One of my favorite readers sent me comments via e-mail, responding to yesterday’s post about Westy’s:
- She pointed out that Westy’s is one of the few places Downtown where you can get a complete meal at 2 AM and get it fast. She said the bartenders are always super-friendly (which was the experience I had yesterday) and she recommends the wild rice dishes, asparagus soup, chicken and pasta, and even their salads which are very big. I haven’t had the other items she mentioned but I agree about the wild rice dishes – very, very good. Also, they deliver anywhere Downtown if you don’t feel like making the trip to Westy’s.
- She mentioned the chicken pot pie at the Westin’s Daily Grill, which has been recommended to me as THE item to try. She said it was as big as a plate. This is not the first time I’ve heard this about the pot pie – another person told me it was enough for four people to eat. Better plan on asking for a to-go box if you order it. When I first saw it on the menu, I thought, $12.95 is a lot to pay for a pot pie, but if you get an extra meal or two out of it the next day, it’s not a bad deal at all.
- She also got a chance to try Itta Bena, the fine-dining restaurant on the third floor of BB King’s (Second at Beale). She said the atmosphere was wonderful, you felt like you were in on a big secret, and the food (she had the halibut) was as good as it gets.
I’ll throw in one more food-related item, although it didn’t come from her… if you like fried okra, I’ve been told by several people that EP Delta Kitchen has the best in town. Next time I see chef Michael Patrick I’ll ask him about it.
So last night was trivia night at the Saucer. The Rapscallions had a huge team and we were all over the place… a couple of times, we handed in an answer, got it wrong, and then Pete revealed the correct answer and someone said, “I said that! Why didn’t we go with that?” It was a team of 12, but it was really 4 people having 3 conversations, most of the time none of which had to do with the trivia answer. After we totaled up our final score – 79 out of 135, not as bad as last week but possibly our second-lowest score ever – I threw up my hands. The Nuh-Uh Girl offered help. “I want the Power of the Pen next week,” she said. “I’ll rule this team with an iron fist!”
Then Pete announced a run-off question, for the Rapscallions and one other team. What? Did we actually have a chance for third with that lousy score? The runoff question was, what year was the Reuters news agency founded? Our team consensus was 1887, and the correct answer was 1851. Luckily the other team guessed 1984, so we had won the runoff and were guaranteed a prize.
Then Pete announced the third-place team and it wasn’t us.
Then Pete announced the second-place team and it wasn’t us.
“And in first place, The Rapscallions.” WHAT??? I wondered if he was kidding, but a few minutes later he brought us the 50. Turns out he had been kidding a few minutes earlier, when he said “Lots of high scores this week.” Apparently ALL the teams sucked. That brings our gift-certificate total to $95 toward the next party, with the first certificate expiring November 21.
Good news for the team – we picked up a new member last week, and last night I talked to her and learned that she’s an expert on Chinese and Japanese culture. That works out perfectly, as we just lost our Japan expert to a job in DC. She’s also from Austria, so she can be our Central Europe expert (of course, I consider myself the team’s expert on Eastern Europe).
Speaking of the Saucer: A couple of weeks ago, they promised to start offering more variety in their Fire Sale beers, in exchange for raising the price a quarter. They had gotten in rut of running Killian’s Red, Leinenkugel Red, Abita Amber and Shiner Bock, which are all pretty close to the same type of beer. Have they lived up to their promise since the increase? Here are the Fire Sales they’ve had since:
Thur 8/30: Killian’s Red
Fri 8/31: Sierra Nevada Porter
Sat 9/1: Abita Amber
Sun 9/2: Flying Dog Doggie Style pale ale
Mon 9/3: Pint Nite, so no Fire Sale
Tue 9/4: RedHook Porter
Wed 9/5: Old Scratch steam ale
Thur 9/6: Sierra Nevada Brown Ale
Fri 9/7: Heineken, which I think is considered a pilsner
Sat 9/8: Blue Moon, orange-flavored wheat beer
Sun 9/9: Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, blueberry-flavored wheat beer
Mon 9/10: Pint Nite
Tue 9/11: Yazoo Pale Ale
So it looks like they ARE living up to their promise. Lots of different styles represented, and no repeats. Good job guys! I know the Yazoo Pale Ale in particular was a big hit last night – one of the regulars said, “Finally, MY beer is on Fire Sale!”
My plans for this evening, however, are NOT to sit around the Saucer all night long. Enough of that – it’s time to enjoy some of Downtown’s other entertainment options. My tentative plan:
- I still have not tried Capriccio Corner Bar’s happy hour (free appetizer buffet with drink purchase), nor have I tried the Daily Grill’s inexpensive mini-appetizers during happy hour there. I’ll hit one or the other about 5:30.
- Then I plan on going to “Bands, Beer and Bums” at Court Square for a little while, where Giant Bear will be playing;
- After that I may stop by Frenchie’s bar (Russwood Park Grill at the Holiday Inn) for a drink, or maybe Huey’s. Or maybe the Saucer for ONE beer.
- Not sure if I’ll make it there, but The Dempseys play Blues City Cafe tonight at 8:30.
Time to earn some $$$ to pay for tonight’s adventures… outta here.