Eclectic is a word that tends to get overused in the food and beverage industry (admittedly, the Louisville Happy Hour Examiner is as guilty as anyone at times). Wine, craft beer or fine bourbon can have an eclectic taste ("The unusually wet spring Napa Valley incurred in 2007 left this particular Cabernet with an eclectic aftertaste of tropical fruit and old-world earthiness.") restaurants can have eclectic menus ("Chef Fisher has created an eclectic menu that includes both classics like Spaghetti Bolognese and funky Spanish-style tapas.") and bars - bars like The Monkey Wrench - can draw eclectic crowds ("Given its penchant for hosting live bluegrass and its subscription to DirecTV Sunday Ticket, The Monkey Wrench patrons tend to be loyal customers, if an eclectic bunch.").
So then, how does one explain The Monkey Wrench without it? Assorted. Diverse. Heterogeneous. Multifarious. All these work, sure. They're also all synonyms for the word. So let's face it, The Monkey Wrench is undoubtedly an eclectic place.
How so, you say?
Well:
Every Wednesday night a pack of hipsters on mopeds rides by my apartment (and scares the hell out of my dog) on their way to a weekly meeting at TMW. Hours later, every Wednesday at 9pm, the bluegrass group Relic (they're good, there's no cover, go) takes the stage.
Every Friday and Saturday in the summer the upstairs open air bar is packed, with button-up shirt clad ya-dudes, after-shift industry folk, musicians, artists, jocks and everything between.
On Sunday afternoons in the fall, the dimly lit downstairs bar is littered with hungover guys in Bengals, Colts, Steelers, Bears, Titans, Rams, and (when yours truly is there) Patriots gear, watching six different games at once, drinking High Life* served up by a pierced and inked bartender under a ceiling blanketed with (mostly local) concert posters.
Add a full menu, a location at the crossroads of the Highlands and Germantown neighborhoods, Project Improv the last Sunday of every month, open mic Wednesdays, Connect Four game night Tuesdays, DJ Kim Sorise every Thursday, a Sunday brunch buffet and new scheduled/featured events every month, and it's easy to see why The Monkey Wrench tends to bring in an - you guessed it - eclectic crowd.
Of course, all these seemingly discordant events and themes run the risk of turning TMW into a bar version of Babu's restaurant in that episode of Seinfeld. For whatever reason though, the lack of identity - is it a dive bar? a sports bar? a live music space? - works just fine for TMW. After all, there's a reason people - no matter what walk of life they're from - keep coming back.
Happy Hour and Daily Specials:
- Tuesday - Thursday, 5-7pm: $2 Domestic drafts, $2.50 wells
- Tuesday: $5 Burgers, $6 specialty burgers
- Thursday: "Pizza & Pints" $5.50 one-topping pizzas, $3 select drafts
*During the last (2009) NFL season, The Monkey Wrench offered $5 pizzas and $2 domestics starting at kickoff time every Sunday. No word on game day specials for 2010, but be sure to check the Louisville Happy Hour Examiner page for updates.
(502) 582-2433
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