Aaron Landry

Aaron Landry & Liz Glover, originally uploaded by fimoculous.

For the Republican National Convention, CNN transformed the Eagle Street Grille into the CNN Grill. It’s directly across the street from the Xcel Energy Center and like a similar establishment in Denver for the RNC, it was completely redone with new exterior signs, red walls, branded umbrellas, televisions, a small studio space and even some of the booths were changed to fit CNN’s brand. The pint glasses were changed out and there was even a news marquee and huge neon sign over one of the bars. Photos on the wall ranged from scenes of political signage to a bizarre set of large frames showcasing logos under the CNN brand, like “iReport” and “CNN Airport Network.” There was nothing inside or outside that I could see that said “Eagle Street Grille.” It was as if this theme restaurant had always been here.

Access required being credentialed for the security perimeter as well as wearing a pass from CNN. Inside were piles of swag and gift bags. It was heavily staffed, brightly lit and had reliable internet access.

Like many of the RNC-related parties, everything on the menu was on the house. Quite the deal, especially as it wasn’t the Eagle Street Grille’s regular menu either: they flew in chef Michael Romano and others from New York to run the kitchen and all the food was replaced out. There were a few special bottles at the bar and the drinks were poured strong. Despite my disdain towards Makers Mark, I couldn’t resist ordering from the bottle dipped not only in red wax, but with two more layers in white and blue too (hey, I had to remind myself “when in Rome…” quite a bit during the RNC). At a table I was at on Wednesday, we joked about how a gin and tonic fits into a full pint glass. There was a Texas joke somewhere there.

I talked with Andrea Mayer at the Eagle Street Grille the Saturday after the convention and she told me about the long hours people were working confirmed to me what some of the wait staff told me during the week: they don’t even know exactly what they’re being paid. While this surprised me at first, she, “did it for the experience.” The tips were being pooled that week which seemed rather antithetical considering the crowd but then I reminded myself that there were more media people here than there were Republicans. I said I didn’t see people tipping when I was there and she interrupted “oh, they were tipping” and without saying directly, indicated she had no qualms about the compensation.

During the week, I talked with another woman on the CNN Grill’s waitstaff who was a recent college graduate and came back to work for the week because of the deal. Even still, she didn’t know how much exactly she was being paid either. It was clear she thought it was going to be enough to be worth it.

I asked Mayer if there were any issues or problems they had as a result of the CNN Grill taking over and she paused. She wasn’t able to blame CNN for anything but said the main problem was her disappointment of hearing “the regulars wanting their bar back.”

For the week, it was the place to hang out with media. CNN’s “CNN Grill” tag on Political Ticker mentions only a few who were there, New York Times’ David Carr humorously includes the CNN Grill in one of his videos, and the people I was with would be frequently pointing out people they knew. It was a big reminder that while I may know some faces in the local media scene, I’m quite unfamiliar with most faces nationally. Some of the people I met would start by asking where I’m from. One responded, “oh, you’re from here? Wow.”

The experience at the booth I sat at went like this: I was sitting next to FishbowlNY’s Glynnis MacNicol who was celebrating a birthday after midnight (turning 27 if I remember correctly? ) so they brought out some cupcakes with packets of red and blue frosting to decorate with. One was lit with a candle with the words “Happy Birthday” written out in frosting. There was a bowl of sprinkles that 23/6’s Eugene Mirman grabbed, threatened to use in some form on the booth next to us and then dumped them back in the bowl. No surprise he was earlier questioned by secret service after causing trouble inside the Xcel Energy Center. He talked CNN President Jon Klein into receiving a kiss on the cheek from him. Klein introduced himself to me and shook my hand without saying his name. A couple CNN anchors and correspondents from The Daily Show were hanging out while others donning a boatload of credentials and pins pushed through a thick crowd holding small “McCain/Palin” signs fresh out of Sarah Palin’s speech. Wonkette videographer Liz Glover stopped by and showed me her Barbie-branded pink Polaroid camera where I snapped a shot with her and Rex Sorgatz. We played with Glover’s “70’s microphone” not long after the CNN Grill dog Sara (who roamed the CNN Grill freely) completely control an interview with her. Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar and Time Magazine / Swampland’s Ana Marie Cox were behind laptops and I heard that many people spent some long hours there and a few treated it almost as a remote office.

I asked Mayer what she thought of all the celebrities and she said that everyone, especially the CNN anchors, were very friendly. She didn’t spend any time trying to get to get to know anyone saying “I wanted to treat them like any other customer.” Perhaps then, I received the same service Tom Brokaw, Wolf Blitzer and Ben Stein got.

After the Republican National Convention ended on Thursday night, The CNN Grill re-opened Saturday as the Eagle Street Grille and “everything is back to normal,” including a fresh paint job. They got to keep some of the CNN glassware but everything else CNN took with them — presumably for another establishment that CNN can take over for a week during a major national event.

Eagle Street Grille
174 7th St W
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-225-1382

A couple more photos at Flickr.