BBC is Just the Ticket!

I was swimming is a sea of green and gold last Saturday.

With a foaming beer in one hand and greasy food in the other, and my ears deafened by the cheers from the massive crowd of Packers fans around me, it felt as if I was watching the game at Lambeau Field.

Okay, so that’s quite a stretch, but despite no frozen tundra, G-Daddy’s BBC was the perfect front row ticket for the big game.

BBC isn’t new to the East Side, it has found its niche in the heart of the neighborhood as the largest sports bar and grill on this side of town. The bar is refreshingly unpretentious, which is mega appealing on days when I don't care how I look. Anyone on any given day is able to blend into the relaxed environment while catching the game, listening to live music, playing a vast selection of bar sports, or just enjoying company while sipping on a can of PBR (Wednesday nights from 7 p.m. until midnight, BBC has $1 Pabst and Pabst Light).

Along with generous food and drink specials, BBC features the typical bar fare, but in hefty helpings. With more big screens than Best Buy and more neon signs than the red-light district, BBC boasts 14 TV sets in a variety of sizes, four pool tables, electronic dartboards, arcade games, a foosball table, plus a large bar and kitchen.

Based on its offerings, I knew BBC would fill up quickly for the NFC Divisional playoff game between the beloved Packers and the Seahawks, so I called on Friday to make a reservation for a high-top table near one of the big screens. Fortunately, I secured the last available table and on Saturday, promptly at 3 p.m., my six friends and I joined the rest of the East Side’s cheeseheads at our favorite local sports bar.

We walked the two blocks from my apartment to the bar on North Avenue and found the place literally covered wall to wall in green and gold. We showed our IDs at the door and pushed our way to the table with a reserved sign and “Karen Cinpinti" – Cinpinski really isn’t that hard to spell – scribbled on a piece of paper in Sharpie. Just as soon as we sat down, we were greeted by a perky waitress who came to take our order. After paging through the vast selection of bar food favorites, we settled on a large party size pizza and a pitcher of MGD.

As we waited for our food – which came incredibly fast by the way – I noticed that the bar crowd had doubled since we entered. With only ten minutes until kickoff, the place was unsurprisingly packed. I could feel the excitement and anxiety racing through everyone and I was doing my best to wait patiently for the 3:30 kickoff, but it was torture. My stomach was in knots and I couldn’t sit still. I guzzled two cups of beer without realizing, paced around the table, and went to the lady’s room at least five times, if that’s any indication of my restlessness. It didn’t help that the noise level was obnoxiously loud, so I couldn’t hear the pregame show, but once Bret Favre and the rest of the team jogged onto the field, the TV volume either went up or someone had a mute button for the entire bar.

Our pizza was delivered just after kickoff, but we hardly noticed – we were way too anxious to even think about feeding our nerves. Meanwhile, in Green Bay the fans were going just as nuts by sporting their Packer’s winter gear, slugging beers and raising signs pledging “Favre 4 Ever”.

Then, it all momentarily ceased.

I knew after those ten seconds that it was going to be a wacky game. The afternoon started off as a Seattle blowout, but it turned around. Ryan Grant played phenomenally after the two early fumbles that silenced the bar so much that you could have heard a dart cut through the air. Luckily, not only did Grant redeem himself with a 201 yard running game, Green Bay dominated Seattle 42-20.

It seemed Mother Nature wanted to help add some dramatic effects to what was already a gut-wrenching game. Snow was pounding the field and it looked like the stadium had been placed inside a snow globe. But, with a defense that doesn’t give up much in the snow and a grind-it-out offense that opened up holes for Grant, the Packers managed to outscore the Seahawks. Grant doesn’t get all the glory, though. Cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson kept beating up receivers until they got called for it. I loved it!

But we can't forget Favre who was throwing pinpoint pass after pinpoint pass: timing routes, hitting guys in stride and, in the highlight that has come to represent this game, breaking out of Brandon Mebane’s arms, stumbling toward the sideline and under-handing the ball to his tight end for a first down.

My doubt about the outcome of this contest was over when Green Bay scored on their first possession in the third quarter after Seattle went three-and-out. There was no stopping them! The Seattle offense was stuck in the snow – it didn’t even look like they were wearing the proper shoes considering they were sliding all over the field!

The Packers in Lambeau playing in a snowstorm with Favre at his best, yeah, that’ll beat anyone! The Packers have now won 14 games in this unbelievable season and are now on their way to the NFC Title game where they’ll take on the Giants, and then they’ll hopefully head to Phoenix for Super Bowl XLII if everything works out.

Just like the Packers, BBC was on top of their game. The friendly wait staff and bartenders didn’t miss a beat and we were very well taken care of, spoiled even. Though every Packers fan would prefer to watch the game from seats at Lambeau, regardless of the weather conditions, BBC was a great alternative.

If you’re like me and won't have the opportunity to be at Lambeau for the game this Sunday, I highly recommend calling ahead before heading out to your favorite sports bar to watch the game. I shouldn't have to warn you that the bars will fill up fast!

Packers photographs are from nfl.com

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G-Daddy's BBC Bar & Grill
2022 E. North Ave.
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Happy hour, with drink and food specials, is 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday
(All hours listed are subject to change)

Comments

[char]

Make a date for Sunday, so we don't get stuck watching the game on a little tv in your appartment.

[Karen]

I've added some photos from the "Snow Bowl" care of my dad who found them on nfl.com. Aren't they amazing?!

If you were there, I hate you.

Just kidding. :)

[Jeff]

I was at the game on Saturday and you're right that it was like being inside a snow globe. It wasn't even cold because there were so many people huddled together and the snow was an awesome sight!!!

[Don Quixote]

Don't forget Grant redeemed himself with three touchdowns too

[Kristin]

There's a bar in the heart of NYC (my current city of residence) that is owned by a former Wisconsinite and is always packed with Packer fans during games. I showed up there more than a half hour before kickoff last weekend, and it was already so full that they'd been turning people away for the previous hour. My friend (another native Milwaukeean) and I went around the corner to another bar and settled in with a pitcher (sadly they had Bud on tap and not Miller -- so we opted for Yuengling instead). For the first 3-4 minutes of the game, we didn't know if there were many Packer fans there, because all we heard was cheering from a few stray Seahawks fans. Once Favre and the Pack started turning things around, the Packer-fan presence began to assert itself, and by the end of the first quarter, we were cheering loudly amidst a large crowd of green-and-gold fanatics.

Sadly, today's game is a different situation. I'm currently watching the game in my apartment by myself, because if I were to set foot outside the safety of my 4 walls and root for the Pack, I would be afraid for my life. I hope my neighbors don't mind that it's 9:30pm and I'm screaming at my TV... Man I wish I were in Wisconsin right now.

[Karen]

Hey Kristin!

It was a disappointing game on Sunday, but it's refreshing to learn that there are Packers fans in NYC and that I'll have a place to go watch a game if I'm ever in NY during the regular season.

It's cool to hear what's going on in other cities. Keep us posted!