by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Mudville Grille is named after the fictional baseball team in the poem “Casey at the Bat”, immortalized by Disney in an entertaining cartoon version of the poem, which is where I remember it from. The name is an excellent choice for this sports bar because the poem embodies the passion Americans feel for their sports and sport figures.
It’s clear that a passion for sports lives at the Mudville Grille because of all the sports memorabilia that decorates the walls. Baseball figures like Babe Ruth stare back at you, bat in hand. Each piece was collected by the owners and much of it revolves around our own Jaguars. Super Bowl memorabilia (including T-shirts) are displayed for purchase as well. The banks of television sets assure that you won’t miss whatever game you might want to watch; it’ll probably be on one of them.
The bar is full liquor, including a small wine selection and beer. Beer can be bought by the pitcher, on draft, by the bottle or in a “Mud” bucket. A “Mud” bucket has your choice of six domestic longnecks.
The menu at Mudville Grille promises bar food, in all its fried glory. Not much is written about American bar food because it’s such a given. We eat more of it, but talk less about it. Bar fare is deep-fried American comfort food; even better, you can drink a beer with it. In probably every city in America you can order mozzarella sticks. We order mozzarella sticks, loaded potatoes or Buffalo wings because we know what to expect from them. Bar food is the unsung hero of American cuisine.
But bar food isn’t all you’ll find on the menu at Mudville. Live it up with fresh seafood—oysters steamed or raw, peel and eat shrimp or crab legs. Dinner selections, which are served with a salad and your choice of French fries or baked potatoes, include a monster 16 oz NY strip, a butterfly shrimp platter or a marinated chicken breast.
The most completely unexpected item on the menu is the Wednesday special of Kibee, which is a Middle Eastern paddy of beef and lamb mixed with various spices. It is served with pita bread and hummus. For the less adventurous, a two grilled pork chop special is also available on Wednesdays. Every weekday has a featured special for only $6.95 that includes a soft drink. It’s well worth it to check the chalkboard that also lists other specials currently being honored.
On the appetizer menu, amidst classics like Buffalo chicken fingers, Mudville’s red chile poppers are a standout. Pepper poppers are generally done with a green jalapeño pepper, the red chiles, stuffed with cream cheese and deep fried, are a little less spicy than the usual popper. The peppery raspberry sauce that comes with them lends just the right tones of spicy and sweet to this piquant appetizer. I was happy that the mozzarella sticks didn’t slip from their breading when I bit into them (all too common at chain restaurants). The bite size tater poppers are fried and breaded potato nuggets stuffed with broccoli, bacon and cheese. Broccoli is quite possibly the only food I don’t like, so I let my husband make the judgment on the tater poppers. My husband loved the tater poppers I brought home to him. The loaded potato skins were made from fresh ingredients, not prepackaged ones. As for dinner selections, I tried the butterfly shrimp dinner; its light breading let the tender shrimp speak for itself.
Mudville’s does a brisk business at lunch because of their substantial salads and excellent sandwiches. The Cajun style salad is a favorite at Mudville. Sandwiches come on your choice or white, wheat, pita, sub roll or rye. Selections run from a grilled Reuben to classic ham sandwich to a tuna melt. Take your pick and enjoy!
My server was knowledgeable about the food and was quick with the drink refills. “The Xango’s fried cheese cake,” she said without a hint of hesitation when I asked her what her favorite dessert was. It was indeed a fried, flaky load of cheese cake goodness, artistically decorated with splashes of chocolate syrup, which I happily sopped of with bits of cheese cake.
Much of the bar’s business comes from the regulars who love the neighborhood feel and friendly service at Mudville. Servers and managers and other customers greeted regulars with warmth, calling them by name. (It got so I expected someone to shout “Norm!” when another patron walked in). If you’re looking for a neighborhood place to watch football and kick back a cold one, Mudville is the place to be.
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