Florida Creatives – Creating a Community of Innovation

Some discussion has already taken place on the prior post (be sure to scour that first), so I thought I'd place a followup here and open the floor for discussion. Ideally, we should probably have a discussion in a forum since that is some kind of internet rule that Al Gore put in place when he invented the internet, but I'm just going to risk it and start one here.

Problems with Brevard: I don't think this issue is going to go away soon, especially with gas at $4/gallon. Brevard is the longest county in the state of Florida (72 miles) so we are probably always going to have a bit of a logistics issue.

That being said, I strongly feel that the way to handle this for now is to start a meeting in the Melbourne/Eau Gallie area and invite our northern brothers and sisters to it. The hope here would be that after a few meetings they might be able to start their own North Brevard group. I think we'll have to wing this and can probably best discuss this issue in more detail once we meet in person.

Suggested Meeting Places: I took a walk through Melbourne this past Thursday and I think I've found a great spot. But before I reveal it, let me chronicle a few discoveries and comment on a few spots previously mentioned in the prior post.

Meg's is closed due to fire damage (which I had forgot). Moonstruck and Lexi's were both about as empty as a funeral parlor and the candles and tablecloths (and the waiters with bowties) were a bit too upscale. Although we could all throw a tie on or wear a pretty dress, I was hoping to find a place where people could stop by on a Blackberry moment's notice in case they forgot at the last minute. Island Pasta was it's usual crowd with no decent sized tables and no extra room (as was also the case with Salsa's with only two tiny rooms and little 2 and 4-tops).

Main Street Pub (previously suggested) is still a remote possibility but it's focus was clearly on being a bar only. The upstairs stays closed until 9pm and is only available for paid parties beforehand. Considering that we don't really know whether will have 3 or 30 for many many months, I'm not sure we'd be good neighbors for them until we have a more consistent turnout.

A few places (like Bella's) closed at 8 or 9pm... no good. I was about to give up and drive up to Eau Gallie, but with the cooler breeze beckoning me from the river, I wondered east... and then discovered...

Grill 192: I wondered across U.S.1 and noticed that On Tap had changed their name to Grill 192. Well, lo and behold... what a change, and for the better. I went and spoke with them. Plenty of room (but busy), great atmosphere, and the food smelled great. It's located one building east of Strawbridge (S.R. 192) and Harbor City Blvd (U.S.1).

Those who have been to On Tap know it was primarily a sports bar and lounge. And although Grill 192 will still have football and other things from time to time, they've tried to be a bit rounded. It's not just a name change, it's new owners.

I think this meets all our needs. It has great food, it has a full bar, it has a large covered outdoor deck for our smoking friends, it has a number of larger tables throughout, and the entire place is divided into about five or six sections.. so there are quieter spots, louder spots, etc. It has nice wood decor throughout. It even has a partial view of the river. It's open late.

Location-wise, I think this is as "good as it gets". It's right on the bottom of the Melbourne (192) causeway, so anyone coming from beachside will be about as close as possible without having to fight mainland traffic. In fact, from south Cocoa Beach, it's only 20 minutes down A1A and across 192. It's also right off US1, so those coming from the north and south will have about as direct a route as possible. In short, it's about as centrally located as possible for a south/central Brevard meeting spot.

Price-wise, it's affordable, but not dirt cheap. Burger platters run about $7.95 to $9.95. Salmon burger at $12.95 (I'm curious about that one). A mediterranean grilled chicken sandwich is $8.95. Appetizers run from $5.95 for nacho gringo, to $7.95 for conch fritters or purple onion straws, to $8.95 for a shrimp cocktail.

Downsides? They say they are trying to make it more family-friendly. I'm not sure what that means (I didn't see kids anywhere) as I never really thought On Tap was anti-family friendly, but I think it might just mean they don't want it to be known only as a pickup joint or a place where cops have to come every Friday/Saturday as would often happen at On Tap after midnight.

Also, they don't have a website, but maybe some of us can help with that. They do have a MySpace page and only because there are some pics of the restaurant there, I'm temporarily suspending my personal pledge to never to link to MySpace pages so you can have a look: http://www.myspace.com/grill192.

Only other minor downside is that the menu isn't very deep. Appetizers, Salads, Burgers, Stuffed Burgers, Sliders (??), Sandwiches, a few side orders, and home-made pie. No steak, no fish dishes, no flaming anything. But, I don't think our primary purpose is pallete-pleasing (how's that for alliteration?)

So, what do you think?