The brunch at Calhoun’s yesterday was a huge success. For $5 a plate, brunchers got GREAT food – two casserole dishes made with smoked sausage and chicken smoked sausage, as well as a Cajun spicy sausage and cheese grits dish, bloody mary shrimp and garlic rosemary potatoes. If they decide to do it again I’ll let you know. It was outstanding. Plus, since Calhoun’s is a sports bar, you can watch football while you eat, although after seeing the Arkansas-Alabama game yesterday I think I would’ve been happier if they had tuned the TV to Gilligan’s Island reruns.
Moved on to the Saucer early in the afternoon, where I saw in the window and watched bums for the better part of the day. Got in an argument with St. Jude Bum as he walked by. He preached me a long sermon about how the Good Lord takes care of him and guides him. Yeah, I just bet it was God who told him to panhandle and lie and tell people the money is going to a children’s hospital. He seems to really believe he’s justified in what he does. “I always ask before I rob,” St. Jude Bum told me. Well, isn’t that nice. Panhandling and robbing – well, I guess that’s a unique application of the “multiple streams of income” idea, although I noticed “employment” was never considered as a source.
The gang joined me in the window, and around 5:30 we heard that Bardog Tavern was doing free drinks ’til 7 again, which caused us to do a very quick change of venue. Some of the group wanted to drive over there. Geez, people, it’s only 3 blocks.
I ended up staying at Bardog until 12:30 AM, hanging out at the bar mostly. I’m becoming increasingly impressed with the place, and with Aldo the owner. Bars that seem to be a natural extension of the owner’s personality tend to be hugely successful (see Big Foot Lodge for an example). I had a great time there and have every intention of coming back soon. Actually I’m a little irritated that my schedule is so full this week (I have stuff to do lined up for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights already, and of course Tuesday is trivia). Not sure where I’m going to pencil Bardog in. Tomorrow, but that’s Pint Nite. Maybe after trivia on Tuesday.
I liked the crowd that showed up at Bardog. It was a young, sophisticated crowd, attractive but not in the Hot Chicks with Douchebags kind of way that you see at the Saucer and the Rooster on weekend nights. There were also a lot of the old Sleep Out Louie’s regulars there, more so than Friday night. I still need a couple of weeks to see who the regular crowd is, but I think it’s extremely likely Bardog will be a several-times-a-week stop for me.
Slept late, missed brunch. I was going to skip the Saucer altogether today too, but now that I’ve learned Sunset Wheat is the Fire Sale, it’s back on the agenda. I’ll probably hit the Saucer for an hour, then Calhoun’s for an hour, then the South Main Oktoberfest at Harry’s Detour, then back to the Saucer for more Sunset Wheat. Time to get things started…