OK, I'll just be honest. I'm probably not going to be a regular at Bar at 316, located off Rensselaer Avenue near Owen's Bagel on South Boulevard. It's not that I had a bad experience at last night's soft opening ... not in the least. It's just that, well, considering the fact that a good number of the patrons who will frequent Bar at 316 are beautiful gay men, I know I'm not going to get a lot of attention. And I like getting attention from the opposite sex.
But back to the soft opening.
The owners of Bar at 316 have done a BEAUTIFUL job of revamping the old Liaisons, which was housed in an old, run-down pink house. Great news: The pink paint on the outside is all gone. Yay! Inside, the décor has been updated to match that of a modern lounge — little teacup lights shine down on the bartenders upstairs as they swing drinks, while paper lamps stand in the corners of the rooms. The bars have been transformed to granite countertops, a very classy upgrade. Overall, the place has a very warm, cozy feel, with candles flickering away on the tables, comfy couches in each room and contemporary art hanging on the walls. All I'm going to say is, make sure you check out the all-white sculpture of a deer head hanging up on the wall in one of the rooms downstairs. Wowzers.
The other thing that caught my eye was the vending machine filled with snacks in one corner of the upstairs bar. I just kept looking at it ... it seemed so out of place. Here I am, sipping on a mixed drink — am I really going to have a sudden craving for some Doritos?
Bar at 316 is non-smoking, but patrons can easily step outside on one of the balconies. The smoking ban goes into effect in January, but it was super nice to be able to leave a bar without my jacket reeking of cigarettes.
Overall, I think the gay community is going to embrace Bar at 316 with open arms. The owners have stressed, though, that they want their place to not only be gay-friendly but also hetero-friendly. And I heard more than one guy say he'll be bringing all his straight friends to the spot, especially this weekend when Bat at 316 hosts its grand opening. You should definitely check it out.
Tonight, CharlotteVibe.com, in association with Six Figure Entertainment, will be hosting its annual Red & Black Affair at Sunset Club (1820 South Blvd.). Besides being a swanky holiday party, it's also CharlotteVibe.com's CEO Chris Jenkins' birthday. Isn't he so cute?
The party starts at 10 p.m., tickets are $10 in advance, and red and black cocktail attire is strongly encouraged. DJ Freedom will be spinning, and judging from last year's pictures, I'd say a good time is pretty much guaranteed. Head out and tell my buddy Chris Happy Birthday, will ya?
Here’s a list of the top five nightlife-related events tonight, Dec. 11, as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• International Night: South Asian Style at Kashmir
• Rock the Recession with Evelynn Rose and The Stellas at Whisky River
• Lesbapalooza at Hartigan's Irish Pub
• The Movement at Soul Gastrolounge
• A Not So Silent Night at Dammit Janet
Tomorrow night, two of your favorite local bands will be rocking at Whisky River for a Rock the Recession party. Evelynn Rose and The Stellas have both stepped up to do their patriotic duty recently and gone overseas to entertain our troops. You can read Evelynn Rose's story here, while The Stellas blogged through their adventure in the MidEast and Asia (see this link, and this link, and this link).
Free cover before 11 p.m. (with this flyer).
Included in tonight's top five events are three parties in which a toy is required as a part of admission. Of course, toys will be donated to charities, so we highly recommend you check out these events.
• BoomBox in concert at Neighborhood Theatre
• Will Drink For Toys Charity Event at Dolce Vita
• Toys For Tots Holiday Party at Mez
• CYP 2nd Annual Black and White Holiday Party (benefiting Toys For Tots) at Loft 1523
• Rock It Thursdays at Luna Lounge
Here’s a list of the top five nightlife-related events tonight, Dec. 9, as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Flash Rave at UNCC with after-party at Suite
• Speed networking at Apostrophe Lounge
• Twinkle Twinkle fashion show at Crave Dessert Bar
• Gwar at Tremont Music Hall
• Pure Wednesdays at Halo
Here's a list of the top five nightlife-related events tonight, Dec. 8, as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Sexy Santa contest at Whisky River
• Holiday Fundraiser at Dolce Vita
• Mean Creek, The Whigs, The Features at Visulite Theatre
• Country Tuesdays at Snug Harbor
• Trivia at The Flying Saucer
Here’s a list of the top five nightlife-related events tonight, Dec. 7, as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Premium sake tasting at The Wine Shop at Foxcroft
• Community Culinary School Holiday Dinner at Mez
• Champagne dinner at The Fig Tree
• Speak A Latte at PJ’s Coffee and Lounge
• Monday Funday at Dixie's Tavern
Sometimes,folks in Charlotte make me mad.
Why? Here's an example: There I was — last night — at the SouthEnd nightspot Dharma, attending the CD release party for local soul/R&B singer Rudy Currence. (Big shout out to Tank!) Currence has been kicking around Charlotte for years, performing at clubs and writing songs for other artists. Recently, however, he made the leap to the "big show" when he was signed to Disturbing Tha Peace Records — the label owned by the hit-making rapper Ludacris. So, the event last night was organized to celebrate Currence's affiliation with DTP and his first project from the label — a holiday-themed CD titled Last Christmas.
But, back to my anger ... I didn't get pissed because the event was poorly attended; honestly, I've never seen Dharma that packed. And I also didn't get upset due to a poor performance by Currence. He killed it ... although I must say that I always enjoy hearing his original music more than his covers. He crafts great melodies and his vocals are incredible (church-inspired, no doubt), so let's hear more of that.
No, I got angry when Ludacris jumped on stage to actually bring out his newly signed artist — and people didn't seem excited at all. No rousing applause or unyielding shouts from the crowd — just a few anemic claps. How wack is that?
Now, I'm not some huge fan of Ludacris (I like a few of his songs.), but I can say with extreme confidence that Luda does not appear at small clubs in Charlotte on a regular basis. Moreover, he is definitely the most well-known celeb to ever visit Dharma ... so why no love? I mean, how wack is that?!
Anyway, I'm just venting. Oh but let me add this: I left the show early to avoid an exiting throng of people, so I may have missed some last-minute performance by Luda — one where people went nuts and danced on the bar and shit. If that's the case, then let me know. Otherwise, I stand by my stank attitude.
Not to mention some tools — Shawn Southern and Matsuflex from VH1's Tool Academy, to be exact — will be hosting the event tonight. You'll probably want to get there early; they expect capacity to be reached.
Oh BAR Charlotte ... we love you for your sleaziness.
Mobile
