Big Whiskey's is a shot of yum

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There is nothing that sends me running faster than the threat of whiskey. Now, I am no stranger to the drink, but the brown stuff scares the pants off of me — too many sketchy moments with questionable endings. This principle is why I was so pleasantly surprised to find that Big Whiskey’s American Bar and Grill on Park Central East had just the opposite effect – I will be running to, not from this place. A joint bearing the name of the frequent order of a bygone regular, Big Whiskey’s hefty menu of pub-grub standbys and surprise twists is solid and reasonably priced. It straddles the line between sports bar and approachable neighborhood hangout. The interior is bedecked in attractive, polished mahogany, dancing with reflections off the numerous televisions playing all manner of sport. The noise level was pleasantly low, likely given it was midday and the music was calibrated as such. Our server was friendly, low-key and attentive. The food was good and plentiful. I will certainly be coming back for both the chow and the extensive drink menu — but likely not anything with whiskey in it.


The food:

Your basic and not-so-basic bar food, ranging from salads and burgers to steaks and an intriguing Bacon Cheddar Ranch Alfredo pasta number. But I’m watching my figure so I went with queso dip and a BLT with fries. Riiiight. I’ve been on a serious BLT kick lately and this one was pretty dang good. Thick, perfectly toasted white bread hugging crisp lettuce, tomato, the right amount of mayo and salty-sweet hickory smoked bacon with a side of no-frills fries. My fiancé did a combo thingy (unofficial name), which included a delicious, garlicky Caesar salad; tasty, well-spiced (but not hot) chili; and a half-sandwich. He went the Club route, stacked quite high with turkey, ham, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on honey nut wheat bread.  It was yummy and plentiful, but we ran out of steam thanks to the aforementioned White Queso Spinach Dip.  We took that spicy, cheesy, melty bowl of joy down with extreme prejudice – and copious tortilla chips. They’re known for their burgers but that sounded like a lot of food for a 92-degree day. See above mention of queso dip.

The drink:

I’ve had more blue drinks this week than I’ve had in my entire life – which is two. I was always a little skeeved by the sheer blueness of blue curacao but The Big W’s Lemonade, starring said tipple, was delicious. The marriage of citron vodka, the blue stuff, Sprite and some other liquid delights in a pint glass went down a little too easily for noon on a Monday. My responsible fiancé had a sweet tea — with refills.

The scene:

Classy but very approachable. High, four-top tables, a long bar and outdoor seating provide plenty of space for thirsty revelers. There are loads of TVs but they’re hung high and pitched at an angle in a way that if college football isn’t your scene (sacre bleu!), you can be one with your burger and easily ignore the madness. Patrons run the gamut age-wise, but then again, this was lunchtime. It’s a casual joint, so there were a lot of mesh shorts and baseball hats puttering around.


The bottom line:

Easy to be in, easy to like. Big Whiskey’s has zero pretense but a lot of good options. The hours and daily food and drink specials make it an enticing stop on the way into or out of nearby clubs and a destination in its own right. And as promised, they have whiskey – but I’ll stick to beer or ol’ Blue.

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