Spurrier's restaurant in Celebration Pointe

[GatorInGeorgia]

P.S.A.

W-U-E-R-F-F-E-L

Ladies & Gents, see above for the correct spelling of the greatest Gator football player of all time and memorize how to spell it. Thank you.

 

[cover2]

THAT is a good man. I threw my green, unwanted ass at the FT Union in late '78 and that man spent half the day helping me tour the newsroom and downtown Jax. I didn't get a job, but I came away with a great appreciation for what he did and who he was.

I always enjoyed Lamm's sports musings (Lamm at Large, etc) and I know he had an in with SOS. The name escapes me, but there was a joint he and Lamm would show up at after home games later in the evening for cold beer and wings. A buddy of mine happened to be at the establishment after a win over USCe when SOS came in wearing a 'Cocks cap with the faux Taneyhill mullet...



...with Lamm in tow. SOS theater at its best.

I plan to give the restaurant a shot and among the memorabilia I hope there will be some James Bates art work...

(even though he has a 'Cock visor on, the second is a personal favorite and besides, SOS always was quite the 'Cock wherever he was)

 

[ChiefGator]

I was recently out there and it appears to be a very impressive development. This will give me another reason to visit after it is completed.

 

[g8r.tom]

everything there is 1% more than elsewhere.

sales tax will be 1 percent higher at Gainesville’s newest shopping center.

Stores set to open in Celebration Pointe will charge 7.5 percent in sales tax, 6.5 being the local sales tax and the additional 1 percent going towards a public user fee and community improvements.

The fee was approved by Alachua County in 2012, but the effects are just now being seen at the Bass Pro Shops, one of the shopping center’s first stores.

 

[Jbossgator8]

At least something is getting built!

 

[stephenPE]

Construction (along with destruction) is now a Gville norm, Old Gville is disappearing as we speak.
Progress..........

 

[jaywalker72]

Anything that bears Grossman’s name I would stay away from, because it likely comes with Spurrier’s foot up his butt.

 

[Gator515151]

I'll have the Phil Fulmer Special.......

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I wonder if Mac has approached Spurrier about including Mombo3 bbq sauce on the menu.

this definitely deserves a thumbs down but I can't do it to 46.

 

[gator1946]

this definitely deserves a thumbs down but I can't do it to 46.

Thank you Donk. I swore I'd never refer to that SOB again, but somehow my hostility got the better of me.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

The HBC's culinary adviser

I lived in Jacksonville throughout the eighties and I always enjoyed Lamb's work.

He used to actually share information that was not available to the public. That approach today is treated like it is illegal with the people that pose as journalists but are more like cheerleaders than anything else.

On his "Lamb At Large" show he would do that silly "Blabbermouth Lamb" segment where he would pretend to be David Lamb's cousin and he would share rumors, etc. that more times than not turned out to be true.
We learned details of the Pell and Hall eras as well as the inside story on the demise of the Norm Sloan gator basketball era. NO "journalist" today would dare do such a thing since the wrath of the UAA would rain down on them for having the nerve to deviate from the company line.

Unfortunately for me I still long for the days when a sportswriter would actually tell you the truth but I am stuck in the era of smugness and condescension by sportswriters that believe that their job is to be the keepers of the information versus informers.

 

[cover2]

I lived in Jacksonville throughout the eighties and I always enjoyed Lamb's work.

He used to actually share information that was not available to the public. That approach today is treated like it is illegal with the people that pose as journalists but are more like cheerleaders than anything else.

On his "Lamb At Large" show he would do that silly "Blabbermouth Lamb" segment where he would pretend to be David Lamb's cousin and he would share rumors, etc. that more times than not turned out to be true.
We learned details of the Pell and Hall eras as well as the inside story on the demise of the Norm Sloan gator basketball era. NO "journalist" today would dare do such a thing since the wrath of the UAA would rain down on them for having the nerve to deviate from the company line.

Unfortunately for me I still long for the days when a sportswriter would actually tell you the truth but I am stuck in the era of smugness and condescension by sportswriters that believe that their job is to be the keepers of the information versus informers.

I agree about then vs. now where sports journalism is concerned. Too much of it today IMO sounds like MSNBC's reporting. Sounds dumb to some maybe, but I always felt like I could trust the the sportswriters from the T/U and the Sun (had to drive to Tallahassee during the football season to find a copy in order to see what they said about UF in the old days). Heck, even Bill McGrotha of the Democrat gave a better recap of UF/F$U than most of these bozos nowadays. I may be wrong, but like we read about on Chatter from time to time, I think a lot of sports journalism is just plain lazy with not much depth.

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

Well the restaurant is open! Haven't been up that way lately myself, but Spurrier's Gridiron Grill is up and running, and the Yelp reviews (with amateur, crowdsourced photos) are starting to come in.

As a huge SOS fan who wants nothing but success for him, I'm still afraid the restaurant promoters got overly ambitious and made the place way too big. They definitely appear to know what they're doing, though. The decor looks fantastic, Spurrier's memorabilia is showcased in museum-quality displays, and the presentation of the food items is clearly done with an eye toward Instagramability.

Here are some peoples' photos stolen from the aforementioned Yelp reviews:

Apparently this is a display of the helmets of every team SOS has been associated with, as player or coach. Until seeing this photo this afternoon, I never knew SOS ever had any affiliation with my Miami Dolphins. I looked it up and it turns out that between being cut by the Bucs in 1977 and going into coaching in 1978, SOS was briefly signed by Denver (hence the Broncos helmet) and then Miami, but never played in any games for either of those teams.

With the caveat that I haven't visited The Motherland lately, I'm confident this is the only joint in town that has The Macallan 12, 18, 25 AND a bottle from the "Rare Cask" collection sitting on the shelf, ready to pour.

Looks like a nice sunset view from the outdoor deck. Can't go wrong with that.

"Spurrier's Gator Greats." I guess this is SOS's own personal Walk of Fame, with players deemed worthy by him? I like the idea, and love that he inducted himself. ;)

What's this? Only my favorite Fuchsing fish, that's what. Blackened red fish, which as everyone knows is hard to get in a restaurant outside of Louisiana. Yeah, I need to start planning a trip. Ima get off 75 and make a beeline for this place, Fuchs checking into the hotel.

Another thing I love is corn chowder and that is a good-looking bowl of it right there.


To be continued.....

 

[GR8 2B]

Thanks for the update and the pics, GGG. I'm tempted to join you on that trip.

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

Not all "memorabilia" is memorable, but check this out: THE ball that SOS kicked that famous FG with, and THE shoe he used to kick it. That's good stuff. Look behind it in the background for a glimpse of another priceless artifact on display.

Until now only Jerri knew that SOS had such nice-looking buns.

Shrimp and grits, with short ribs on mushroom risotto in the background. Everything is nicely presented on big plates. This is the spot for you if your wife or girlfriend loves sharing pictures of her food. If she doesn't, she's too old! Get you a nice young side piece who likes photographing her dinner. Just make sure you don't show up in the pics!

Supposedly all these visors were worn by SOS at one time or another, probably mostly at golf outings. One thing you don't see is the logo of any rival team. I wonder what the occasion was for the Green Bay Packers visor?

Sorry but not a fan of the tables and chairs. Am I eating in an upscale restaurant, or in the continental breakfast room of a Red Roof Inn? Also, this pic gives you a little feel for the cavernous spaciousness of the place. It's probably fine for most people but personally I like more intimacy in restaurants. Just to give you an idea, one of my favorite spots in Gainesville was the Copper Monkey lol

Dessert time! Bread pudding, toffee cake and "Jerri's Secret Recipe" chocolate chip cookies. Which made Jerri happier -- that SOS used her cookie recipe, or that he finally got all his old junk out of the house? I'm guessing the latter. That visor collection alone probably took up a whole closet.

Last but not least, it was nice of them to hire some old retired guy to stand there and announce the nightly specials. ;)

 

[soflagator]

I've had drinks and some food to go only the Friday before the FAU game. Everything was good, but what stood out to me was the rooftop bar. It looked solid from the parking garage. I wasn't expecting it to be that high, so I'm looking forward to trying that.

 

[kepler]

Gainesville is getting fancy, seems like yesterday fine dining was wings at CJ's.

 

[Pablos Tunnel]

Gimme a pitcher of Old Style, a dozen wings and some oysters with jalapenos and crackers

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

Gimme a pitcher of Old Style, a dozen wings and some oysters with jalapenos and crackers

All good except...jalapenos, with oysters? No. Horseradish.

 

[soflagator]

Gimme a pitcher of Old Style, a dozen wings and some oysters with jalapenos and crackers

I don't...I don't have any of those things. Not sure any of us do here. Where exactly do you think you are?