Area sports bars feed your football frenzy

Area sports bars feed your football frenzy

By the time you read this, countless chickens wings already will have been deep-fried and devoured to finger-lickin' satisfaction. Same for beers, either poured, popped or guzzled.

Ah, the sounds of football season. Or any sporting season, really. And the best place for maximum volume? Any number of hallowed sports bars in the area.

Herewith, a glance at a few in the area:

Burns Alley

Address: 354 1/2 King St.

Phone: 723-6735.

Web: www.burnsalley.com.

Stats: 4 TVs and one large projection screen.

Scouting report: Burns Alley prefers the term 'neighborhood bar,' but that's just semantics. This hidden enclave, tucked behind La Hacienda off King Street, makes for primetime viewing. Here's a hint: Say you're at a College of Charleston basketball game and feeling parched, Burns Alley is a stone's throw from Carolina First Arena. Easy-peasy kids, it's the perfect halftime drill. But be warned: Burns Alley has zero tolerance for underage drinkers, the staff confiscating more than 1,200 fake IDs in three years' time. Check behind the bar for proof. Many are tacked to the wall.

Highlights: Burns Alley loves some Carolina ... some North Carolina. The bar hosts the Holy City Heels, a group of young Tar Heel alums during football and basketball seasons. Also, the $2 Natty Light/Jack Daniel's chaser combo is ideal for drowning one's sorrows or celebrating victory.

King Street Grille

Address: 304 King St.

Phone: 723-5464.

Web: www.thekingstreetgrille.com.

Stats: 40 TVs, counting two 72-inch screens and 20 42-inch screens.

Scouting report: A veteran of the sports bar scene, King Street Grille has branched out in past years, starting clubs in Mount Pleasant, Kiawah Island and, most recently, James Island. We still prefer the mothership downtown, with the upstairs, reservation-only VIP room, 12 leather recliners and stadium seating. Carolina and Clemson fans abound, as well as a smattering of Virginia Tech followers.

Highlights: It's a Steelers Nation at King Street Grille. A shocker, seeing that franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger owns a share of the bar.

Kickin' Chicken

Address: 1119 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Mount Pleasant.

Phone: 881-8734.

Web: www.thekickinchicken.com

Stats: 23 TVs, with six 54-inch screens and one large projection television.

Scouting report: Ever seen two men pummel the everlovin' heck out of each other in an octagonal caged enclosure? You wanna? Kickin' Chicken in Mount Pleasant carries each UFC event, usually playing to packed houses. UFC 103 is scheduled Sept. 19, Vitor Belfort vs. Rich Franklin headlining the card. Don't forget your favorite Affliction T-shirt.

Highlights: Weekly fantasy football offered at each location: downtown, James Island, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and West Ashley. Players randomly draw six selections (QB, RB, WR, TE, kicker and defense) with victors earning a bucket of Miller Lites and a dozen chicken wings. Season prizes include an infrared turkey fryer, beer fridge and more.

Moe's Downtown Tavern

Address: 5 Cumberland St.

Phone: 577-8500.

Stats: 11 50-inch TVs.

Scouting report: Moe's Downtown Tavern doesn't try to duplicate the, uh, gently used surroundings preferred by its crosstown brother on Rutledge Ave. Same name, sure, same great menu (BLTs and burgers), much different look. Downtown, Moe's attracts sports fans, the polished bar — LCD screens have a way of sparkling up a joint — the proper setting for off-the-chain chow, college and NFL football.

Highlights: $2 Pacificos and $3 bourbon drink daily specials. Owner Mike Tronoski follows Penn State and the Denver Broncos, so fans of both teams are welcome.

O'Brion's Irish Pub and Grille

Address: 520 Folly Road, Ste. #A, James Island.

Phone: 795-0309.

Stats: 14 TVs, including three projection screens, one behind the bar, the other by the fireplace.

Scouting report: A welcome addition to James Island, O'Brion's cuts a mighty fine figure. How so? 'Cause on the whole, the Irish pub might have the best-looking wait staff in the area. Just ask the regulars, many of whom drop by during the day, only to do an about-face when they find a fella on afternoon bar duty. And hey, the Monday all-you-can-eat wing special isn't half bad either.

Highlights: Um, the view ...

Rendezvous Bar and Grille

Address: 7832 Rivers Ave., North Charleston.

Phone: 572-1566.

Web: www.thevouscharleston.com.

Stats: Definitely heavyweight class. With 38 plasma TVs and an outdoor dining patio and bar, Rendezvous checks in with 30,000-plus square feet of space.

Scouting report: You'd never know Rendezvous was a former K&W cafeteria just a few months old. The well-polished bar top gleams like a brand new bottle of Jim Beam. And with 12 TVs positioned over the rectangular bar, you've got a great seat no matter the spot. It's a beautiful thing: no obstructed views.

Highlights: Half-price burgers — correction, half-price, 8-ounce Kobe beef burgers — on Monday nights, great for ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Bobby Hartin's Sports Grill

Address: 1124 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., West Ashley.

Phone: 852-0555.

Web: www.myspace.com/bobbyhartins.

Stats: 43 TVs, including a large, projection screen in the dining area.

Scouting report: 'The Big Kahuna' Bobby Hartin, a longtime radio personality and former Gamecock cheerleader, plays it safe, decking out the ship for crossover appeal. Carolina or Clemson, it won't matter. The pleasantly chatty bar staff takes their cue from Hartin too, showering customers with plenty of attention.

Highlights: Always great to discover a well-read bar. A few complimentary copies of the P&C and USA Today can be found near the front door. Great way to check the spreads, no?

George's Sports Bar and Grill

Address: 1300 Savannah Highway, West Ashley.

Phone: 763-0605.

Web: www.georgessportsbar.com.

Stats: 60 TVs, including nine 50-inch plasmas and the King Kong Bundy of the big screen: one ginormous 9-footer.

Scouting report: Is rasslin' a sport? Best ask Mick Foley, who once had his right ear ripped off in the ring. He'd likely answer in the affirmative, ghost rider, and who are we to disagree? Beyond the baseball, football, hockey and soccer packages, George's pops for every single WWE pay-per event. Next up: Breaking Point on Sunday with John Cena vs. Randy Orton, the WWE Championship on the line.

Highlights: The 40-cent wing specials during happy hour, or the gyro sandwiches, teeming with tender slices of lamb and beef and a fine tzatziki sauce.

Ten Seventeen

Address: 630 Skylark Drive, West Ashley.

Phone: 276-0163.

Web: www.myspace.com/ten17.

Stats: 6 TVs, mostly tuned to 'the beautiful game.'

Scouting report: Say it with me: futbol. Set in the Quadrangle Shopping Center across from the Citadel Mall, Ten Seventeen, a Charleston pub with German flair, has a deep affection for what us Yanks call soccer. What else would you expect from a bar named for the jersey numbers of its owners? Easy: Subscriptions to the Fox Soccer Channel, Gol TV and every imaginable ESPN.

Highlights: Bar games such as shuffleboard, foosball and ping pong. Co-owner Alex Mueller, at present on injured reserve with a bum Achilles tendon, enjoys a fierce ping pong competition with his patrons. If his customers win, they'll earn a $100 bar tab. Mueller says he'll re-instate the challenge.

Fischer's Sports Pub & Grill

Address: 1883 Andell Bluff Blvd., Seabrook Island.

Phone: 243-0210.

Stats: Only 5 TVs. But lacking in stature, Fischer's compensates with heart.

Scouting report: Gather 'round for the tale of Patron Chuck, his favorite haunt being Fischer's, and his favorite libations a double order: one shot of tequila and one Coors Light. When Chuck died, his family donated his Steelers jacket to the pub where it hangs high on a wall for posterity. As for Chuck, he got a plaque at the bar. And that, friends, is a metaphor for Fischer's, a nifty joint exceedingly comfortable in its own skin. Here, you can still smoke or hang out with the regulars who frequent the bar about every weekday.

Highlights: Best patty melt in the Lowcountry. It's made with fresh ground beef from Marvin's Meats and grilled onions, the whole shebang draped in melted, American cheese, and the toast so buttery it could survive as a stand-alone meal.