Free Beer Samples Dec 16th

"Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
-Frank Sinatra

In these tough economic times, we need to remember what is important. A daytime drink is one of the most dignified activities in a civilized world. And the Royale is here to help during these tough times.

Tuesday 11:30-4pm

Unemployment special(samples open for all regardless of work status): free beer samples and Missouri beer specials. We got to keep our scrilla close.

Participants subject to a Royale draft: S'mores kits manufacturing and cocktail napkin haiku reviews on demand.

Hungry and times are really though and love to spin records? Free lunch to whomever is down to throw down, just send me a set list for review.

The Royale is open to smokers and non-smokers alike. Just step outside if you want to drag. We are located on the southside, on Kingshighway just south of Arsenal accessible off the #30 and #95.

peace and prosperity,

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith
Tavernkeeper
The Royale Food & Spirits
3132 South Kingshighway
STL, MO 63139
314-772-3600

www.theroyale.com
www.stlstreets.com

Final Debate Party tonight!

Reminder that the Royale will be hosting a final Presidential debate watch party tonight. The debate starts at 8 and goes to about 9:30. We will be running a special menu this evening for the peoples with specials on vegi burgers and all american hot dogs. We will also debut an exclusive cocktail "That One" which consists of whiskey, cinnamon and cider.

We will also have pumpkin carving in the backyard for any who want to make some election themed pumpkins. We already have a few carved (thank you Leslie and Kelly.) Check out http://yeswecarve.com/

We still have Obama shirts available, especially the popular South Side for Obama shirts- this is the last run we are going to get, so get them now before they are out! All money after the cost of the shirts is going to the Obama campaign. http://www.myspace.com/southside4obama

We also will have a select number of the Shepard Fairey posters and some yard signs that we will be giving away after a history quiz after the debates.

This crew contacted me and plans on stopping by on Saturday night:

"The Obama Mobile (www.artthechange.org/obamamobile): a VW bus painted with Obama Stencil Art is traveling across the country through each swing state in order to bolster hope & energy, galvanize local volunteers, support grassroot campaign efforts and generate media attention. The bus is half-way through its trip and will be stopping in St. Louis this coming Friday and Saturday. The bus is a moving political art station engaging people with stencil t-shirt, yard sign and mural-making projects. A filmmaker is documenting the mobile's swing state trek in order to capture the vibrant grassroots nature of the Obama campaign. Join up with the Obama Mobile during its stay at one of the following locations:

Friday Evening 5pm – 10pm - "The Loop" University City (on Delmar)

Saturday morning 10am – noon – Central West End

Saturday afternoon 2pm – 6pm – South Grand

Saturday evening 8pm – 1:30am the Royale"

VP Debates party at the Royale tomorrow

So the Royale will be hosting the Vice Presidential Debates on 
Thursday night October 2nd.  We had a fun and feisty crowd down here 
for the Prez debates last Friday, and feel free to stop in to watch 
Biden square off with Palin, and with that kind of lineup this debate 
could reach into the area of sitcom.  The party starts at 7, debate at 
8 with food and drink available to order.  The debates will be 
captioned and played over the indoor and outdoor house system, and the 
fire pits will be in full effect for the outdoor courtyard.   Consider 
getting down here early and grabbing a bite to eat with happy hour 
specials in full effect until 6pm.

All good citizens, residents and roustabouts are welcome regardless of 
affiliation of party, campaign or otherwise.  Civil public discourse 
is encouraged.  We unfortunately are out of Obama yard signs, but I 
would like to thank everyone who gave their cocktail napkin essays on 
their favorite President.  I would also like to remind people that the 
deadline to register to vote is in next Wednesday, so bring some 
friends down and register them here at the bar.  Remember- everyone 
who lives in Missouri needs to vote in Missouri!  Change of address- 
register again right here at the Royale!

I usually have a longer detailed account and updates about the Royale, 
but I have a full day I need to get to right now!  If I am not there 
on Thursday night, don't fret.  I have put in to be a local driver for 
the Biden crew while they are in town for the debates.  Being a driver 
was one of my favorite jobs.  I was a driver at Saint Louis University 
for my work study, and I have done all sorts of delivery/driving since 
from hauling carnival games to escorting a company of South Korean 
businessmen.  I still hold my full out class B CDL. The best driving 
job I had was driving trucks to Mexico!!  I hope I get to drive some 
of the Biden officials to Mexico.

Find out more about driving at: http://tinyurl.com/43wfcn

United We Stand! Register to Vote! & more

So this is going to be a more interesting Royale email.  So pay attention!! There is much to digest.

I Register to vote
II DNC & RNC viewings
III Yard Signs available
IV Misc

I Register to vote

Even if you have not made up your mind on the election this fall make sure you *register* to vote and make sure you go to the polls.  We have voter registration forms behind the bar.  The final day of registration for Missouri is October 8th.

This is a very important election year, so please please if you live in Missouri, REGISTER IN MISSOURI.  Are you currently on a short stay out of town and miss the election?  BE SURE TO REGISTER AND VOTE IN MISSOURI.  You can get an absentee ballot, but be sure to do it in time!

So maybe you are already registered to vote?  Well I am sure you have some friends or family that might not be registered, so bring your unregistered friends down for a drink or bring your grandmother for lunch and ask the bartender about registering to vote. 

Here is an online resource if you don't get a chance to belly up to the bar: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/s_default.asp?id=voter

II DNC and RNC viewing parties

So this week has been the big DNC party in Denver.  There have been viewing parties every night.  The Young Dems of STL are hosting a big party for Barack Obama's acceptance speech will be at the Moolah Theater on Lindell across from SLU. 

There are other parties around town but the Royale will be holding a more low-key viewing party on Thursday.

However, the Royale will also be doing a first- holding a viewing party for the RNC next week for John McCain's acceptance speech on Sept 4th.  Invites for Sept 4th viewing party are extended to all Americans; Democrats, Republicans and the thirsty.  All those concerned about the future of our country.  Regardless of what you think of the President Bush, John McCain and Republicans or even Barack Obama and the Democrats we are all Americans who are here to make this country work.

Yes, I have put a series of paintings on the side of the building supporting our choice for the next President of the US, Barack Obama.  You may differ, but the point is to find out as much as possible and make up your own mind.  So come down to the Royale to discuss with your neighbors about the future of our country. 

III Yard Signs

We have Barack Obama yard signs!!  The Royale purchased a number of yard signs from the STL Young Dems and we have a special offer if you are looking to obtain one at no cost.

So just email me a story, haiku, picture, video about your favorite President(or prez candidate) of the United States.  Please keep it clean kids, my mother is going to review the pieces!  Then we will let you know when to pick up the signs!

If you don't want to mess around with my tomfoolery for the signs, you can buy them through the YDSTL
online: http://www.youngdems.com/
or email: ydstlouis@gmail.com

IV Misc

Check out this interesting column by Sylvester Brown here:
http://tinyurl.com/5p3byy 
(FYI I do not expect a big crowd for the speech Thursday)

We have a few other things going on this fall at the Royale, so pay attention!

Peace

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith
Proprietor
The Royale Food & Spirits
3132 South Kingshighway
STL, MO 63139
314-772-3600

www.theroyale.com
www.stlstreets.com

Running out of Gas and Correspondence

So I ran out of gas about two weeks ago on a trip back from Columbia. I took my motorcycle to interview a candidate for state rep for my video blog. I was so embarrassed about running out of gas that I didn't tell anyone for a while. But I lucked out. And my luck has been documented!

I mounted a camera to the back of my motorcycle(thanks Dilip), and the following is video of me running out of gas on Hwy 70 between Columbia and the STL. The video shows me departing Columbia and then cuts to about 5o miles east of Columbia where I run out of fuel.

Second is a copy of my post the The Royale website thanking the man Patrick who helped me out.

The third is a response from Patrick mailed to me by US Mail on Saturday.

#1 Video of me running out of gas:

Click To Play

#2 Link and my post to the Royale site:

Thank you to Patrick

Filed under: News, Events, Blog, Managers Blog — July 29, 2008 @ 8:33 pm

Hello Patrick,

I would like to thank you. I met you last week on a stretch of Hwy 70 somewhere between here and Columbia. I was riding my motorcycle I just picked up. I was pushing it and trying not to stop. I was almost out of gas, but I was unsure of exactly when I was going to run out of gas. You see, on a new motorcycle some reserve tanks have more gas than others. And I was only at 116 miles on my tank.

But alas, I bought a gas pig of a motorbike. A Yamaha VMax. It is a fun bike, but oink oink!!

So Patrick, thank you for helping me out last Wednesday. I coasted into the rest stop, for I was out of fuel. I coasted next to an old mobile home with a trailer. I noticed a small sign on the trailer that read “Laverda Mid-Ohio.”

I felt a sense of relief. Laverda is a scooter and motorcycle brand from Italy. Patrick, thank you. I saw you at the rest stop having lunch with your daughter.

Thank you for taking your time to help me out. And I hope you had fun out in Ohio with your different hot rods at the rally. That hopped up Laverda street buggy looks crazy fun.

I heard you were in tonight for dinner. I was upstairs finishing up a few things, so dang I missed ya! Thanks for stopping down.

Thank you Patrick, I owe you one!

I love America!

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith

#3 The letter then sent to me by my fellow traveler and good Samaritan:

Video of the Obama Royale!

Click To Play

Here is the video of installation of the painted Shepherd Fairey designs on the side of the Royale. We interview Richard Rodriguez, the creator/painter of the pieces that are now on the side of the Royale.

Here is the invite once again to Saturday's party:



Young Democrats of Greater St. Louis invite you to the unveiling party for three Obama Campaign Billboard sized paintings on the exterior of the Royale Food and Spirits Saturday July 19th from 4p-10pm.

Richard Rodriguez has created a series of 9 foot by 6 foot paintings based on the print artist Shepherd Fairey's renderings of the Barack Obama presidential campaign posters: Hope, Change and Progress. See the set here.

Here is more about Shepherd Fairey from the Washington Post's article on the guerilla nature of his work:
Who knows how many do-it-yourself reproductions of Fairey's Obama have been scanned off the Internet. "I have no idea. I think a lot," says the artist, who put the image on the Web in a downloadable file. "I've seen it on stencils, fliers, shirts, Web sites, places we had nothing to do with." Copyright infringement? No, no, no. "This is exactly what I wanted to happen." This isn't a limited-edition print. It's unlimited. He charged $25 to $45 for the first runs of 950 posters, to pay for the printing of the all the rest, which were free. Fairey says he hasn't made a dime off Obama nor does he think he has unfairly glommed onto the candidate.

Richard Rodriguez created these paintings "to do my small part to get Obama elected president...."

What: Obama Royale!
Where: The Royale Food and Spirits
3132 South Kingshighway
Saint Louis, MO 63139
www.theroyale.com
314-772-3600
When: Saturday July 19 4pm-10pm

Obama Royale!

Young Democrats of Greater St. Louis invite you to the unveiling party for three Obama Campaign Billboard sized paintings on the exterior of the Royale Food and Spirits Saturday July 19th from 4p-10pm.

Richard Rodriguez has created a series of 9 foot by 6 foot paintings based on the print artist Shepherd Fairey's renderings of the Barack Obama presidential campaign posters: Hope, Change and Progress. See the set here.

Here is more about Shepherd Fairey from the Washington Post's article on the guerilla nature of his work:
Who knows how many do-it-yourself reproductions of Fairey's Obama have been scanned off the Internet. "I have no idea. I think a lot," says the artist, who put the image on the Web in a downloadable file. "I've seen it on stencils, fliers, shirts, Web sites, places we had nothing to do with." Copyright infringement? No, no, no. "This is exactly what I wanted to happen." This isn't a limited-edition print. It's unlimited. He charged $25 to $45 for the first runs of 950 posters, to pay for the printing of the all the rest, which were free. Fairey says he hasn't made a dime off Obama nor does he think he has unfairly glommed onto the candidate.

Richard Rodriguez created these paintings "to do my small part to get Obama elected president...."

What: Obama Royale!
Where: The Royale Food and Spirits
3132 South Kingshighway
Saint Louis, MO 63139
www.theroyale.com
314-772-3600
When: Saturday July 19 4pm-10pm

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith
Proprietor
The Royale Food & Spirits
3132 South Kingshighway
STL, MO 63139
314-772-3600

www.theroyale.com
www.stlstreets.com

So much going on- O the haters!

So much has been going on, and I have not had a chance to post a normal blog post in a while. I have been doing the MTV thing which has been interesting, but much more work than I had anticipated. What was I thinking? Hey, now I actually can shoot and edit video halfway decent. It just took a while. I took a class at KDHX and have regular tutoring sessions at the Mac store. It is odd doing "professional" blogging, especially in such an odd forum as this MTV site. The thing is more formal than I was expecting. That is okay, it is regulatin' my writin'.

I finally got some decent stuff up there, and with a lil' help with some friends I have been able to cover more than I had originally. I will link to it when I get a few more pieces up, but if you want to find it, you can find it if you dig. I will probably offer some commentary on this site that is not proper for that site here soon.

Quick updates-
spring has been bumping. Our business has been explosive since we went smoke free. I will do a formal overly statistical analysis on that later. But needless to say, last year was crazy in the spring. Last year was nuthin' compared to this year. Overall I have gotten props from everyone. Friends. Patrons. Smokers. Old folks. Young folks. Hipsters. Old time bar flies. Everyone loves it.

Now there have been a few detractors. Now I can't say exactly how many are hatin', for most haters would mutter outside of my earshot. But I know that my good crew of smokers come in with the same regularity. Johnny. Heather. Mark. Lou. Vanessa. Todd. We still love them. They still love us. There is still a lot of love.

But sometimes there is not so much love. I hit some of the hate when I was down on the Landing of all places, seein' Pokey LaFarge, and I stepped up the bar to grab a drink. While I have a natural aversion to the Landing, I do like drinking close to the river while listening to hobo music.

"I hate your bar!"

"Excuse me?"

This woman was next to me at the bar and recognized me. She had a sour look on her face.

"I hate your bar! You asked me if you wanted to go no smoking, and I typed back and told you!"

"Pardon me?"

"You won't let me smoke in your bar!"

I was taken aback. I do get haters expressing themselves to me justified and otherwise, but I was not expecting such a sharp unprovoked expression of hatred. Being in the business, I have learned to take it in stride.

"Well, I did read your opinion. You were one of nine people that wanted to keep it smoking. I am sure you noticed that the others who wrote in that really wanted the smoke free."

She kept this near fury in her eyes affixed upon me.

"You know I live above the bar. It is my house."

She looked like she was starting to snarl.

"Okay, well, you are more than welcome to come down. I now know you hate the place, but let me assure you, you are still very much welcome down and smoke. All you gotta do is step outside for a square." I then tipped my hat, grabbed my drinks, threw down a tip and moved on.

O, being diplomatic can be an art. Amazing how such a simple little policy keeps the haters out. We got a few tricks that do that.

***

So I got some other news too- we are still working hard on Cherokee Street. Some progress will hopefully be made despite some absurd setbacks. It is a bit complicated and I am hesitant to go into it too much until I have better news.

Um, I sold my Honda CB750 motorbike and picked up a Yamaha Vmax. I am selling the Cadillac. No plans on another car until next year. Once I sell the Eldog I will be down to one 12 year old car and one 12 year old bike. I can't complain. Then in the next year I will drop the bike and car and get a Buick. I also need a new pedal bike, for my old one got ganked last week.

Er, I have an annoying new bloggy type of activity. It is called twitter. You might notice it to the right. It gives you way more information that you really want to know about my activity. It is addictive.

I am going to some fights on Thursday night. Demetrius is fighting. It will be at Grbic. I am looking forward to it. I got a table.

I do have some fun blog posts, but I need to get a few seconds to catch up.

Poetry

So I got an email from a friend giving me a heads up about a poem. He told me all about the poem for there was a personal connection. The poem was about me. Although I didn't get to hear the actual poem, this poem got me thinking back to when I first discovered poetry.

My first introduction to public poetry was back in the winter of 89 over at a bar in Benton Park. My friend Jim and I had a car and were properly credentialed so we went to Benton Park to get a drink and see some poetry at this mysterious bar. I remember getting carded and walking into the place. It was surreal. It was new and had a reputation. And it delivered. It was visually amazing. And then we bought two drinks and listened to this guy scream up on the stage. I am pretty sure it was Paul Stewart. He would slowly walk through the house swaying back and forth like Frankenstein. He would shout "PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES!!!!" over and over. And it was all done in a sing song manner. The poet seemed so distressed and slightly deranged. But it was fun/funny. He was shouting about peanut butter sandwiches, which is my favorite food. I liked it, but I didn't go back to that bar in Benton Park or any poetry night for a few years, instead opting to test my credentials at Kennedy's to slam dance to the Nukes, the Urge and Sinister Dane. That was more my thing.

Now my full introduction of public poetry was a few years later in the early 90s. I used to work at Mangia Italiano. That was a trip. It was a few owners ago. I worked for Doc and the fantastic Micci. It was a trip on the raw and homey South Grand in those days. Micci usually walked around with her bird, Claudia, on her shoulder. Claudia was cool too. She would hide the bird in a cabinet every time the health inspector would come by. I worked poetry night, so that meant I sold a lot of ice teas with no dinners and everyone was allowed to go up and say whatever they wanted to. That was something else.

Bob and Sherri hosted most of the poetry nights. This was before they opened the Way Out Club. It was quite fun having them host those evenings with that crowd. Bob would get up every once in a while and riff. He pretty much does it on KDHX now with his always pleasing Barroom Bob segments between Collateral Damage and Topic A. I don't know if it would fit in to everyone's interpretation of poetry, but I would say that a lot of things that are said on poetry nights would not be defined as poetry by many. I have a pretty loose interpretation of poetry after being subjected to a weekly dose of poetry over a few years. I had gone up to say a few things, oh, maybe two or three times at those readings. I think I have only done it once since. I don't particularly care for public speaking and my spoken content is very mediocre and pretty boring, but Bob would coax me to do it so I always felt better about it. I would speak usually at the end of the night when no one was paying any more attention or way early when no one was there.

I have some interesting stories about the poetry nights at Mangia. I will save those for later.

But what about this personal poem?

So apparently there was a poem about me at the Get Born poetry readings over at Duff's. Oh, I feel special. The poem was written and performed by a former busser that worked here at the Royale. We had hosted the Get Born readings once. I can only imagine what was said. Seriously. I don't know if it was recorded or published. I am honored that I have been the subject of public poetry. I am actually amazed someone would spend time writing a poem and then reciting the poem in public. Maybe they will do a series. That would be sad. And a little creepy.

It is poetry after all.

P.S.

Apparently Get Born is having a reading tonight, March 3, over at Mangia Italiano, 3145 South Grand.

Results from the Royale Caucus

I don't have time to go into the full detail via text, but here is a fantastic video put together by Bill Streeter of Lofistl and Antonio French of Pubdef of the Caucus at the Royale. Barack Obama won the first Royale Democratic Presidential Caucus. It is a great vid, and it was a great night. Thank you to Ron Auer, Martin Casas, Lacy Clay, Alvin Reid, Dave Drebes, Bob Holden, Steve Gregali, Antonio French, Bill Streeter, Brian Wahby, the crew at the Royale and many more who helped and participated.