Bama Bistro - Who are we to criticize the new business model?

Bama Bistro lunch crowd at 12:00 noon Tuesday

[Ed Note: We regret to inform you that it appears that our little hole in the wall is now a void between two walls i.e. closed]

As loyal LITG readers already know, Bama Bistro (15 Commerce St.) has made some changes to its business model. In these trying economic times, many business people are tweaking their modi operandi to hang on until we get through this rough patch, or until the banks own everything, whichever comes first.

Anyway, last week we learned that Bama Bistro is no longer open on Mondays, so we went around the corner to Lunde's (no, that doesn't rhyme). Lunch in the Gump, being a Monday thing, doesn't get to review many of the "closed on Monday" joints, like the Capitol Oyster Bar or the Montgomery Chicken Salad Club, but we wanted to give Bama Bistro a shot at redemption. So this week Fat Clemenza, Shadow Pup, Tojo Yamamoto, Chase N. Allpots and I, Bama Bing, broke protocol and went to lunch on Tuesday.

Anyway, when we got there at noon (see above) we deduced that Bama Bistro had decided to close on Mondays and Tuesdays, and that the last to leave had just forgotten to lock the door and turn off the "open" sign. We didn't see a soul in there. Luckily, however, before we started looting the place, a very nice young lady appeared for the greet & seat.  She took our drink orders and we settled in for a quick lunch, happy to have beaten the crowd.

12:10... no drinks yet. Or customers.

Clemenza surmised that maybe the new business model was geared toward "private dining." Well, good thing it was private because Tojo, as usual, didn't have on shirt or shoes, and Allpots didn't put his napkin in his lap (the horror). Worst of all, Shadow Pup (he of no opposable thumbs and limited conversational skills) got bored waiting for his water and started licking his balls.

Happily, though, things started happening at 12:11. Tea and water were served. Orders were taken. Salads began to appear, then chicken tetrazini, basil pesto chicken, chicken marsala, and chicken something-or-other. You would think we were all a bunch of vegetarians. The food was tasty, inexpensive and plentiful, although not terribly photogenic, as shown below:

What LITG is all about: Good food -- cheap and plenty of it.

As we finished our excellent lunches we found ourselves in a moral dilemma -- do we give Bama Bistro a good review on Lunch in the Gump, and thereby run the risk of derailing their new "private dining" business strategy? Or do we keep quiet about this scruffy, quirky little hole-in-the-wall? One would think that a positive review here would bring crowds, followed by word-of-mouth buzz and millions in profits, but who are we to say?  Maybe they are doing it this way for tax reasons.

Side notes: We are happy to report that Bama Bistro provides a solid beer selection (see left), including the usual domestic brands and favorite imports like Heineken (Holland), Corona (Mexico), and Germ-X (Germany). These are proudly served in plastic go-cups so you can take a cold one back to the office and continue your deposition with gusto. You only go around once.

Lastly, you will be glad to learn that Bama Bistro is serious about cleanliness, and for the discerning diner this establishment provides hand sanitizer on every table. In fact, on our table there was no salt & pepper, but there was hand sanitizer.

Imagine our shock, however, when we noticed Tojo applying tangerine-scented hand sanitizer to the remains of his Bama Bistro lunch. 

Tojo like.

Bama Bistro may not make it, but hell, neither did any of the banks or investment firms who used to have palatial offices on this part of Commerce Street. We recommend you check it out. For just $6.99 plus tax (the price of a darn good Bama Bistro lunch w/ H2O), you can help save this locally-owned joint.