurant. The
menu is diverse and happily strays from traditional pub fare with tempting items
such as Asian Lettuce Wraps and Spicy Chicken Billiard Sticks, which were
both flavorful and filling. The
beer selection, although typical, should satisfy most patrons. The service
at Fox and Hound is extremely friendly, helpful and remarkably consistent,
which is rare for a chain of this type. In addition, they have a large
party room in back with pool tables, darts, etc. We highly recommend it.
Location: 322 Bullitt Lane (Off Shelbyville Rd. by Oxmoor Mall)
Website: www.tentcorp.com
Intermezzo
Café and Cabaret at Actors Theatre
The new Intermezzo Café at Actors
Theatre is spectacular! The décor looks like something out of the Masquerade
Scene in Phantom of the Opera and the menu is stellar. This is an
excellent place to grab dinner before or show or just drop by for
cocktails. They also offer an after show menu of hors d’oeuvres and
desserts. Actors has many great productions coming up like
A Tuna Christmas
and A
Christmas Carol, so everyone can find a reason to check out
Actors! Actors Theatre continues to surprise and delight audiences.
What an asset to our city!
Address: 316 West Main Street, Louisville
Website: www.actorstheatre.org/visit_restaurant.htm
Joe's Crab Shack
If you are like us, you are always looking for a way to forget you are not
on the beach having a cold beverage.
Joe’s Crab Shack
really helps us to forget that it is cold and gray outside, or maybe that
is why we drink….not sure, but the food is great here!
Joe’s atmosphere reminds me of a beach/dockside tiki bar with a
seafood lover’s menu. I am not sure if they have other things than seafood, because
I am at Joe’s and I have never looked.
If I wanted something besides seafood, I would probably go
somewhere that didn’t have Crab Shack in the title. (I just hate when
people go to a themed restaurant only to order a cheeseburger because they
didn’t have the type of pot roast they really enjoy.) The scenery here
is also really nice for looking over the Ohio River towards New Albany.
You can enjoy outside dining, which must be a treat at sunset.
In case you are not smart enough to know when you should dine
outside, just ask your host/hostess.
I asked for the outside dining on January 14th and was
quickly reminded that it was 40 with a 15 m.p.h. wind coming off the
river. Thanks for saving me
from natural selection! I
suggest the coconut shrimp platter, probably my favorite.
However, when the opportunity arises, Shannon and I love to devour
the oysters on the half shell.
Nothing says beach and beer like raw oysters!
The fried calamari appetizer is also a hit with our family.
If you order this appetizer, be ready to eat a lot of squid. The
children’s menu is great as well. The prices are very reasonable for
seafood and the quality is always consistent. One of my favorite parts of
Joe’s is the Steelers logo painted on the window to your right when you
come through the double door entrance.
You know it is sacred ground when the mark of the Steelers adorns
your entryway.
If you ever need to talk Steelers football while you are there, ask
for Ed Zurich, the general manager. He is a huge fan of the club!
Yes, the Force is strong with him, Young Padwon. In summary, I
highly recommend Joe’s for great escape from the doldrums of winter!
I will give Joe’s a rating of 1,288 on a scale of 614 to 1,407.
(Doesn’t that sound like some stupid scale that would be used to
calculate the amount of mercury needed to raise the temperature 7 degrees
for your common household thermometer?
You never knew what the heck your chemistry teacher was talking
about, but you wrote the formula down and then had to repeat it on your
test. However, it was open book, so it never even mattered if you knew
what it meant.
That’s why God made computers.
Location: 131 River Road, Louisville
Website: www.joescrabshack.com
Joey B's on the Landing
Joey B’s
on Laclede's Landing is a festive little place to have a quick bite, check out
sculptures made of beer cans and enjoy a small selection of unique beers
not usually
found in a restaurant. Try Fat Tire for an unusual amber ale! We tried the crab legs
here as well, which were great, but our server made the trip. She was
hysterical! Tip: If you go, make sure to ask your server to talk about the
beer—which she absolutely WON’T do if she’s hung over. Really.
Location website: www.lacledeslanding.org/index.html
Beer website: www.newbelgium.com/beers_ft.php
Molly Malone’s Irish
Pub and Restaurant—And Liverpool Fan Headquarters!
We have always enjoyed Molly
Malone’s and have spent many a happy St. Patrick’s Day there.
(Come to think of it, we have spent many a happy random Thursday there as
well!) They have a notable
selection of beer and their menu is quite good. Among our favorites are
the Fish and Chips, the Smoked Salmon Platter and the Corned Beef and
Cabbage. But now we have yet ANOTHER reason to enjoy Molly
Malone’s—they open at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays so Liverpool
football fans can watch the matches on Setanta
Sports!! Yes, Friends, we achieved something new—waiting outside for
a bar to open at 9:45 in the morning. Now,
we really were there for the sports, not the drinking per se, but who
could say no to a finely crafted Molly Malone’s Bloody Mary when it’s
offered??? That’s right. No one can. Apparently, it’s also a Celtic
fan bar as well, so if you like either one of these teams or you just
want to see a bunch of football hooligans drinking before Noon, stop on
by!
Location: 933 Baxter Avenue,
Louisville
Website: www.mollymalonesirishpub.com
Oak Creek Brewing Company
Located in Sedona, AZ, this place brews our favorite beers EVER! There are
two locations in Sedona. The first one is the more upscale restaurant/pub
in Tlaquepaque, a lovely shopping
village. They have a diverse menu featuring “Wicked Pickles,” “Smoking Gun Pizza” and the “Brewmaster’s Bomber.”
(Check their website for details.) But as good as the food is, it is NOTHING compared to the beer. We
ordered a beer sampler called “The Seven Dwarfs” and tried the seven
main beers here ranging from a light beer to a rich porter. The complex
flavors in these beers is unparalleled. The second Oak Creak location is
the actual brewery, which was much less upscale and more local
hangout, but we loved it. We are HUGE fans of this brewery. Read more about our trip to Sedona by clicking
here!
Location: Sedona, AZ
Website: www.oakcreekbrew.com
Oh’ Mulligans, Morrisville, NC
This
is quite possibly one of my favorite neighborhood pubs ever! I was on a
business trip in Raleigh, NC (Morrisville is a suburb of Raleigh) when I
stopped by Oh’ Mulligans and I was immediately impressed. First, it’s
a sports bar AND a Steelers bar--a good start! Second, the service and the
atmosphere here are amazing. Lisa, the bartender, is
hilarious and worshipped by the patrons who she welcomes like
members of her family. Oh’
Mulligans just has the comfortable look and feel that you want in a
neighborhood bar. Third, they carry a stellar beer I have never tried
before called Carolina
Pale Ale. It’s clean,
hoppy and has a slight spice to its finish. Quite good! The menu at
Oh' Mulligans is extensive and they are changing it right now to
include even more selections that I would call “gourmet pub fare.”
They even have a lunch buffet everyday and can cater your events. While
there, I had the pleasure of chatting with fellow beer drinkers, Jane and
Claudia, two fabulous retired women who spend their time traveling, throwing
lavish dinner parties and drinking beer. I loved them! I can't wait to go back.
Location:
100 Jerusalem Drive, Morrisville, NC
Website: www.ohmulligans.com
Seven Bridges Grille and Brewery, Jacksonville,
FL.
I was
on a recent business trip in Jacksonville when fortune smiled upon me—my
hotel was adjacent to a brew pub! (Many people feared I would not be heard
from again.)
However, I am pleased to report that my trip went extremely well and I got
to sample the finely crafted brews and excellent food at Seven Bridges
Grille and Brewery. Seven
Bridges is modest in décor, but pleasing and relaxing—perfect for a
brew pub. My server, Jenny, was very knowledgeable about the beer, which
is something you’d expect in a brew pub, but something that is not
always delivered. The pub brews about five regular beers and a few
seasonal ones. I tried the Toll Tender IPA, which was a copper-colored ale
that was hoppy, smooth and rich, with a pleasing prolonged finish. I
later tried the Southside Pilsner which was a golden-colored lager with a
full and rich taste and was quite refreshing. The menu here is wonderfully
diverse, as it basically offers every type of food you could want
including American fare, Mexican dishes, Cajun selections, steaks and
seafood, sandwiches and pizza. I tried the Hummus and Goat Cheese Salad,
which was outstanding--probably some of the best hummus I have ever had.
Happily, I travel to Jacksonville a couple of times a year, so I will
definitely visit Seven Bridges Grille and Brewery again!
Location: 9735 Gate Parkway North,
Jacksonville, FL.
Website: www.7bridgesgrille.com
The
Yardhouse
By Scott Isgett, Beer Chronicles Contributor and All Around Cool Beer Guy
I'm kind of concerned about my enthusiasm for beer. When I see a brewery I
get that tingly feeling that I got when I first saw my friend's sister naked in
the ninth grade. As a pilot, I get to travel all over the place and visit
my extended beer family. So, please, don't think I'm a raging beer-maniac!
That being said, here's a place I
just visited in San Diego, California. It made a GREAT impression on this
beer lover. It's called The Yardhouse and it's located on the corner of
Broad St. and 4th Avenue in downtown. It's only a couple of blocks from
the Gas Lamp Quarter. They boast a selection of 118 beers on tap. No, I
didn't mistype. That's one hundred and eighteen different beers on draught!
I managed five, so I've got 113 more to go. The food was excellent, and
happy hour is from 4-7pm. Downstairs you can peek in the refrigerated keg
room. All those beauties stacked-up and feeding those scrumptious bar
taps! This is the PERFECT place to enjoy good music, nice people, and try
lots of different beers. If you go to San Diego and are a true beer
aficianado, this is a must see.
Location: San Diego, CA
Website: www.yardhouse.com
