What are Tri-State bars and restaurants doing with this down time? – Courier & Press

EVANSVILLE, Ind. While restaurant and bar owners are worried about revenue shortfalls during this shutdown time, it is giving some the opportunity to make improvements that would have been difficult while open for regular business.

At Amys on Franklin, for example, owner Amy Word had large patio planting boxes made to match the rustic wood of the bar. The Cross-Eyed Cricket is remodeling their dining room. The New Frontier Restaurant in Daylight is putting in new bathrooms.

Up in northern Vanderburgh County, the Nisbet Inn is painting and printing new menus, and at Commanders Grill in Boonville, tall pub tables are being reduced to normal height to add more seating.

People relax on the front patio of Bokeh Lounge as they listen to Nick Hamilton, not pictured, play music in the Haynie's Corner Arts District neighborhood, Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Hamilton performs for patrons every Wednesday night. (Photo: SAM OWENS/ COURIER & PRESS)

A few places are making more significant changes or even readying a second location for opening.

The Bokeh Lounge on Haynies corner is readying a new menu and reconfiguring the whole kitchen to add a stone-floored pizza deck oven. The bar and restaurant was open for takeout for a short time after the shutdown started, but closed completely until after May 1 to work on changes.

Were sticking with the bar fare, but taking less popular things off the menu and adding the pizza, said general manager Jessica Nuffer. Ive been doing the fun stuff like looking at the numbers; we want to get back to a good solid core menu and come up with special breakfasts and dinners.

Adding the pizza equipment wasnt a simple procedure. The ventilation hood had to be expanded for the oven, a large mixer installed for kneading crust, a dough sheeter for rolling it, and a lot of equipment moved around in the kitchen to keep the flow workable.

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Nuffer and chef Dontae Hines are serious about offering a great pizza. Theyll be testing crust recipes and deciding on which they like best. It might be a crisp Una-style crust or something else.

Well start out with the basic pizzas pepperoni, vegetables, loaded with the basic toppings, and expand from there, Nuffer said.

In the future, she looks forward to trying more trendy pizzas, possibly a Detroit style, which is baked in a square pan with a fluffy, cheesy crust and warm sauce ladled on top after baking.

The new High Score Player Two: Classic Arcade has taken shape while the original High Score Saloon has been closed due to coronavirus.(Photo: Photo courtesy High Score Saloon)

High Score Saloon owners Clint Hoskins and Jared Neible have brought on a third partner, Colton Blanchard, and have spent the time readying their second location, called High Score Player Two: Classic Arcade.

Located on Mount Vernon Avenue in the same complex as the Be Happy Pie Company (how convenient), the new location will be for an all-ages crowd and all-day play will cost $10. A snack machine might be installed, but no food or beverages will be prepared onsite. If the building is booked for a private party, food may be brought in.

We didnt have to do too much at High Score, said Hoskins. We do a deep clean every month, so we just went down the day the shutdown was announced and threw out the perishables; weve been investing our time in the new place.

New carpet and a coat of paint went in fairly quickly. More time is being spent on the 35 games the High Score team had in storage, including Robotron, X-Menand Ninja Turtles. Repairing these and working on vintage pinball machines for customers are the order of the day.

Hoskins has no desire to open either arcade until conditions are very safe, so he hopes to have time also to upgrade the patio at the original High Score so its ready for a mid-summer opening.

The Silver Bell family restaurant in St. Wendel recently moved out some old tables to make way for new booths.(Photo: Photo Courtesy Sean Powers)

The Silver Bellfamily restaurant in Wadesville is doing extensive renovations to the front of house.

The tile floors in the dining room, bar and party room are being replaced with trendy new poured epoxy floors. The walls, which hold a collection of Powers family artifacts, are getting painted and patched but dont worry, the nostalgic items will be returned to their places.

Were adding new tables, booths and barstools too, said Powers. Weve never had booths before, so were excited about that. Weve been thinking about doing it for a while and accumulating things; we wanted to do it in a year or so after we had more time to plan it out, but were not going to find a better time to do it than right now.

The Silver Bell is still offering their full menu and daily specials, as well as family-style meals on the weekends, carry-out or curbside. Watch the Facebook Page at facebook.com/silverbellrestaurant/ for specials, hours and changes.

The Silver Bell is located at 4424 St. Wendel Rd.Phone: 812-963-0944

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What are Tri-State bars and restaurants doing with this down time? - Courier & Press