Angelo's on a Monday Night

There are FEW and THE DON MEANS FEW things that will make me give up tickets to a Monday Night Football NFL game, even preseason. This past Monday I headed toward downtown with the intent of hitting a bar and then taking the train down to the Houston Texans Monday Nighter against the Minnesota Favres.

Of course 99 times out of 100 that means I'm hitting the Flying Saucer, but with the crowd very packed and my need to jot down a few ideas for one of my businesses, I went next door to Angelo's. I've blogged about them before, but since that last post Angelo's has elected to emphasize having the COLDEST beer in downtown basically moreso than their having about 50-60 beers on tap. The Beer, TX blog on the Houston Chronicle website had a bit of a debate about the appropriateness of a beer bar to take up the COLDEST BEER strategy. Usually that marketing strategy is reserved for your ghetto icehouse.

And when they say cold, they are not kidding. A few of their faucets holding the taps is caked in a thick thick sheet of ice. It looks like marble... Hold on Erin Andrews on the screen.... I just don't see why folk are so fired up over Erin Andrews. She's cute and all, but come on. Angelo's actually serves things like Stone IPA and Dogfish 60 in these ice cold taps. That got beerfolk so fired up b/c it's not really the way the beer was meant to be served. I say just relax and let the beer warm a bit. Or better yet, note the changes in the beer as it goes from bone-chilling cold to the "ideal" temperature.

I started chatting up the brothas at the bar and basically one guy said he doesn't go to the Saucer as the beer is not cold enough. I could see his point. You like the beer the way you like it. IN the end we're still Americans. Turns out, not every culture puts ice in their drinks. Hell, I just ordered a couple Pacifico Claros let it rip.

Anyway, I had tickets to the game but was so comfortable talking football and eventually talking business with the guys at the bar I just stayed there. The Texans giving up a 70 yard touchdown run 15 seconds into the game didn't help either. But it turns out that if you're trying to make some money and get some business contacts, you need to belly up to Angelo's during Happy Hour. Forget spots like the Saucer and Cabo's. Angelo's is quiet enough yet jovial enough that everyone is having a good time and willing to talk shop. Oilmen, entrepreneurs, and generally your more well-to-do Houston area businessman who's just trying to relax. Not too mention that the outdoor area is perfect for cigar smoking.

It's tough out there for Angelo's given their proximity to the rockin' Flying Saucer, maybe two blocks from Lil' Napolis (Italian food and about 20 taps themselves). If you are downtown, maybe switch things up, get you some serious cheese breadsticks, and enjoy a nice cold craft beer at Angelo's. You won't regret it.