For a while now I’ve felt that Ballantyne is morphing into a mini-Uptown. Last year saw the arrival of Cosmos Café, and this year Libretto’s, the famed pizzeria adjoined to Strike City, has opened shop there, too. But as of yesterday, they added another popular Uptown feature — their own Alive After Five. Ready to unwind after a long day of job hunting, I couldn’t imagine anything better than relaxing to live music ... and honestly, I wanted to know what five o’clock was like in my mini-Uptown.
Within moments of arriving, I already noticed a big difference. Ballantyne caters to a much younger crowd, and no, I don’t mean the 18 and up crowd — I’m talking ages 1-10. When I worked in the EpiCentre, I noticed families were common during the day, but as far as Alive after Five goes, it was rare to see children running around. The Ballantyne event had a mix of every crowd, but the most popular group there was families. As you walked through, children were playing with beach balls and stopping to talk to the Maggie Moo’s mascot. And while I had expected an event reminiscent of what I saw Uptown, it was nice to see moms and dads playing games and laughing with their kids.
Alongside the children, there were some young professionals from the area, but an even greater majority were couples, married and unmarried, out to enjoy the warm weather, a cold beer and some live music.
And the music was perfect for mellowing out. The stage was located toward the back of the shopping complex, close to the Harris Teeter and the Big Daddy’s Burger Bar — which, if you’d rather avoid the crowds of Alive After Five, has an incredible patio for listening to the music.
The entertainment was provided by Coconut Groove, who played a mixture of Jimmy Buffett classics, such as "Margaritaville," and classic rock hits like "Layla" by Eric Clapton. The music really fit the Ballantyne location. With the cool breeze, the clear blue skies, and the relaxing sounds of Coconut Groove, it felt as though stepping through the Alive After Five gates erased any remains of a hectic outside — too bad it was still there after the event was over.
For Ballantyne, the official Alive After Five party was held at the Fox and Hound, versus the buck-wild Whisky River of Uptown. In fact, as soon as you enter the gates, the Fox and Hound girls handed out a flyer for ½ off Appetizers, $3 16oz BL Aluminum bottles, and $2 all draft beers- munchies and beer specials? Can’t beat that, right?
Overall, Ballantyne’s Alive After Five offers a different atmosphere than you would expect from Uptown. In the city, Alive After Five is the kick-off for a crazy night on the town. But Ballantyne hosts an event that brings friends and families together, and also provides for a quick stop between work and home. But whether you revive yourself with the crazy antics of Uptown or the quiet, mellow crowd at Ballantyne, the arrival of a new Alive After Five shows that, uptown or down south, there’s always a five o’clock party somewhere.
There’s always that one person in life whom you look up to as a mentor. Someone who does exactly what you aspire to do, and does it so well, you hope to achieve just half their talent. And it’s those mentors that have inspired a new pub on Carmel Road: Old Pro .
Of course, I didn’t know about the concept when I first drove by. All I saw was the humongous patio. Easily one of the biggest decks in Charlotte, the patio captures a laid-back, “I’m on vacation” vibe. The palm trees as you walk up, the slanted wooden roof, and the huge deck fans — heck, even the string lights — all make you feel as though you should be overlooking a beach with a big ass margarita in hand.
The inside is just as calming and full of character. Little touches like the green walls, the plaid aprons on the wait staff, and the plaid around the photo hangings gave it a wee feel for the Scottish Highlands. One eye-catching feature is the stained glass windows that appear in random spots of the pub. One in particular has the O of the Pub’s name accented by a stained glass plaque.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’m originally from England. So whenever I find a pub that caters to my European tastes, whether it be Ireland, Scotland or England, I drive over so quickly I almost forget which side of the road I should be on — don’t worry, I know it’s the right side ... right? Just joking. But it was my cravings for home that lead me to PJ O Reilly’s, located at the corner of Highway 521 and Ardrey Kell Road.
PJ O Reilly's is an Irish pub, and while I’m not from Ireland, I lived close enough to tell you the inside décor does a great job of recreating the feel of an Irish village. The orange-painted walls and the random brick-painted designs look similar to a village home. There was even the popular red phone booth on the wall where you would typically find a payphone.
This is why Scorpio is still around after 40 years.
Last night they hosted the Miss Gay Mecklenburg County America Pageant (an official preliminary to the Miss Gay NC America Pageant), featuring Detra Panucci MGNCA 2009, Emory Starr (Miss Scorpio 2010 - Miss Charlotte 2009), Felicia Monet (Miss Pride Charlotte 2009), Essence Iman (Miss East Coast USofA 2009), Monica Mitchells and MC Tiffany Storm!
Scorpio is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, doors at 9 p.m. For more information on this Charlotte jewel, visit www.scorpios.com.
Here are some photos from last night, courtesy of intern Nicole Pietrantonio.
With Charlotte’s continuously expanding nightlife, most local bars and clubs aren’t intimate enough to make friends with the regulars. I worked at a bar downtown, and honestly, we got so busy I only had the chance to make friends with one couple. That’s why Yesteryears is the perfect place for Charlotte nightlife. It’s the kind of place where you’re the bartender’s friend within minutes of walking through the door, and you don’t get many places like that anymore, right?
Nestled in a shopping pavilion on Independence is Yesteryears pub. And from the moment you walk in, you’ll realize it’s a bunch of shit ... no, literally, the owner Steve Hoxworth is a shit collector, and everything he has collected over the years is displayed at the pub. “I like things just the way they are when they come off the farm or wherever they’re from, nothing refurbished,” said Hoxworth.
And there sure is a lot to look at in Yesteryears. Whenever I go somewhere, I like to look for a distinct piece of décor ... at Yesteryears, I found one at every corner I turned. There’s Elvis Presley figurines, old punching bags, random farm animals (fake ones, of course), and signs and license plates (such as a “stop, forest, stop” Alabama plate). But the list keeps on going and going. In fact, every time you visit Yesteryears, I guarantee you’ll find something new to look at, and that’s all a part of what makes the place ... well, a shit-load of fun!
When talks of an ultra-exclusive, New York styled lounge coming to Charlotte surfaced, promising to raise the sophistication bar on nightlife, some wondered how well it would do in a smaller city like Charlotte. Butter NC (its sister location is located in New York City and is a popular hangout for celebrities) has been open at the N.C. Music Factory for a few months now. We chatted with Scott Sartiano, owner, to find out how things are going.
Creative Loafing: Now that you’ve been open for a while, how’s business been?
Scott Sartiano: Business has been great — it’s actually better than I ever expected. Charlotte has been very receptive to Butter NC. You always have to adapt to a new environment, but at the end of the day, no matter where you go, people want the same basic things when they go out ,which are good music, ambiance, service and a fun party in a well-controlled atmosphere. The fact that I keep seeing the same faces there week after week, and they’re returning and staying all night really speaks to how well business is doing at the club.
For our readers who don't know anything about Butter NC, can you describe the concept behind your place?
Butter NC was created to fill a gap in what I felt was missing from Charlotte nightlife. The space is an 8,300-square-foot nightclub that New York City-style nightlife to North Carolina, as an extension of its sister venue, Butter in NYC, which has been a celebrated restaurant and lounge since 2002. Butter NC has a sexy yet sophisticated atmosphere to dance, to lounge to great music by the best DJs in America — we actually fly them down every weekend to spin. It’s a bi-level club with three bars, an outdoor patio with a bar and lounge. We have bottle service and serve some of the rarest bottles in the world, like Ace of Spades Methuselah and an extensive cocktail list prepared by a world-renowned mixologist. We pulled out all of the stops trying to make Butter NC a nightclub that could have compared with the best nightclubs in the world like La Cave in St. Tropez and 1Oak in NYC.
To someone who has heard the rumors of Butter’s ultra-exclusivity, what can he or she do to ensure entry?
I have actually heard these rumors, and I think it’s a testament to our dedication to good service. It’s not very complicated — people should just dress well (If you come in wearing shorts or ripped up jeans and a baseball cap, you’re probably less likely to get in, whereas you have someone dressed in an Armani suit or something like that … sounds like a really cheesy thing but you know what I’m saying), arrive with an even guy-to-girl ratio and be courteous. They’re a few basic rules that help make for a fun night and a friendly atmosphere.
Do you have any big things coming up for us to look forward to?
We have a great line-up for the next few months, including a summer kick-off party hosted by Denny Hamlin. We are also starting our world famous Butter Tuesday Nights with a fantastic DJ line up, which will be spearheaded by Samantha Ronson. We also have a ton of amazing events coming up soon, but I can’t tell you about those just yet.
OK, OK, so Elwood’s, isn’t a country music place ... at least, not every night it isn’t. But from the delicious BBQ to the variety of live music every Friday and Saturday, Elwood’s (located at 10403-J Park Road) has a lot of reasons to boot and scoot over there.
Elwood’s Music Hall just opened seven months ago, and is owned by the same people that own Fifty 1 and the Yellow Rose at Touchstone. During the day, it’s a damn good restaurant, serving up burgers and BBQ. And the smell of their BBQ is so tantalizing, it hits you before you even walk through the door.
But even better, the food is really well-priced. Elwood’s offers great lunch specials; in fact, you could call it BBQ on a budget. For $5.99, guests can get a Lil Elwood or a Beef Brisket sandwich, with a soft drink and side included. As for drink specials, there’s $2.50 domestics, $4 Tallboys and $5 bombs.
And at night, it’s still a damn good BBQ place, but with an added twist — it becomes a concert hall. Amy, a lady who has worked there since the place opened, gave me the grand tour.
When you walk through the door you’re immediately at the bar, but Amy tells me that’s not what Elwood’s intended. “We were going for a red carpet type look for the music hall entrance, but the bar part sticks out, and because the Elwood’s sign is there we don’t really use this one anymore,” Amy explained as she showed me the intended entrance.
A few Fridays ago, Halo held a Zumba event, with a juice and water bar in place of the usual alcoholic kind. But after dancing the night away, we all need a drink to steady our dancing legs (or at least, I do), so the alcohol did follow the event. However, since my knowledge of Zumba is based on what I heard, I got curious as to what it’s all about. Zumba is the latest workout craze to hit the nation, combining "hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away" (So says the Web site).
Although Zumba is primarily found in a gym, it also fits well in the club scene. So I started to wonder a few things: first of all, could Zumba be the class to fix my two left feet? And secondly, after the event at Halo, could Zumba be a new nightlife trend? I headed over to a class in Union County, my latest place for nightlife, to find out the answer and to get my groove on!
Wednesday night is college night here in the Q.C. — all of the big clubs say so and there's just nothing you can do about it. And while I may have gone back to school recently, I personally am no longer in the college night mindset. So last night my partner-in-crime and I held our own anti-college night and checked out a few places where grown folks can be grown folks, sans Asher Roth's anthem "I Love College."
First up, we met at 1300 Southend Tavern for a quick drink. Located in Southend where Original Pancake House and the old Nikkos used to be, it's a small neighborhood bar that attracts the locals. Wednesday is Trivia Night, and the only question I knew the answer to was, "Who was the butler on Fresh Prince of Bel Air?" Geoffrey, of course. Seeing as we weren't going to win anything, we headed to our next destination: Plaza Midwood.
Twenty-Two, the newest art gallery/lounge to open up in the area, debuted the works of artists Kelly Keith and Scott Nurkin in the combined exhibit, That's Our Jam Right Der. Sipping on a glass of pinot grigio (and not just because they don't serve liquor either) and admiring the colorful works of art, my friend and I managed to transition nicely from exercising our brain power over meaningless trivia to discussing high-class aesthetics with artist Kelly Keith. OK, actually, we talked about mushrooms, the Butthole Surfers, and how you should never drink the water in Mexico. But it was cultural nonetheless. Here's a photo of some of her works (and yes, those are pot leaves).
(The opening reception is this Saturday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. The "after party" will be at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre with performances by Sea of Cortez and Andy the Door Bum. It's an 11 p.m show with a $5 cover.)
Warning: If you experience symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness, or racing pulse while at Cosmos Cafe, please put down the martini menu listing 57 martinis and just have the server recommend you a drink. It's for your own good.
This week, the tapas restaurant celebrates its 12th anniversary. To show its appreciation for all the customers who have supported the restaurant all these years — and to maybe lure in some new regulars — Cosmos will be offering $12 three-course meals and $12 featured bottles of wine all this week, starting today. (Click here for menu items.)
In addition, they'll be hosting an array of events this week, in addition to the regular weekly specials, like Miller Lite Monday, Half-priced martinis on Wednesday and Latin Night on Thursday. "We’re having an Elevate [magazine] party on Wednesday," General Manager Tim Arnett says. "We’re bringing in guest DJs pretty much Wednesday through Saturday. We're also talking to Budweiser about doing giveaways — football tickets, basketball tickets, maybe a concert — on Friday. Saturday is our Cosmos Fusion, where we have the live belly dancers, sort of an international flair that night. We will be bringing in guest DJs for that night as well."
Mobile
