 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Rebuilt Cove blends old, new
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- It was handshakes, smiles and chicken wings all around Wednesday as the Cove Pub and Grub reopened for business after a summer hiatus caused by a fire in June. "It's nice to be back into a routine, away from construction and back to frying chicken wings," said Casey Wells, the Cove's owner. He busied himself by clearing tables and greeting former customers with a handshake and a freshly pulled draft -- poured into a frosted jar, not a mug. After a week of obtaining last-minute county and state inspections, the famed Inverness pub opened informally a few days ago and began serving a full menu Wednesday. For Cove regulars, the reopening came none too soon. The Cove's many customers cherish the place. Word of mouth and a newspaper story were all it took to jump-start business. People packed the place during lunch Wednesday, the day after Christmas, eager to sink their teeth into a platter of juicy chicken wings. "They're just as good as ever," said Rocky Hensley, a longtime Cove visitor who finished off a plate of wings during a business lunch. The Cove's menu consists largely of wings, meatloaf-size burgers and cold beer. Since the Cove is believed to have introduced buffalo-style chicken wings to Citrus County back in the early 1980s, it has earned a reputation as the local hangout. That, along with a carefree atmosphere, is what Wells seeks to recapture after a fire destroyed the old place one hot summer night. The new Cove's interior is a blend of old and new. The cypress board siding and large windows facing the waterfront give the place plenty of Old Florida charm, even though the furnishings are new. Among the new features are about 10 televisions, a karaoke stage, an updated kitchen and a walk-in beer cooler, which solves the bar staff's biggest headache. "Every time we had to replace a beer keg in the old bar, we had to go outside and drag one in from the back of the cooler and pull it back in through the crowd. Everybody got to see your butt as you backed the thing in," Wells said. "It was usually Little Billy's job." Little Billy is the blithe spirit at the Cove, a long-bearded and laid-back fellow who handles a variety of chores. The new cooler can hold up to 50 kegs, tapped two at a time into any individual beer tap. The kitchen has a half-dozen new fry stations, each capable of cooking up to 45 pounds of chicken wings. New walk-in refrigerators, stainless-steel counters and stoves complete the makeover. Manager Robin Warrington and the other servers were also learning to operate the new computerized, touch-screen cash registers. "The guy will be here tomorrow to show us how to work them, but we decided just to try to figure it out ourselves," Warrington said Wednesday. "He'll come in and either say, 'You guys are geniuses,' or something like, 'What did you idiots do?' " There seems to be little doubt that its zealous customers will embrace the new Cove. And after a month or so of all-you-can-eat chicken wing nights (Tuesdays) and a thorough breaking-in of the new beer cooler, even the shiny new bathrooms will be part of the new Cove's second legacy.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
