Cheezborger, Cheezborger

from yahoo

Billy Goat Tavern to Open in D.C. By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 30, 7:38 AM ET

CHICAGO - The Billy Goat Tavern, a local institution made famous by the "Cheezborger, Cheezborger" sketch on "Saturday Night Live," is setting up shop in the nation's capital.

It's the first foray outside Chicago for the restaurant, also known for a curse that some say has kept the Cubs out of the World Series for 60 years and counting.

Bill Sianis, the son of the current owner, Sam Sianis, and grandnephew of the tavern's founder, William "Billy Goat" Sianis, said he and his dad have long wondered if the tavern could make it outside its hometown.

Given the Goat's popularity among tourists who never tire of asking for fries in the hopes of hearing "No fries, cheeps!", Sam and Bill Sianis thought Washington, with its steady stream of out-of-towners, would make it a perfect spot to give it a try.

"They say nobody in Washington D.C. is from Washington D.C.," Bill Sianis said. A lot of people from Illinois who work on Capitol Hill have been asking when the Billy Goat was coming to town, he added.

"They all want something that feels like home," he said.

The Sianises said they hope to open to the public in the next week or so. Whether the new Goat reminds anyone of Chicago remains to be seen.

For starters, unlike the dark cavernous dive underneath Michigan Avenue — the most famous of the seven Billy Goats around Chicago — this Billy Goat has windows. And the bar isn't chipped Formica like its namesake, but polished cement.

It may even sell, of all things, fries. Sam Sianis said the decision on that hasn't been made, but pointed out that of all the Billy Goats in Chicago, only the most famous one is a "cheeps" (chips) only establishment.

That may disappoint some patrons who have memorized the "Saturday Night Live" sketch in which John Belushi, his thick Greek accent sounding a lot like Sam, would scold, "No fries, cheeps!" while serving up "cheezborgers" and only "cheezborgers."

Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page said that while he's happy to see the Billy Goat come to Washington, where he now works after years in Chicago, he doesn't think it will be anything other than a replica of the one under Michigan Avenue.

"I really feel the same way as I did about what I call the Goat branches back in Chicago," he said of the six other Billy Goats in the city. "They're nice and cute, but it's like comparing a rock concert to the Hard Rock Cafe. One is the real thing and the other is a theme park."

So, will it work? Sean Parnell, who created a Web site called the Chicago Bar Project, thinks so.

"One of the attractive things about the Billy Goat ... is the atmosphere is very conversational, there's a long history of getting into political discussions, labor discussions, what's going on in the city, the Cubs," he said. "Washington is a good town for talking about politics, sports, current events."

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois plans on doing his part by taking colleagues there. "They need a little exposure to some Chicago culture and cuisine," he said.

Lynn Sweet, who spent years as a newspaper reporter in Chicago before moving to Washington, where she's the bureau chief for the Chicago Sun-Times and a columnist, said the Billy Goat might fill a void.

"What this city needs is a place where you don't have to have an expense account to eat lunch, and that's where I think the Goat might stake a claim here," said Sweet, who devoted much of a recent column to the new tavern.

Sam Sianis said there won't be any "No Republicans Allowed" signs like the one "Billy Goat" Sianis put up in 1944 when the Republican National Convention was held in town.

"We might put a sign to allow both sides," Sam said, noting that when his uncle put up the sign, the next thing he knew the place was wall to wall with Republicans.

Sam Sianis also said he isn't about to put a curse on anyone or anything in Washington, as his uncle did on the Cubs when owner P.K. Wrigley would not let his goat, who had a ticket, into the 1945 World Series — coincidentally, the last year the Cubs ever made it to the World Series.

Still, there is always that possibility. At the bottom of an invitation to a recent grand opening ceremony, were the words: "Warning: Come or be cursed."

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On the Net:

http://www.billygoattavern.com