Rib Room sign is up

Rib Room

Pretty cool, huh?

Go to a bar, save America

The news is dreadful: According to the Census, since 2006 we have been living in a republic where, for the first time in the history of the republic, Americans drink more bottled water than we drank beer.

Why is this important? It’s important because beer is a socially oriented beverage, and bottled water is a privately oriented one.
There’s a reason that beer commercials tend to include lots of people hanging out in a room together, and bottled water commercials tend to include lone individuals climbing things and running around by themselves, usually on a beach at sunrise - even though they are not being chased.

Beer and Civic Life

Two sad stories about bars

I love bars. Don't get to go to them these days, thanks to the baby, and I miss it. It's not the drinking because you can do that at home much cheaper. It's the social atmosphere. It's the laughter. It's the people watching. It's the "Holy crap, I've not heard that song in forever" when the jukebox plays.

That's why the next two links make me a little sad.

At Boston's Bull & Finch, aka Cheers, Eddie Doyle was downsized by the owner. SK, I expect a full newsteam investigation into this travesty ...

After 35 years, a legendary Boston bartender is fired

And in the NY Times, there's a story about traditional Irish pubs dying, even in Ireland. And by traditional Irish pubs, I don't mean the TGIF-ified chain pubs here in America ...

In Search of a Pub

Update: Found another bar story on the NYT Web site. This one is about bars in NYC that don't have TVs.

The Few, the Proud: Pubs That Still Resist the Pull of the Television Screen

All I want for Christmas

Authentic Guinness® Home Pub

There are plenty of reasons to raise a pint to the Irish. Saint Patrick, the Blarney Stone. One of the greatest occurred in 1759 when young Arthur Guinness founded a brewery at St. James's Gate, crafted a hearty, distinctive stout, and won a place in our hearts forever. Celebrate the 250th anniversary of that first delicious keg with our exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime gift. The folks at RiRa Pubs will design a fully functional, traditional Irish pub and build it in your home in 2009. It will be crafted from historic Irish architectural elements and authentic Guinness artifacts. There's also a VIP trip for two to Dublin with first class airfare, luxury accommodations, and insider access to the magic still being made at the historic working St. James's Gate brewery. (All members of your party must be at least 21 years of age.) Plus fresh Guinness Stout for your pub. For an entire year.

A toast! To calling 1.877.9NM.GIFT for more information, detailed terms and conditions, and to order! Sláinte!

©2008 GUINNESS & Co. Always Drink Responsibly.
Item
Authentic Guinness Home Pub
Price $250,000.00*
OCBF9_NMO3605

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/sitelets/christmasbook/fantasy.jhtml?cid=OCBF9_NMO3606&cmCat=christmas&icid=NMCBpage79

Good thing my surprise party wasn't April 5

Because then we'd been in Papa's on Saturday night when this happened ...

Police Investigate Bar Fight

Of course, I know Craig would have had my back so we'd have been OK facing 15 members of an Asian gang.

R.I.P. Rib Room

That's right, it's gone. Until at least 2009.

Depending on what version of the story you hear, either Neumeier got into a dispute with the guy who owns the land the Beer Garden is on or the architects who designed the second story addition to the Beer Garden screwed up the price. (You can see the design for it here ... www.ribroom.com) Either way, Bill announced it's not opening this summer.

I'm not sure if that means the Rib Room restaurant itself won't be open. I sure hope it is. I can't go a full year without some of that smoked chicken. And I'm almost out of dry rub!

This is the worst thing to happen to downtown Fort Smith since the 1996 tornado.

First the Stardust, now the Rib Room. If Papa's closes, I might curl up into the fetal position and die.

Another Saturday night

(The girls made us pose for this photo at dinner, before heading to the bar.)

"You really should have made reservations," said the hostess.

"Reservations?" I said. "We just want to get some cocktails."

"Yeah, you should still make reservations for that."

Welcome to the trendy martini bar open in Fort Smith.

It's in a really old building downtown, way downtown. It's closer to the river than to the Rib Room.

Not bad, as far as $9 cocktails and $5 beers go. Loved that it's smoke-free. Could have done without the "The Real Houswives of Sebastian County" vibe from some of the tables. I think every other table was occupied by a doctor and his 20-something concubine.

Smoke-filled bars

Saturday, after that damned Steelers game, we went out for drinks.

I'd forgotten how much I hate smoke-filled bars. Don't get me wrong. I love bars. But now that I'm almost 40, I can't stand walking out of one smelling like an ashtray. I got home after hitting three bars and immediately took a shower to get the smoke off me.

The night really made me appreciate the anti-smoking laws passed in major cities.

One of these days, after I hit the PowerBall, I'm going to open a non-smoking bar. Just to prove that it would be profitable. And so I could have a proper pint of Guinness without some hipster douches filling the air with Marlboro Light smoke.