Tag Archives: Johnny’s Tavern

So Long KC, Hello Austin

I’ve been searching for the words for the past month and all I’ve mustered is a bunch of put offs and teases.  So here it goes:  I found a job in Austin and moved there from Kansas City.  What will that do with the blog?  I’m not sure yet.  I always iterate every two years on the design but this kind of change warrants even more.  One thing I can assure you is that I will continue to write in some form.  Whether its under the KCCGD moniker or something else, there will always be a place for ramblings on college football.

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GameDay: A Quick Note to the Waitresses Out There

So I’m sitting here in the kitchen of my favorite KU fan down in Wichita with a wicked Donut Hole rush.  What better time for me to take a moment and talk to all the waitresses out there in sports bar land.  With the crew and all, we usually find ourselves plopped down in bar and stuck there for at least two games.  For some of you waitresses out there, that could mean a table taken for your whole shift.  Because of that, you may not give the best service.  Please don’t.

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Johnny’s Tavern Still Has the Power

It’s been almost a year since we’ve been to Johnny’s Tavern and it took the rest of the season for us to decide that it was the best Barspot for last year.  So, as tradition calls, we found ourselves back at Johnny’s Tavern at the Power & Light District to enjoy the first full Saturday of college football.  The bar hasn’t changed much but just enough for us to take notice.  The food specials knocked us out but the games were kind of so so.  Read on as we go over Johnny’s Tavern and recount the action on the field.

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Barspotting: Johnny’s On the Spot Again

We are back again going out to the best of what Kansas City sports bars has to offer in terms of college football.  Like the storied tradition of college football, we have a tradition of going back to the best bar of last year to start out this season for KC College Gameday.  We had no way of knowing back at the beginning of last September that Johnny’s in the Power & Light would be the best but here we are planning the first Barspot of the year down there.  With every television fit into every nook and cranny as well as the crazy touch table poker game, Johnny’s hit the spot on all things needed for a great sport viewing experience.  So come back out with us Saturday as we head back out there to enjoy Johnny’s and scoff at that ridiculous KC College Live thingy going on in the outdoor area.

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Brooksider Brings Us the Best in Football and Bars

Ahh, nothing like a good ole familiar barspot to round out the year and watch some major championship games. This will be our third year in row heading to the Brooksider Bar & Grill and it’s well worth it. We’ll go over this year’s additions as well as revisit some of the amenities that make the Brooksider to place to be for sports watching. Most importantly however, we have the SEC and the Big 12 Championship game to buckle up and ride along with. So hold on and we’ll tell the tale of the year’s last barspot.

Broosider Inside

This time around the first thing we noticed was how open the joint was. We can’t remember if it happened last year or not, but the they knocked down some walls to make it more open and pleasing. We swear they added even more flat screen televisions since our last appearance. And, yes, we still love the 71 inch plasma television. They added wireless and we were rocking it for the post during the games. There’s nothing else new we really noticed. They still have plenty of space for smoking outside, dancing downstairs, and local bands up front.

Brooksider Downstairs

The Brooksider wasn’t without its faults, however. We understand that fans are needed to circulate air, especially in smoking joints, but it was little ridiculous in this kind of weather. Speaking of which, the front door kept opening up and letting in some wickedly cold air. For their next expansion they need a breeze way. Downstairs used to be the place where the dancing and partying took place, but it’s all gone now. Thank you dress code. To make up for it, they have special parties booked down there, but when we were there it was empty and smelled like sewage. Clean it up, guys.

Brooksider Waitress

The service started out really cool. The first shift waitresses looked pretty cute and they did do a good job of taking orders and accommodation our sitting needs. The 2nd shift waitresses met the standards the Brooksider set as they all matched the beauty we remembered from last time. Although it was a little troublesome when they didn’t know all of the bottles available for the special, they still hooked us up when we needed.

Brooksider Mac N Cheese WedgesBrooksider Bologna

The food always starts with Mac N Cheese Wedges at the Brooksider. We ended up washing it down with their game day special of 5 bucket beers at $15. Get the imports for that deal when you come. It was hard to overlook the $5.99 wing special but the wedges always warms our bellies well. For the second round of foodstuff, we filled our tummy with some fried bologna on toast. It was tasty, but it still doesn’t beat Harry’s Country Club.

We showed up early to knock out a good seat and we were glad we did. We spied the dramatic finish of the Big East title game with 2 touchdowns below 2 minutes to go in the game. It was a shootout all day but Cincinnati pulled out at the end to finish with an undefeated season. We were also fortunate to check out the finish of the Fresno State and Illinois game. A 2 point conversion off a touchdown happened after a deflection and a lineman catch. Already the day started out great.

Brooksider Inside 02

But we were really there to see Florida take on Alabama and Texas take on Nebraska. First up, Florida and Alabama locked horns in the in the SEC title game. It was all Alabama to begin with as Mark Ingrim ran all over the Gator D and Florida had a hard time answering. Florida finally put some points with a field goal around the end of the 1st quarter. Tim Tebow and company tried to keep up in the 2nd quarter, but couldn’t match Alabama’s running game. The Crimson Tide pulled away in the third and their stingy defense was just too much for Tebow to handle. The Gators were outmatched and the better team in Alabama won. Contrats to them.

Next up was the Big 12 title game with Texas and Nebraska. The first half opened up with a couple of costly turnovers for Colt McCoy and the Longhorns. Not to be outdone, Zac Lee lobbed a couple of ducks Texas’ way. It was field position that was the factor as Nebraska took advantage of the turnovers and went up on top 6-0. It took some whittling down, but Texas came back toward the end of the first half and scored on a McCoy draw to cap off a long drive. Not much action for the first half as it was Nebraska’s style of play all the way.

Brooksider Christams Tree

The second half continued in that tradition and it led to a shocker of a finish. We could talk about the third quarter, but the best part of the whole game ended at the end. After a kick return back into Texas’ territory, Nebraska finished again with a field goal to take the lead late. The kickoff wobbled out of bounds and Texas started with the ball and under a minute to go at their own 40.

After a horse collar tackle and a couple of plays, it was down to the last couple of seconds of play. Colt McCoy took the snap in the hopes of running down the clock. He floated the pass out of bounds with no time left on the clock. Or was there? After a review, the Longhorns did have one second. The kicker for Texas lined up and punched in a kick at the end of the game to beat Nebraska and put Texas in the BCS Championship game. Instant Classic.

The Brooksider Bar & Grill lived up to expectations, but they are starting to get a little shaky. Places like Johnny’s Tavern in the Power & Light district is coming up fast to match their stellar service. As for the BCS College Football Championship, we now have a clearer picture. Bowl Season is just upon us and we’re hoping that all of the games are exciting as the majority of the games over the weekend. Hopefully, our breath will be caught up in time just to lose it again.

Johnny’s Tavern has the Power and the Light


We were very skeptical when we strolled toward the Johnny’s Tavern setup on the corner of the Power & Light District in Downtown Kansas City.  We’ve been to a couple of places around there before and the experiences were weak.  We had some hope, however, as Johnny’s Tavern came through for us before.  After spending the afternoon there we can say it is the best bar in the district.  The food was great, the poker game was loads of fun, and the games on the screens were stellar.   If you own or work at a bar around that area, read on to see how to make it successful.

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