Not even a partial exterior building collapse in a windstorm earlier this spring stops the fun at Tim’s Chrome Bar (4736 Gravois) in South City. While the scaffolding around the building and ongoing construction remain, the bar has reopened, and its recently renovated, vibrant interior remains very much intact. Here’s what to know before you go (again).
The Events
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It seems like something’s always going on at Tim’s Chrome Bar, even some happenings that you might not expect.
Case in point: Bingo on Sundays from 3–5 p.m. Writer, director, and filmmaker Dan Steadman with Circa 87 calls out the numbers and isn’t your typical bingo caller: Each call is a study in improv, with funny riffs and off-the-cuff quips. The crowd isn’t your typical bingo crowd either, with tattoos and piercings galore. They slap down dots on bingo cards for drinks, full bottles of liquor, and sundry prizes. It’s crowded, sometimes a full house, so arrive early if you want a seat.
Local bands also take to the stage at 7 p.m. during most Fridays, followed by a DJ spin from 9 p.m.–midnight. “We’ve been doing DJ spins pretty much every Friday,” says general manager Anne Schuchard. “They tend to do music that fits the vibe of the bar, and some of these DJs can really get the crowd going on the dance floor.”
And a new type of event starts Wednesday, May 31. “We’re having an open mic night for music,” says bar manager Chelsea Pfister.
Check the bar’s Facebook page and Instagram for updates on happenings each week.
The Drink Menu
One of the more unusual drink offerings comes right out of the 1960s-style Space Age craze for all things otherworldly: It’s a Tang punch, served in a big punch bowl with matching cups and complete with a ladle to serve it. The recipes also change. “We’ve done some fun Kool-Aid punches, also with a vodka base, and we’ll do tiki-style rum punch,” Pfister says. “We’re going to have a lot of fun with these punches.” Pfister sometimes floats rainbow sherbet in the mix, garnishes the drinks with dehydrated fruit slices that she makes herself, or finds edible flowers to set off the bowls.
The cocktail list includes a version of a Paloma that you won’t want to miss this summer: Turn the Beet Around. Pfister infuses Una Vida Reposado tequila with sorrel and beet, then finishes it off with passion fruit for a pink drink with lots of flavor.
The French Curve
When the in-house crew that dreamed up the colorful, inspired design at Tim’s, the creative crew of owners Pat Schuchard, Carol Crouppen Schuchard, and Anne Schuchard also built out the gallery adjacent to Tim’s: The French Curve (4740 Gravois).
The inaugural show, Assembly Theory, opens this Friday, May 19, from 5–8 p.m. The show will feature the works of Tim Anderson, Ahzad Bogasian, Peg Fetter, David Ottinger, Gary Passanise, and Pat Schuchard.
And, of course, there will be an after-party at Tim’s Chrome Bar.
