Sit... stay... good Dog!

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Paparazzi filled the Yellow Dog in pursuit of shots like this one when Brad Pitt was in Winnipeg shooting The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

On the eve of the Oscars, let's kick things off with a film that was up for two statuettes at the 80th Academy Awards ceremony.

When The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was being shot in Winnipeg's Exchange District in 2005, the Yellow Dog Tavern at 386 Donald St. was the unofficial headquarters for paparazzi thirsty for pics of Brad Pitt, that movie's lead actor.

"They would get here first thing in the morning, stay all day, and take up every table facing the street, where the filming was taking place," says Michelle Chabot, the downtown pub's co-owner.

Back then, images of the Hollywood hunk -- fresh off a split from Jennifer Aniston -- were worth tens of thousands of dollars. Meaning the shutterbugs were big spenders, right? "You'd have thought so," Chabot says. "But no, they mostly ordered water." (To make matters worse, The Assassination of Jesse James was shut out at the Oscars; Casey Affleck lost to No Country For Old Men's Javier Bardem in the best supporting actor category, and There Will Be Blood won for Best Cinematography.)

Once upon a time, the Yellow Dog, located in the 101-year-old Phoenix Block, was a tavern in name only. The restaurant side debuted as Carnegie's Delicatessen in February 2002. The plan was to add a bar component ASAP. But due to a series of legal roadblocks, the Yellow Dog -- so-redubbed for Chabot's golden retriever, Buddy -- didn't pour its first pint until almost five years later.

Whoever said good things come to those who wait must have whiled away an afternoon or two at the "Dog." By the time the unpretentious, wood-filled watering hole was added to the mix, Chabot's cousin, Greg Ash, had moved to Winnipeg from Toronto to join the ownership group -- and tend bar six nights a week. His goal: to give the Yellow Dog the relaxed feel of places he frequented during an English pub crawl years ago. (Ash was born in Winnipeg and made a pledge upon his homecoming to "fight crime and bring back the Jets.")

"What really struck me about the locals I went to in London was that when you walked in, there was rarely any music playing; in most cases, there wasn't even a television," he says. "They were just about people and conversation."

That Cheers-type atmosphere has actually created a bit of quandary: sure, Yellow Dog regulars want their hangout to be popular. Just not too popular. "Our customers tend to be a bit protective," Chabot says. "They feel like they've found their own little gem -- one that they don't necessarily want to share with everybody else."

Sorry, folks, but the word seems to have spread. Depending on what day or night of the week it is, you're just as likely to bump into "suits" who have ventured over for lunch from Portage and Main as you are book club members, there to discuss their latest read, or blues enthusiasts, out to enjoy the Wednesday night house band.

If you time it just right, you might even bend elbows with musicians who've popped by for a drink after their show at the across-the-street Burton Cummings Theatre. "Franz Ferdinand, Avenged Sevenfold, Flaming Lips, Paul Brandt -- they've all poked their head in here," Ash says, when coaxed to name-drop.

On Nov. 7, 2007, Isaac Brock, the frontman for Portland, Ore.-based Modest Mouse, declared his visit to the Yellow Dog the highlight of his tour. Just before midnight, Brock, whose band had just played the Burt, ran back to his bus to fetch his guitar, after asking Ash if it was OK to get onstage and play a few tunes.

To the delight of the 30 or so people on hand, Brock and his drummer -- who was pounding away on a plastic barrel he'd found in the kitchen -- played nothing but Tom Waits covers until the wee hours of the morning. The next day, a DJ at UMFM told listeners that Modest Mouse played a great show at the Burton Cummings Theatre, but an even better one at the Yellow Dog.

"Ø DOG'S BREAKFAST: Fans of the late, great Ham N Eggs Grill will be pleased to learn that Al Friend, the face of the Princess Street nook for over 20 years, is now preparing brekkie and lunch at the Yellow Dog. (No word if Friend's infamous three-patty Terminator Burger will make its way on to the menu anytime soon.)

"Ø COUSINS' DELI: Guitarist Chris Carmichael has been a Wednesday-night fixture at the Yellow Dog for five years. He's also Chabot and Ash's first cousin. "At times, this place feels like an extension of the family farm in Portage la Prairie, where we all grew up together," says Chabot. "We've got cousins who own the place, another (cousin) who plays here, and a bunch more who support it every chance they get."

"Ø THEY CAME FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER: In November 2008, Australians Ethan and Lisa Finney were driving across North America when their van broke down on Notre Dame Avenue, a block away from the Yellow Dog. "They came in here to try and figure out what to do next, met everybody, and ended up staying at one of the cousin's homes," Chabot says. The couple had only intended to spend 24 hours in Winnipeg. Instead, they became fixtures at the Yellow Dog for a week, only escaping long enough to shower, sleep and cheer on the bar's hockey team, the Yellow Dogs.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 26, 2011 F3