The Green Iguana is a pleasant affordable place to drop into, for lunch with a friend or on a Friday night, after a movie at the Veterans. But on a Sunday night in October, it was magical. Along with our friends Curtis and Debbie, and with a little help from manager Brian Alexander, we staked out a table early to catch the debut gig by a rock group called Coo Coo Ca Choo.

This is not just any rock group, but one which includes our friend and hair-wizard, Danny George. You may remember that we profiled Danny (of the Daniel George Salon in the Village) for Village Views some months ago. Shortly afterward, Danny started jamming with some other “old rockers,” seasoned professionals all. We saw the results at the Green Iguana, surrounded by scores of enthusiastically cheering patrons. From the sound of the crowd reaction, I have a feeling you’ll be hearing from Danny and the gang again very soon.

So, there we were, at the Green Iguana on Anderson Road, for at least an hour before the show, with the winsome Kim as our wait-person. So we ordered a pitcher of beer and a couple of appetizers, namely Crab Rangoon, $5. 99 and Bimini Conch Fritters, $6. 79, with accompanying sauces. We scarfed it all down, but the Crab Rangoon was tastier.

Then it was time to choose our burger, because burgers is what they’re known for at The Green Iguana. The menu boasts that the Iguana’s burgers are regularly voted Best of the Bay, and even won a special award from Southern Living Magazine for Best Burger in the South.

Even though there are 12 — count ‘em — 12 burger choices, two of us picked the Cheesiest Cheese Burger, that’s triplecheeses, plus the standard lettuce/tomato/onion/pickle, $7. 49 One of us opted for The Mambo King’s Bacon and Cheese BurgerDeluxe, with the same standards plus Thousand Island dressing, also $7. 49. All burgers are a big 8 ounces and come with fries, but you can substitute a salad for a buck more. And your heart will thank you.

Just for the record, we might have had such unusual burgers as the Mean Green Florentine, with spinach/artichoke/bacon/ bleu cheese…the Southwest Turkey Burger, with pepperjack cheese/black bean corn salsa/avocado mayo. There’s even a vegetarian variety, the Portabello Cheeseburger with caramelized onions/melted provolone and Thousand Island dressing. Prices range from $6.49 to $7.99, except for the Full Pound Cheese Burger, $9. 99. An EMS gurney should come with that.

There are many, many more choices on the menu besides burgers, and I opted for one: a Sambal Salad, featuring grilled shrimp and crispy fish over veggies and a Thai infused Sambal chili vinaigrette, $9. 95. At $13. 99, the Chargrilled strip steak with extras is the most expensive item on the menu, making it easier for one to partake freely of Mojito Madness and Bahama Mango Mamma, prices unknown.

So, the bottom line is that many of the younger generations make this their place, both for the food and the every-night entertainment. They really don’t mind that it’s noisy and crowded. And for the night of Coo Coo Ca Choo, we somewhat older rockers didn’t mind, either!

     - Sandra Harrington