Home / Arts and Entertainment / Flyer Profile: The Smoke & Barrel Tavern

Flyer Profile: The Smoke & Barrel Tavern

In the blink of an eye, a new bar has moved in on Dickson Street and come this weekend, you can feast your eyes (and liver) on it for the first time.

The Smoke & Barrel Tavern is setting out to create something a little different on Dickson Street while keeping a few must-haves in live music and of course, alkeehol. Delicious, delicious alkeehol.

Located directly behind Jose’s (formerly Toothpicks) at 324 W. Dickson, The Smoke & Barrel Tavern officially opens its doors this Friday (Dec 12th) for what three local business owners hope to be the first of many nights to remember.

We asked owner Evan McDonald a few questions and he was kind enough to fill us in:

Fayetteville Flyer: Who’s behind this place and are y’all from around here?
Evan McDonald: The owners are Joe Utsch, Sammie Stephenson, and me, Evan McDonald. I’m from Little Rock originally, but moved to Fayetteville after graduating from college, and came to realize that this is my home and I’ll never leave. Sammie is a local boy through and through. I’m downright amazed at how many people he knows in this town. Joe is our expatriate Minnesotan, but he’s lived in Fayetteville long enough to curse the cold with the best of us.

FF: Give us a brief rundown of what The Smoke & Barrel Tavern is. In other words, what’s your elevator pitch?
EM: Fine whiskey, good smoke, and excellent beer. We set out to make the Smoke & Barrel different from everything else Dickson Street has to offer. I mean, we’re all in this together, but it seems that there is a lack of relaxed, spacious places to hang out and actually carry on a conversation, perhaps playing a game of chess or dominos. A bar for the rest of us.

FF: Have you changed things around on the inside since the place was occupied by Toothpicks?
EM: We’ve knocked out two walls, built an extension to the bar, stripped the carpet, refurbished the concrete floors, did a lot of great tile work, and slapped a fresh coat of paint on everything.

FF: We’re assuming you guys are whiskey fans. What’s your all-time favorite?
EM: Sammie grew up on Crown, but he’s really into McCallan these days. Joe’s a gin man. Just a sniff of a G&T and he’s grinning from ear to ear. I’m into bourbons of all kinds: Woodford Reserve, Makers, Old Granddad, but I’ll always have a place in my heart of hearts for that Wild Turkey 101.

FF: How many different whiskeys will you be offering? A million?
EM: We have 38, but that was only the first order. The scotches outnumber the bourbons right now, but we’ll see about that. We’ll see, indeed.

FF: How about the tobacco and beer selections? What can we expect?
EM: Ok, about the tobacco. Our landlord, Neil Crawford, is really going out on a limb by letting us tag along on Jose’s liquor license. It’s why we’re able to open up so quickly (we only started re-modeling 2 weeks ago), but it means that we have to obey all the same rules that they do. Which means, no smoking inside. Rest assured, we are working as quickly as possible to remedy the situation. We want to offer cigars, rolling and pipe tobacco, as well as imported cigarettes and cigarillos. The ventilation in the place is already fantastic, with plenty of air intakes, really high ceilings, and a gigantic air filter. We want to appeal just as much to the non-smokers. To be honest, Joe is the only full-time smoker. I’m an occasional pipe and cigar smoker and Sammie was man enough to quit cigarettes cold turkey this summer and hasn’t looked back since.

As far as beer is concerned, we have 6 taps already and plan to add more as we go along. The idea is to rotate beers constantly, reflecting seasonal changes, new trends, and our own personal whims. Those that our customers show a serious interest in, earn a permanent tap. The same goes for bottles and for cans, the true future of micobrewed beer. Speaking of which, now would be a perfect time to note that we hope, fortune favoring the bold, to install a brewing system in the former kitchen by the end of 2009. We’re all home brewers and Sammie was the assistant at the Hog Haus for over a year, under three different brewmasters. It’s safe to say we’re beer nerds. I’m not trying to make you think we’re beer snobs. We’ve got Pabst Blue Ribbon for a buck all the time, for god’s sake, but it’s high time this town had an alternative venue for hand-crafted beers.

FF: What hours are y’all gonna be open?
EM: 1 p.m. till 2 a.m. every day of the week.

FF: Are you planning to have live music at all?
EM: Oh boy are we! Opening night, this Friday, the 12th, we’ve got Benjamin del Shreve for a solo show. Then the next night, we’ve got the lovely Opal Fly. Mr. del Shreve you may well be aware of, but Opal is tragically unknown in this city. She is not only a great sax player, but she posesses the sweetest, most beautiful voice. She’s really a true Arkansas gem. And then next week we have a really awesome, humbling line-up. On Thursday, the 18th, we’re celebrating Sarah Hughes’ triumphant, if brief, return to Fayetteville. Friday, the 19th we’ve got the Pope County Bootleggers picking and grinning, with a special drink offer to be announced. Then Saturday, the 20th, we’re making room for the enourmous talent of American Princes! Plus, there will be two opening bands: The Good Fear and Memphis Pencils. Don’t wear your best pair of socks, because Saturday night is going to rock them right off your feet. All this for only 5 bucks at the door. Our goal is to never have a cover, but with a band like the Princes, you just have to. That being said, none of the other shows I mentioned will have a cover charge and we promise to keep the prices reasonable when we do. Also, it’s Neil Lord’s (of Memphis Pencils) birthday that night so we’re hoping to have a giant sing-a-long.

As far as local music is concerned, we’re up for anything. If anyone wants to get a gig, send me a cd and a phone number. If I dig it, we’ll talk about booking. If I really dig it, we’ll play it in the bar when we don’t have live music. The music prospects in this town make me giddy. I want to work hard to show this town as much of its own talent as I can.

FF: What kinds of specials do you have in the works? A happy hour maybe?
EM: You mean besides the one dollar PBR all the time? All our well drinks are always three dollars. I’m not talking Bellows or Heaven Hill, either, but Sauza and Pinnacle. As far as happy hours, we’ve been trying to get our own bar for years, ALL our hours are happy.

FF: This is kinda off subject but did any of you guys see the new James Bond movie yet? Just curious.
EM: Man, we’re opening a bar, who has time for movies?!? I did like that theme song, though. I’m a sucker for Jack White. And kudos to Fiesta for doing those 4 dollar flicks. If I get a chance, I really want to see “Zack and Miri”.

FF: Anything we missed? Any final thoughts?
EM: Email: smokeandbarrel@gmail.com for any comments, questions, or concerns. And, on a personal note, I hope to see Jtrain, Ted Dancin’, Total Bastard, George, sofresh-n-sogay, yrfuneralmytrial, Angel Lust, Squige, and Boggy Creek Creature out this weekend. Introduce yourselves, ya’ll. Your secret’s safe with us.

Comments

The Fayetteville Flyer doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy.

Trackbacks

• Weekend - December 19, 20, 21 :: Fayetteville Flyer
• To-Do tonight: 1-14-09 :: Fayetteville Flyer
• Weekend: Jan 23, 24, 25 :: Fayetteville Flyer