Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Last Tuesday I was invited (along with just about everybody else it seemed) to visit the new pub in the old Fly Trap space at 1929 7th Ave. Called the Dirty Shame: Pub on the Edge (I didn’t name it people), I had stopped in briefly last Saturday and was pleasantly surprised to find the old Fly Trap long gone.

The spray painted windows have been cleaned (a backbreaking job I was told) and the weird partitions that the Fly Trap had erected to separate the building into separate areas were all gone. Instead you have a nice open expanse with convenient seating, pool and darts, and a long wooden bar on the west side of the building.

The management team includes Richard of the Oak Barrel, Caesar of the Irish Pub, and Joanne of New World Brewery according to the flier I had. With that beer-centric background it is not a surprise that they have a pretty decent selection of drafts. I recall Harp, Spaten, and enough different Irish and English selections that I didn’t bother to write them down. This grand opening was mostly attended by industry folks and offered free booze until midnight so it was pretty packed, at least until 12:05am when the crowd thinned noticeably.

I guess that would be expected though.

Although I had to wait quite a bit for my first drink the staff was very friendly and with the overwhelming response that the words “Free Top Shelf Drinks” demands I am somewhat surprised I got served before midnight at all.

Most nights the place is a bit more laid back. A visit this Saturday revealed a quieter group of patrons, seeking a nice drink before heading down to noisier joints or just a good conversation bar. For you bikers they advertise free bike parking in the vacant paved lot next to the building. The rest of us get to park in back which will cost you come the weekend. One thing that, unfortunately, hasn’t changed since the Fly Trap days is the single men and womens bathrooms. Guys you will get used to waiting in line just like the girls do. Good news is they are relatively clean.