BBR (Beer, Burgers, Rock) Opens in Arena District

BBR (Beer, Burgers, Rock) opens this weekend on Vine Street in the arena district. Occupying the space that was once held by Tyfoon, BBR has a sharp look, good, loud music (if you like 80s rock), quality food, and a decent draft and liquor selection. Sadly it’s still on Vine Street, so you still have the same old (or should I say not-so-old) arena crowd to deal with, although BBR’s opening night crowd definitely swung more towards the R Bar type than say Patio or Cantina – a little bit older and more casually dressed.

Although the name seem to imply that BBR is supposed to be a rock club that serves good beer and burgers, it seems that the place is really set up to be a sports bar first and foremost. In addition to the huge rock icon photos posted around the back wall, there are an equal number or local sports team banners and at least 16 large flat screens showing sports (although one had Discovery Channel’s Shark Week on, which I thought was pretty funny). The opening night festivities were sponsored by 97.1 the Fan (sports talk radio) and hosted by Scott Torgerson who is half of “Common Man & the Torg,” the rush-hour broadcast from that station (their show is really hilarious and very well done, whether you are a big sports fan or not.) In addition to the Torg, there were sports and concert ticket giveaways, free food sampling, and Wii bowling on the big screen for opening night.

When you walk into BBR there a a little open spaced alcove on the right in front of the windows, which was used opening night for giveaways, but could maybe house bands in the future? In front is a very large square bar area, and along the walls there is candle-lit table seating with a larger seating area in the back. The patio is outside to the left, and has lots of seating and a big screen outside as well for more sports viewing. Pictures of rock icons, sports banners and flat screen TV’s dominate the walls, though there is some nice interior brick along a couple sides. It’s very dimly lit but it’s also a large space that is easy to navigate and holds a lot of people without feeling cramped.

The beer selection is decent, especially for a sports bar in this part of town. In addition to a small selection in the bottle, there are twenty beers on draft including Chimay White, Goose Island 312, Great Lakes Burning River, Guinness, Harpoon, Heinekin, Landshark, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy (already sold out by 9pm on opening night-oops), Magic Hat #9, Magners Cider, Newcastle, Sam Adams Oktoberfest (for now), Stella and CBC Pale Ale.

The liquor selection is fairly standard but includes a few higher-end options such as Patron Anejo, Johnnie Walker Blue, Jim Beam Black and Devil’s Cut, Red Stag, Makers 46, Macallans Scotch and Woodford Reserve. There were also a few rarer specialty cordials such as Licor 43 and Dekuyper 03 Orange Liquor, among others. Vodka and gin selections were standard. There are five wine options, three from Century Cellars (Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot), Barefoot’s Moscato and Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio.

The food menu is pretty expansive at BBR, and is definitely not limited to burgers. A great selection of appetizers includes calamari, mussels, crab cakes, cheese and veggie plates, house made hummus, and several varieties of shrimp. I saw the veggie plate and the buffalo chicken dip and both had really nice presentation and a good amount of food for the $8 price tag (all appetizers half price during happy hour). Wings, sliders, tacos, soups, and salads all have several options on the menu as well. Highlights from the sandwich list include a Philly Beef wrap, wild mushroom and seafood quesadillas, and a cuban pork panini. There are six options for their gourmet burger choices as well, plus a number of higher end-entrees including lamb chops, hanger steak, various kabobs, mushroom and bacon mac and cheese, and BBR pasta (basil, roasted tomatoes, mussels, shrimp, and blackened chicken in beure blanc).

The staff that I saw on opening night was slightly better than your average bar crew. There are clearly many experienced bar keeps from other venues that are used to the pace and high volume. It seemed like only about a third of the staff was brand new, and all the people I interacted with were friendly, helpful, and professional. The bartenders were about half and half girls and guys, although a team of female cocktail servers arrived as the nigh progressed on. In going for the “rock” part of the name, clearly they made an effort to hire some edgier-looking staff, about half of which sported tattoos and fancy cool person haircuts (at least one legit mohawk). The other half of the staff was universally good looking as well, but all of them in an at-the-gym-every-day way rather than a trendy hip kind of way.

Overall my experience there was good, I’d definitely prefer going to catch a game there rather than a Buffalo Wild Wings or some other chain establishment. The food was good, beer and liquor choices acceptable, and the vibe and décor were pretty well put together. Even though it’s on Vine St I expect BBR will attract a different crowd from the other nearby bars and will certainly offer a good alternative to those with respect to music and food. BBR is at 106 Vine St in Columbus. Happy Hour runs Monday-Friday 3-8pm and specials include ½ price appetizers, $1 PBR drafts, $2 bottles, $3 drafts of some good beers, $4 glasses of wine and $5 specialty cocktails. You can view their full menu selections and a map with directions on their website.