Chef and restaurateur Brannon Florie says that he decided to close On Forty-One, one of his four restaurants, this September to reopen the location as an adult-friendly barcade and dive bar. The Basement — with a dozen arcade games, large-screen TVs, shuffleboard, darts, foosball, and beer/shot combos for $5 — is now open at 1055 Hwy. 41.
“The whole point is to simplify my life,” says Florie, who also owns and operates Pier 22, Pier 41, and runs the kitchen at Commonhouse Aleworks. Running four restaurants doesn’t sound simple, exactly, but he urges that The Basement will be far-more-pared down than the chef-driven concept behind On Forty-One.
They’ll still have “really good food,” but the seating will be more communal, and Florie hopes folks will come with their pals for football games and a dozen wings, not a sit-down, multi-course meal. “I’ve always wanted a dive bar, it kind of feels like that.”
He says they’ll start to incorporate nightly entree specials once they get their feet under them, bringing back On Forty-One favorites like smoked pork chop, prime rib, and country-fried steak.
Right now you can order apps like soft pretzels with beer cheese, truffle fries, potato skins, confit duck-fried tots, smoked wings with dry and wet sauce options, and smoked pork nachos; cast iron-baked mac and cheese with a choice to add bacon, chicken, pork, or brisket; and sandwiches like a smash burger, Nashville hot chicken, duck club, and fancy grilled cheese.
On the drink side of things, the list isn’t very dive-y — you want a Hemingway daiquiri or a Boulevardier? You got it. Seven local craft on draft? You betcha. But you can grab a Natty Light for a buck fifty and all-day specials include $4 Jager shots and dealer’s choice beer and shot combos for $5.
Florie says he doesn’t have any beauty shots of the restaurant yet — it’s pretty dark inside with newly tinted windows. “We wanted to transform the space, the first thing I really wanted to do was make the game room like an old living room from the ’70s or ’80s with wood-paneled walls, we’ve got taxidermy and old PBR signs, neons signs.”
The Basement is open nightly from 4-12 p.m. Check out the full food and drink menus below:
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