Would you belly up to a bar called Ike’s?

A few weeks ago, I wrote in Biz Buzz that island resident John Turner had bought the former Bayview Marina, 21706 Burnet Drive in Sea Isle, out of foreclosure.

Now he's ready to start improvements on the 50 boat slips and amenities. He’s also mulling opening a bar at the marina and naming it "Ike’s."

Most people he’s spoken to are fine with the idea, he said. But others think the name evokes too many dark memories of a storm that sent surge through thousands of businesses and homes.

Turner said he figures naming his bar Ike’s is a way of thumbing his nose at the miserable storm.

“It’s not that I’m making little of the storm’s damage to people, because my house had to be completely gutted and redone too,” Turner said.

I told him I would pose the question to Buzz Blog readers. So, what do you think? Would a bar or other business named Ike's offend you?

Is there any meat to the talk that Ryan’s Grill, Buffet and Bakery, which operates a popular restaurant in Texas City, is planning to move into the island site left vacant in October by Luby’s Cafeteria? Or is it just a case of wishful rumoring?

An employee at the Texas City eatery said she’d heard the rumors, but couldn't confirm them and referred calls to corporate HQ. I put a call into Ryan’s corporate offices late Wednesday afternoon. Maybe we'll hear something before Tuesday's Biz Buzz.

Whether the rumor is true or not, I couldn’t help but think about what a prime spot — 61st Street and Central City Boulevard — the old Luby’s space is for a restaurant. I’m no real estate expert, but it has visibility, accessibility and lots of parking.

Would you like to see a Ryan’s in that spot? Or, if you could have your pick of any restaurant to fill the space, what would it be?

Before Ike the Terrible, one of my favorite north county restaurants was Portofino Ristorante Italiano in Clear Lake Shores. Alas, Ike did it in. But this month, Opus Bistro has opened in its place and to rave reviews by readers.

Those readers say the upscale eatery, 1002 Aspen Road, makes a mean red fish dish and an excellent steak and drinks are reasonably priced. I haven't been successful in reaching the owner. And I hear the eatery, which offers continental cuisine, is working on a Web site, but I couldn't find it to provide a link in this blog.

But I didn't want to leave for the weekend without letting everyone know it finally opened.

Ronnie Richards, project coordinator for Clear Lake Shores' Economic Development Corp., has this to say about the eatery: "In my opinion, Opus will be the most elegant and upscale eatery on this side of the lake."

I'll try to have more about in Biz Buzz next week. If you've been, please tell us about it.

The sign comes down at Fuddrucker's on Tuesday. Photo by Gerald Vimont.

Is no sign a bad sign for Fuddruckers? Downtown dweller Gerald Vimont sent this photo of the crews taking down the restaurant sign. He shot the photo at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The Fuddruckers franchise is the only eatery on the island owned by Landrys' Restaurant Inc. that has not returned after Hurricane Ike. Officials with Landry's corporate office did not respond to inquiries I made late Monday.

Stay tuned.

I still get a lot of questions about restaurants that haven’t returned since Hurricane Ike, and today there's buzz about two on the island.

Waterman Seafood Grill, a once popular West End eatery, is for sale.

An investment group that in August 2008 bought the restaurant at 14302 Stewart Road to complement a marina and condominium project has put it on the market. Here’s a Web site devoted to Waterman’s status.

I’ll have more details in tomorrow’s Biz Buzz.

Meanwhile, is a comeback in store for Fuddruckers in the island’s downtown? Readers report “light construction” activity at the restaurant, 111 23rd St.

A spokeswoman for Mitchell Historic Properties, which owns the building, referred calls to Landry’s Restaurants Inc., which owns the island Fuddruckers franchise.

Anyone following Biz Buzz and this blog knows I've been inquiring about Fuddruckers for months, to no avail.

Still, I put another call in late Monday to Landry's corporate offices.

Do you miss either or both of the restaurants?

NASA is all about outer space. But lately, it’s showing some love to Planet Earth.

NASA officials gathered Thursday for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on the first office building erected at Johnson Space Center in 17 years.

The three-story, 83,000-square-foot building is part of NASA’s efforts to make its campus more energy-efficient, officials say.

Satterfield & Pontikes Construction built the $25 million building that officials expect to meet Platinum LEED certification.

Some NASA employees will be moved to the building while crews upgrade and make energy-efficient improvements to other buildings on campus.

I’d love to tell you right now what energy-efficient amenities are part of “Office Building 20.” But we’ll have to wait until next week’s Biz Buzz.

Because of prior commitments, I couldn't make today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. And phone interviews weren't working. Satterfield & Pontikes must get approval from their client before releasing information, which, I'm learning, is a slow orbiting process.

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, if anyone works out there and has seen the building, tell us what you think.

Should cities ban plastic bags? I got to thinking about that after reading this column from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship that ran in The Daily News last week. The group has launched an effort to limit the use of plastic bags on the island.

Several years ago, I wrote this article about the whole paper or plastic question. It turned out that more and more people were answering the question with: “None of the above.” Those shoppers were opting for reusable bags.

I confess I sometimes use plastic bags when I make an unplanned run to the store on my way home from work. But I recycle or reuse them.

When I first started using fabric bags, I could tell the sackers (with the exception of those at Whole Foods, which had stopped offering plastic bags) thought I was weird and a little annoying. Nowadays, the sackers seem to be getting used to reusable bags. They're better at hiding their annoyance anyway. But some, surprisingly, don't get the point and a few have tried to put my groceries into plastic bags and then into reusable bags.

The other day in the check-out lane a woman told me I made her feel guilty because she had forgotten her reusable bags. I hadn't said a word and wasn't judging anybody (I was reading gossip magazine covers, I confess).

But the whole exchange made me think there’s definitely been a cultural shift. Trendwatchers say it came several years ago when mainstream mass merchandiser Walmart introduced reusable bags.

Galveston has a big plastic bag problem. They hang in trees and find their way into Galveston Bay, where they cause all sorts of trouble.
Hardly a day goes by that they aren’t blowing around in the parking lot of the downtown complex where I live. I catch as many as I can; but it’s a never-ending job.

San Francisco has banned plastic bags. More cities are considering following suit.

It's an interesting debate that, refreshingly, doesn't seem to fall along partisan lines. I know conservatives and liberals who tote reusable bags.

Would you like to see your city ban plastic bags? Or will there be a day when most everyone uses fabric bags on their own volition, making legislation unnecessary?