How about a meal and a drink on an Ohio River barge restaurant? Here's how to pull it off.
EVANSVILLE – The barge restaurant and bar formerly known as Tiki Time is now called The Dive Barge and is under the KC’s umbrella. It’s a sister business to the nearby Marina Pointe Bar, Grill & Nightclub, but has its own menu and kitchen. Here are some facts for you.
The Chef (there is one)
Chef Nick Walls is the kitchen manager over both Marina Pointe and the Dive Barge under direction of James Shemwell, who is the executive chef at Marina Pointe, Dive Barge and Bud’s Rockin’ Country Bar & Grill on Franklin Street. But despite its smaller size, Walls spends more time down on the barge.
Walls is the real deal, chef wise. He’s been the executive chef at the Evansville Country Club for several years and has recently taken up the mantle of executive chef at the University of Evansville. During the summer, he’s taking weekends and a couple of evenings during the week to come over and run the Marina Pointe and the Dive Barge.
At the Barge, he does all the prep himself and all the cooking on the Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday.
The menu
The Dive Barge menu is compact but varied. It includes appetizers, wings, and sandwiches.
Walls brines the wings in a flavorful liquid for extra flavor and juiciness before frying them crisp, and he makes all his sauces by hand. Sauce choices are buffalo (regular or hot), Caribbean BBQ with a base of Grace brand Jerk paste seasoning made in Jamaica, spicy garlic, or sticky Asian.
Diners really enjoy fish dishes on the river, and the hand cut, hand breaded catfish tenders are the most popular starter. Crab Rangoon, Shrimp Jammers and pretzel bites are other choices.
The Old Fashioned Butcher Shoppe provides a Cajun smoked whitefish spread and Pimento cheese, which are served with toasted bread slices for spreading and a pickle and onion garnish.
Sandwiches include:
A Philly cheesesteak with roasted peppers and onions and provolone cheese on a hoagie
A hand-battered grouper in homemade corona beer batter on a brioche bun
The Barge Burger with a half-pound angus beef patty with onion straws, roasted garlic aioli, bacon jam and smoked cheddar on a brioche bun
The Poon Saloon chicken sandwich with grilled chicken, Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, veggie dressings and sweet orange horseradish glaze on a brioche bun
A boneless back rib sandwich with sauce, pickles and onions on a hoagie
More: New North Side restaurant has a little of everything from boba frappes to burgers
The other menu
From 8 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday the menu changes to late night offerings, including Philly fries, wings, pretzel bites, and a series of gourmet tacos in soft flour tortillas served with seasoned fries. Many patrons of the Marina Pointe come down to enjoy them. Examples are:
The CB with crispy chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, white cheese, and ranch
The Squealer with pulled pork, tangy slaw and Grippo’s chips
The Classic BH with seasoned beef, queso, lettuce, tomato, white cheese and salsa
The Sea Kitten with crispy catfish, tangy slaw, tartar sauce and spicy onion straws
The Dive Philly with steak, peppers, onions, jalapenos and queso
The Dive Barge
Location: 1801 Waterworks Road
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11 a.m.- Midnight or later; Friday – Saturday 11 a,m,-3 a.m.
Website: facebook.com/TheDiveBarge
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: The Dive Barge in Evansville open at Marina Pointe
