Downtown Crowd | August 2018
Editor’s Letter
Publisher Malcolm Ballinger Owners Malcolm & Glenys Ballinger Executive Editor Kelly Oden Editor Will Isern Art Director Guy Stevens
WILL ISERN editor
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contents 7 Pensacola Icons
11 Catch & Cook 12 Fresh Eats 17 The Progressive Dinner 19 Reviews 21 Punksacola 22 Calendar
I make a point to stop in at every new business that opens downtown. As a result, it’s been a busy couple of months for this natural homebody. I watched the World Cup at Perfect Plain, had a slice of Graffiti Pizza on a lazy Saturday afternoon and stopped in to have a look around Casks & Flights on Gallery Night. That was just last month. New places have been popping up all year. It seems every issue of ours features some new bar, restaurant or shop opening its doors in downtown Pensacola. This one is no different. In fact, we’ve tried to get ahead of the curve and dish the details on some new spots opening in the coming weeks and months. I for one am looking forward to seeing Constant Coffee & Tea open a location on Palafox Street. What’s most exciting about all these new places is the feeling that we live in an evolving city, and that, through our patronage, we get to help shape that evolution and define our identity. So, just what is that identity? Certainly we are America’s first settlement, and the City of Five Flags and even the Upside of Florida. And of course we are the Cradle of Naval Aviation and home to the Blue Angels. And let’s not forgot our white beaches, for which we are famous the world over.
These are some of our oldest and most cherished titles. But what are the new titles we are making for ourselves? Are we a maker’s city? Local artisans and growers fill the Palafox market every Saturday, and the craft beer scene has certainly found a foothold. Are we an entertainment hub? Palafox Street is bustling with activity every weekend, and Gallery Night draws thousands of people downtown every month. Are we a sports town? Between the Blue Wahoos, the Ice Flyers and the Argonauts you can catch some kind of a game any time of the year. That’s not to mention the consistent level of Divison I talent coming out of our local high schools, or stars like Emmitt Smith, Bubba Watson, Roy Jones Jr., Alfred Morris, Addison Russell and others that call Pensacola home. I would say we are all of these things to a degree, but that more than any one of them in particular we are a city on the rise. Our evolution is our identity. When I think of Pensacola, I think of what it used to be, what it is now, and what I want it in the future. I don’t think anyone can say what kind of a city we’ll be in 10 or 20 years, but so long as those of us who love this city remain excited about the way it’s going, I think we’ll be happy with the result.
Graphic Design Bara’ah Jaraiseh Editorial Assistant Kaitlyn Peacock Contributing Writers Haley Weaver Rita Johnson Advertising Account Executives Paula Rode Paula@ballingerpublishing.com Geneva Strange Geneva@ballingerpublishing.com Deadline for space and information is the 15th of the month prior to publication. For advertising rates or news tips contact Phone: 433-1166 · Fax: 435-9174 DOWNTOWN CROWD is published by Ballinger Publishing. Offices located at 314 N Spring St., Ste. A, Pensacola Florida 32501 Published by Ballinger Publishing
Downtown Crowd is locally owned and operated. It is published monthly for distribution in Pensacola, Florida. All Right Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents herein is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Comments and opinions expressed in this magazine represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and/ or the person identified as the author of the article, and they are not necessarily those of the publisher. This magazine accepts no responsibility for these opinions. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. All advertising information is the responsibility of the individual advertiser. Appearance in this magazine does not necessarily reflect endorsement of any products or services by Ballinger Publishing. © 2018