The Silver Dollar

This newly opened restaurant is located near the west end of Frankfurt Ave two blocks east of Mellwood Ave inside a beautifully restored fire station. A couple of high profile Hotbyters had a hand in opening this Texas themed honky-tonk and I was excited to check it out for myself in the company of JackieR and Justin Hammond on Friday night.

I arrived first just before 6:00 and noticed that they were actually spinning LPs. Nice touch! I took a seat at the bar near the door and though the restaurant was dimly lit and the print on the menu was small I could see well enough to order a Stone Levitation on tap. At $6 for a 10-12oz pour this place is on the pricey side. Several other tap options were less than the Stone and I switched to Shiner Bock for the rest of the evening. They had an extensive selection of bottled beers and whiskies as well.

Justin and his wife Jennifer came in next and we grabbed a booth and were joined shortly by Jackie. We started with deep fried chicken livers and oysters. Jackie and Justin had chili and Jennifer had shrimp with cornbread stuffing. I had flank steak with poblano sauce and braised greens. The service was attentive and surprisingly, my steak was not over cooked.

Jackie was the project manager for the company providing the Dollar's point of sale system and Justin's company provided the environmental system. Both had spent time in the Dollar prior to our visit and were recognized by the staff. It seemed like half the employees in the place including co-owner Larry Rice made a point to come over to our booth to say hi to Jackie and Justin.

We enjoyed the food, drink, and each other's company for the next two and a half hours. As the night wore on, the place filled with customers and had an energetic vibe. As we were leaving, customers continued to stream in.

I've been in more than a few honky-tonks in Texas and I will say that while the Dollar was unlike any that I experienced there, it did capture the essence of the kicker bar spirit and elevated that venue with higher end amenities and much better food. If you're looking for something a bit different, I think you may like the Dollar. We did. Cheers!

How was the volume?

I SAID, HOW WAS THE VOLUME?

AUTHENTIC, I mean authentic

I've been meaning to write my own review for awhile now, seeing as my gf and I dined there two Wednesdays ago.

The short of it is this:

Food: Quite, quite good.
Service: Quite, quite mediocre, but forgivable given they had just opened.
Price: More than slightly overpriced.

I've thought about this visit since we went. On one hand, the food was quite spectacular. On the other hand, I just found the price to be too much (even if the service had been excellent).

Catfish, w/ a small serving of slaw is roughly 15 bucks. Then the oversized sides which are 2-3 bucks each (good price for the size of the serving). Then a drink. BBC bottles are $6, which is a price point where I just feel like I am being taken advantage of.*

The food is amazing. Quite amazing. If I lived in a world where money wasn't an issue, I'd eat there more. But, seeing as nothing on the menu seems to be cost-friendly, I just don't know how much I will eat there.

[*If we assume 8.99 for a retail six-pack, that's a 400% mark-up. I'd be a buyer at 4.50, but 6.00 just seems like I'm being taken advantage of.]

To end on a positive note - the food is quite good.

I've been meaning to write my own review for awhile now, seeing as my gf and I dined there two Wednesdays ago.

The short of it is this:

Food: Quite, quite good.
Service: Quite, quite mediocre, but forgivable given they had just opened.
Price: More than slightly overpriced.

I've thought about this visit since we went. On one hand, the food was quite spectacular. On the other hand, I just found the price to be too much (even if the service had been excellent).

Catfish, w/ a small serving of slaw is roughly 15 bucks. Then the oversized sides which are 2-3 bucks each (good price for the size of the serving). Then a drink. BBC bottles are $6, which is a price point where I just feel like I am being taken advantage of.*

The food is amazing. Quite amazing. If I lived in a world where money wasn't an issue, I'd eat there more. But, seeing as nothing on the menu seems to be cost-friendly, I just don't know how much I will eat there.

[*If we assume 8.99 for a retail six-pack, that's a 400% mark-up. I'd be a buyer at 4.50, but 6.00 just seems like I'm being taken advantage of.]

To end on a positive note - the food is quite good.

$6 BBC beer is Louisville Palace pricing. I've always assumed Palace pricing was this high since you are there for a limited time and they try to maximize. I wonder why a bar would do this?

$6 BBC beer is Louisville Palace pricing. I've always assumed Palace pricing was this high since you are there for a limited time and they try to maximize. I wonder why a bar would do this?

Possible reasons, and I don't mean these cynically:

1. I didn't get the vibe this is meant to be a neighborhood bar, as much as a neighborhood restaurant or destination restaurant.

2. Because price-points are decided by how much a customer is willing to pay. There seem to be enough hipsters out there who want to support these new entrepreneurial endeavors.

3. Rent?


I appreciate establishments that try to offer a price, especially on beer, that is reasonable for all parties. That's what gets me back in the door. Maybe there is a reason to explain this price, but it just seems excessive to me (In the Proof ballpark).

I've also heard a strange rumor that they won't give you a glass with a bottle of beer? Anyone else have this experience? Otherwise, what I've heard has been uniformly good.

I can't answer that question, Roger. As classless as it seems to some people, I'm normally of the mindset that my bottled beer is already served in a glass, so I haven't yet requested one. I've had several fine beers that have been priced under 6 bucks, so I didn't notice the price gouge mentioned here. Even so, at $6 a beer, I don't argue. This isn't out of line with so many restaurants and the noticible inflation felt everywhere. The Silver Dollar seems to have spared no expense on the restoration of the firehouse, product quality, or their high end professionals. I'm glad it's been noted that the food is exceptional, because it is. Service has been outstanding for me, too. As far as noise level, David - if that was what you were asking about: I didn't notice it being loud either of the times I've been there. Packed to rafters with customers, but not loud. I seriously love this place a lot.

It's all good. Like I said, most everything I've heard so far has been stellar. It's just that when drinking good beer out of the bottle, you're missing much of the flavor because you can't smell it -- not a problem with mass-market swill, of course.

Maybe you'll appreciate the fact that they don't serve the mass market standards. Lone Star for 3 bucks if that's your fancy.

Maybe you'll appreciate the fact that they don't serve the mass market standards. Lone Star for 3 bucks if that's your fancy.

Actually, Lone Star is a contract brew from the same people who brought back Pabst. From Wikipedia:

"Olympia Brewing Co. of Washington bought Lone Star in 1976, and it changed hands again in 1983 when Wisconsin's G. Heileman bought Olympia. Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Co. then bought Heileman and closed the San Antonio brewery in 1996 moving beer production to Longview, Texas and signaling the end of San Antonio as a major brewing town. Milwaukee-based Pabst bought most of the Stroh brands, including Lone Star, in 1999, and began brewing Lone Star at the San Antonio Pearl Brewery to great fanfare. In 2000, the Pearl Brewery was closed because it was outdated and would have been too expensive to continue to operate or to bring up to date. Production of Lone Star is currently contracted out to non-Pabst owned breweries (e.g. Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth)."

On the brighter side, I'm told Silver Dollar has $3 rotating bourbons every day, too. That's a solid Kentucky tie-in.

So, summarily, Lone Star is related to Stroh's? That's a great thing in my opinion! Best mass marketed swill around.

You know when I arrived at the Silver Dollar and was served a draft for $6 (short pour) my first thought was that it was out of line. But when, in retrospect I compare it to high end steak places I've visited most recently (Merlot's, St Elmo's) it really was pretty much on par for a place with food on this level. In any case, I switched to Shiner Bock immediately which was $3 or $4 a pour and is a tasty beer entirely in keeping with the Texas theme. They had $3 Heaven Hills (not sure which one) as a bourbon special.

In my original post I did not really comment on how impressed I was with the flank steak entree. It was really exceptional and way beyond my expectations. It beat the hell out of the $27 Wagyu burger I had at Merlot's recently. As far as service was concerned it was exceptional as well.

It's possible that I was the beneficiary of being in the company of foodie high ender, Jackie but nevertheless the service we received was exceptional. Our server, Eric always seemed to be there at the proper time. This type of service is what I've come to expect only at places like Pat's, Merlot's, Ruth's Chris, Etc. You have to pay for this type of service.

Now, you can get this type of service in a place that looks like the inside of a funeral home and where many of the patrons look like they will be enjoying their next service just prior to interment, or you can go to a place like the Dollar that has appealing atmosphere and energetic clientele. It's up to you.

Just tonight my friend Chris said that we need to go back to Morton's. I said no, we need to go to the Dollar. I doubt they serve chicken and waffles at Morton's.

The other part of the trip that frustrated me was the lack of a whiskey menu given that the place is advertising itself as "whiskey by the drink."

The service when we visited was poor. But as I said in my first post, it is also totally forgivable, and I wish that no one makes any judgments from my assessment. We weren't offered drink specials, so I was basically reading the drink prices on the menu. Having a three-dollar bourbon daily is a very nice special.

As for the food being pricey, I would argue that where the price seems a little out of line is in visual presentation. The trout I ordered came on a white plate with nothing else. The sides came in serving dishes. At a certain price point, I expect some chef work in terms of presentation and composing a "complete" plate. While I understand the style of the restaurant, there is something underwhelming about a plate that has nothing but a slab of fish on it - not to mention the two-top tables get crowded once all those plates are delivered.

But, so as not to look like I'm trying to throw the new place to the wolves, let me repeat - the food is very, very, very, good.

Shiner apparently is owned by the Gambrinus Company, which owns some other breweries, too.

http://www.gambrinus.com/company_overview.html

Both Lone Star and Shiner are iconic names that conjure a certain imagery, as befits specific concepts. While not macrobrews in the sense of Budweiser and Miller, they aren't local craft brews, either. Many readers will not view this distinction as important; I merely offer it on behalf of those who do.