News Stew: Captain’s Quarters flood, Flabby’s reopens, 610’s pizza oven, drinks for bin Laden

(Photos by Terry Boyd for Insider Louisville. Click to enlarge.)

Flooding still plaguing Captain’s Quarters: I’ve known the Masterson family all my life, and without a doubt, they are some of the nicest people in Louisville.

So I felt particularly bad last week when, at a gathering of some old grade school buddies, Sueanna Masterson, shared some grim details about the flooding at her family’s business, Captain’s Quarters.

This legendary riverside restaurant has been a river-inside restaurant twice this year.

After Flood No. 1, the family did as it’s done many times in the past: repainted, re-carpeted and lugged all that equipment and furniture back into place—only to see it ruined again this year by Flood No. 2.

“We’d just put down $30,000 dollars’ worth of carpet when that happened,” said Masterson. Click here for a pic of the cleanup efforts.

Sadly, that sum is likely the smallest of the group’s burdens. During a mid-April storm, a large cottonwood tree was blown onto the CQ Princess dinner cruiser, damaging its wheelhouse. Click here for a photo of the cleanup efforts.

And despite being towed to Indiana for repair, the cruiser hasn’t received any attention because (you guessed it) floodwaters are blocking crews from servicing it. Plus, business should already be bustling on its massive deck by this time of year, yet the registers aren’t ringing. That absence of sales that could amount to, if not sail beyond, six figures for such a high-volume restaurant.

“We should be rocking and rolling by now, but we can’t do a thing,” Masterson lamented. “Just thinking about it makes me about want to cry.”

If there ever was a business family that deserved patronage as payback for all it’s done to support this community, it’s the Masterson family. When things dry out, be mindful to pay Captain’s Quarters a visit and show them some well-deserved love.

Flabby’s reopens in Schnitzelburg: Flabby’s Fine Foods reopened under new ownership last week, just in time for the semi-annual Schnitzelburg Walk.

Greg Haner, whose family also owned Mazzoni’s Oysters for decades, operated the historic tavern for several years until shuttering it last year.

According to new manager Marty Vickers, this year’s version of Flabby’s is owned by Mohammad Moktar, who owns Mo’s, a nearby convenience store. He said Haner (he’s another incredibly nice guy) is lending a hand getting it restarted.

Vickers said they hope to get the full menu rolled out eventually, but for now you can expect the beloved rolled oysters, oyster shooters and fried chicken. On Tuesdays Flabby’s is running an all-you-can-eat wings special at both lunch ($6.99) and dinner ($8.99). Soft drinks and beer are the only beverages for now.

Currently, it’s open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. until “everybody leaves,” Vickers said. Flabby’s is at 1101 Lydia Street. Call 290-7273 for more info, or visit its Facebook page.

610 Magnolia gets new outdoor pizza oven: Man, what is it with fossil-fuel-baked pizza in Louisville lately?

Seems everyone’s getting interested. Edward Lee, chef-owner at 610 Magnolia, tweeted this morning that a new wood-fired oven was recently installed in the courtyard of his restaurant.

He told me he’s done some experimenting already and the results were incredible, but that he won’t use it for the restaurant for at least a few weeks.

A native New Yorker, Lee already knows what great pizza tastes like, and you can bet his will be amazing. But what’s most intriguing to me is what else he’ll use the oven for besides pizza.

Here’s booze in your eye, bin Laden! A growing number of restaurants around the country are creating special drinks to celebrate the death of that diabolical devil better known as Osama bin Laden. (And that’s all the editorializing I’ll do about him.) Click here to see what’s being shaken, stirred and sold in what really should be homage to our bad-ass Navy SEALs.

And a late addition … Troll’s Pub Under the Bridge will join four other restaurant/pubs in the Whiskey Row stretch between 1st and 2nd. According to Business First, the 4,500 square-foot space will be accessed through an exterior staircase or elevator in the Washington Street lobby of the building. Interesting. It’s nearest neighbors will be Bearno’s By the Bridge, Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse, Sol Azteca’s and Patrick O’Shea’s.