The Panthers were playing last night, but more importantly, so were both USCs (the Cocks and the Trojans, if you will). Rejoice, college football has kicked off. It’s like a holiday. And Charlotte celebrated alright, at ALL the sports bars around town. I had to go to Fairview Grill just to find a parking spot.
When I want to watch a game, and I can’t actually be at it, I want to be in an environment not so much like a crowded game in a bar — but my living room with a beer tap in exchange for the remote control. So when I pulled up to the sports bars more packed than clubs on a Saturday night, I had to change my game plan.
For my first play I headed to Dilworth Tap House on the corner of Montford and Park — but both Park Road Shopping Center and Montford Drive were packed beyond parking capacity. So that play was incomplete and I lost 15 yards, or 5 miles rather. On my second attempt I went to the newly opened Taco Mac, but some asshole bogarted the spot I was literally in the process of pulling into. Flag on the play! But rather than pulling a scene from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes and smashing in the rear of his car to make room for mine, I drove to Fairview Grill to have some fried green tomatoes.
Fairview Grill is under new ownership — the former owners of Hef’s and Blondes before it became Thurstons and Hef’s with new owners. But aside from that, and a new kitchen manager, there is nothing new about Fairview. It has the same staff, same look, same menu, same karaoke nights, same drink specials (such as the $3 wine on Thursdays), and same TV setup — which I particularly appreciated because they were playing the Braves game, the Panthers game, and what I was there for: So Miss n the Cocks (as in Southern Miss and the USC Gamecocks).
So in other words Fairview Grill is still a good place to go … especially on game night!
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2010.
