Rooster's Blues House up and rocking in downtown Tuscaloosa

Rooster's Blues House up and rocking in downtown Tuscaloosa
September 27, 2011
Chris Pow
al.com

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- A new restaurant and bar aiming to bring a touch of the Mississippi Hill Country to downtown Tuscaloosa might have been the product of one aimless drive in the country.

At least that's how Rooster's Blues House owner Scott Michael tells the story about how he came up with the idea to open up a new location for his restaurant with a heavy emphasis on live music from national, regional and local acts. Michael opened the first Rooster's in Oxford, Miss. in 2008.

"I've had the concept for a while," Michael said. "I've had several other businesses. I had just sold a business. Growing up around blues and rock and roll music my whole life, the concept's kind of always been there. The timing was kind of right."

Located in the old Cafe Venice on University Boulevard near Brown's Corner, Rooster's Blues House Tuscaloosa opened at the beginning of this month. Acts like Americana singer-songwriter Grayson Capps, Hill Country blues guitarist Kenny Brown (R.L. Burnside) and Chicago funk-rock band Lubriphonic have played the venue so far, and local acts have been slated for Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

"So far, the original acts we've brought have gone over extremely well with our customers," Michael said. "I'm crazy about cover bands, crazy about a lot of different types of music, but right now we're pushing what we do and have done well with it [in Oxford], and we'll see how that goes."

The menu is thoroughly Southern, with steaks, burgers, barbecue and po-boys at the forefront and sides like green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade macaroni and cheese, jalapeno cheese grits, sweet peas and sweet potato fries. Rotel fries, barbecue nachos and catfish bites are some of the appetizers offered.

Daily food and drink specials during the week include half-price steaks after 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and all-you-can-eat catfish after 5 p.m. on Thursdays. Happy Hour, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, features two-for-one deals on well drinks and select domestic beers.

Rooster's is open for lunch daily and Michael plans for the kitchen to be open as late as 1 a.m. from Monday to Saturday.

Michael said he's glad to be in business at this point. He thought the April 27 tornado might delay the restaurant's opening until 2012, but he said the city was able to work with him and answer all of this questions despite ongoing recovery efforts after the storm.

"I certainly love Tuscaloosa, and that city has been good to me," Michael said. "I've been quite a few places and quite a few states doing quite a few things over the years, and I've never enjoyed doing getting started in doing business with a town more than I have Tuscaloosa."

Right now, bands are playing on a stage in the main dining room, but a downstairs room that is currently being renovated for live performances is set to be completed in a few months.

Rooster's presented the Drive-By Truckers concert at the Bama Theatre on Sept. 7, and Michael said he plans to continue to be involved in booking bands there.

"I'd like to do 10-12 shows a year, I just don't know how many I'm going to get in before this semester's over," he said. "But we're looking at doing that quite often."

Whether it's at the Bama or in the basement at Rooster's, Michael said he's excited about bringing new acts to town.

"A lot of what we're doing is very targeted toward high energy," he said. "I've got some guitar players that will absolutely blow your mind."