Livin' It Up, Livin' It Up, Oh Yeah!

Bell and James, the artists who made the classic hit from 1979 "Livin' It Up (Friday night)" weren't there.

But apparently everyone else was, including me and the missus. And if you can multi-task, play the tune above while you read the story and you'll get a sense of the party atmosphere that prevailed.

Tap Time, a beer bar in OIB, has a special on Friday nights called Half-Price Flight Night. Sara and Christa told me it is usually well-attended, but this night seemed to be SRO when we walked in.

And the attendees were clearly in a partying mood as they raised a glass and cheered nearly everyone who came in the door. At times, that included servers from the recently opened (and conveniently adjacent) Amelia's Backstreet Grill who were carrying boxes of Amelia's outstanding food to hungry beer drinkers.

Among them was Amelia's manager and wife of an owner Nicole Borrusso, whose presence verified that Amelia's and Tap Time clearly have a symbiotic relationship. So much so, that two other managers--Steve and Heather-- from Amelia's were in there as well, slaking their respective thirsts after completing work for the day.

The proximity of one business to the other renders Amelia's offerings better than regular "take-out" food because , with only twenty steps between the doors, the food doesn't have a chance to cool off at all. And when it's delivered to your seat at the bar or at one of Tap Time's high top tables by a server with a hand-held, it's the same as being delivered to a table in comfortable Amelia's.

The only thing you probably can't get from Amelia's to Tap Time are items from the restaurant's phenomenal breakfast menu. And that's only because Tap Time doesn't open until noon. But if it did, Tap Time would probably have a beer that would complement whatever you ordered. Like the delicious 11% Great Divide Hercules DIPA, below.

It seems to be a serendipitous meeting of the businesses, and, like many marriages that begin that way, it may prove to be a relationship made in Heaven.

Especially if you're the type who wants to "Live It Up on Friday nights."

Cheers!

The Pubscout--immersed in the craft beer scene since 1996

As always, feel free to share!