I want to start this post with a note to Downtown bar and restaurant owners. When you have special events, make sure that they get listed in the Center City Commission’s “Livin’ It Up” newsletter. This newsletter is e-mailed to hundreds of subscribers every Thursday afternoon and is available on the CCC’s website. There’s no reason not to do this – it’s free advertising, as the CCC wants to show what a vibrant Downtown we have with lots going on, and you can help them by listing your events. I was kind of surprised when I got this week’s newsletter and only one Super Bowl party (the Majestic Grille) was mentioned. I know there are four or five others going on.
Anyway, you can check the newsletter for details of the Majestic’s party, and I’ve covered BB King’s in a recent post. Here’s one more:
Bardog Tavern is adding an extra 50″ TV, so there will be three TVs total, 2 upstairs (smoking) and one downstairs (non-smoking). During the game there will be 25 cent wings, drink specials, and lots of booze-related merchandise giveaways. Their regular menu, including the best spaghetti and meatballs in town and their awesome Rambo steak sandwich, will be available. Sound will be on for the pregame and the game itself. I had the pleasure of drinking some chartreuse with Aldo the owner last night and discussing life Downtown… nice to be in such a friendly neighborhood bar.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, in the “lawyers gone crazy” department: This Washington Post article explains why you’ve seen so many ads for bars showing “The Big Game” this week. Apparently it’s a trademark violation to mention the Super Bowl in an ad you run, and the NFL’s lawyers are going after violators, even little fish. You can call it the “big game” and talk about how “super” your event will be. You can mention the date, and you can say “the Pittsburgh vs. Arizona game.” You can’t say “Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals” though. How incredibly stupid. If the bar around the corner advertises that they’ll have the Super Bowl on with 25 cent wings and drink specials, no one in their right mind would think it’s the NFL’s officially chosen spot to watch the game. I think the NFL is making itself look really bad on this one. I understand the need to protect trademarks, but the Super Bowl is a piece of Americana and is a special case.
By the way, as far as I can read into it, I can call it the Super Bowl on here because this is a blog and a news source of sorts. However, if Bardog, for example, ran a banner ad about their party on my blog’s sidebar, I’d probably have to call it “the big game” or some other ridiculous workaround there, because then I’d be getting paid to talk about it.
Back to last night… early in the evening, I attended Mpact Memphis’ “Mpact Outlet” at the Red Rooster. While there, I talked to Christopher Reyes, who runs the Live from Memphis site. He just remodeled the site and it has a new look and a lot more information. If you’re into local music, you need to put this one at the top of your bookmarks. In particular they’ve added several bloggers to the site who write about Memphis and music.
I also went to the Silly Goose’s grand opening party. One of the people sitting at the bar came up with the best description I’ve heard yet of the place: “It’s like the Flying Saucer for adults.” That makes sense to me. It’s not at all a pretentious status game like Swig could be at times. It’s comfortable like the Saucer is, but it tends to draw a more grown-up crowd. Several of the Saucer’s 2006-07 waitresses (a classic period there) now work at the Goose. It’s also for people who have graduated from beer to liquor, or to beer that the Saucer doesn’t carry (PBR). I like them both though. Those two and Bardog are definitely my top three right now. I still need to do the long version of my “why Downtowners hang out where we do” post.
Circa has some new happy hour deals. Happy hour runs from 5-7 daily, and after 10 Friday-Saturday. Specials include
- $5 “small plates” cravings menu at the bar. Also available in the dining room 5-6:30
- $3 beers – all of them, drafts, bottles, whatever
- $4 wells
- $5 wine specials
- $5 sangria
Unlike many other bars Downtown, Circa’s bar is non-smoking. So, if you want to have a place to chat with friends over good food and drink, without coming out of there with your clothes and hair smelling like smoke, Circa would be a good choice.
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Outta here for now. South Main Trolley Tour is tonight. Haven’t decided if I’m going yet.