... Cafe Central and Frank's East Boulevard Bar & Grill. Easy enough.
East Boulevard Bar and Grill isn't necessarily new, but it is just opening. Once located closer to Freedom Park, East Boulevard will now be on the busier block of Dilworth in Latta Pavilion (where Quiznos and Super Suppers use to be).
New location .... new hours and new menu. Well, additional items ... which will be available during their new later hours. Their homemade bar fare and entrees will be available until 2 a.m. - not to mention a full bar. They've completely remodeled the space — there is no evidence of a Quiznos or Super Suppers even being there, and they've combined the two spaces and added cool garage door style windows, which will keep the bar-slash-grill feel like an indoor patio.
Frank will be opening the new East Boulevard Bar & Grill soon. Very, very soon ... they're hoping next week if the construction is finished (but we all know how that goes).
And Cafe Central is having their rooftop: The View at Cafe Central grand opening party on Tuesday, Oct. 6 with live music from Big Octave. This Plaza Midwood bar has quite the view of the city … one that could challenge that of Loft 1523 in Elizabeth. The spot are open late and serve brunch on Sunday (note to those of you waiting for over an hour for a table at Zada Janes).
Cason-Point: Two cool neighborhoods just got two new cool neighborhood bars.
The best display of tits and ass isn’t at Uptown Cabaret... it’s at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. And by "Tits and Ass" I’m referring to a musical number within the Broadway play A Chorus Line, which is currently playing in Charlotte and will be thru Oct. 4.
The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Broadway Light Series production of A Chorus Line opened Tuesday night. A Chorus Line is about, well, a Chorus Line and the audition-slash-interview process of. It was an artistic and hilarious display of the reality of entertainment. That’s all I’m going to say, I am not a spoiler – go see it yourself. You can buy tickets here
But I will tell you that there’s no intermission so be sure to pee before the play.
The cast after party was at Sonoma, tucked within Founders Hall. The bar is so hidden I didn’t even know it was there. It’s the perfect place for the bankers to come down from their tower and have a cocktail after work … or at lunch. There I got to see Tits and Ass … or the singer of the song rather, Val played by actress Mindy Dougherty and the Vicodin popping vixen Shelia played by Emily Fletcher. I also got to meet Charlottean Sterling Masters who played the role of Kristine.
So rather you're looking for a musical production, or tits and ass ... you can find it on the Chorus Line.
Skirt Magazine that is … And you can put on your skirt (or lift it up if you really want to) at Skirt! After Work today, Sept. 30, at The Spa (and pool) at Ballantyne Resort. And it is right after work from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Skirt! After Work featured drink is peach-and-cranberry flavored Silk Skirts – and $2 from each purchase will go toward benefiting the charity Circle de Luz.
Summer is falling into fall, so you may want to hit this pool party before the pool gets covered.
Skirt! has its happy hour-slash-charity events sporadically, but they're consistently a good time. I have been to two Skirt! After Work events in the past … one at McCormick and Schmick's in SouthPark Mall for which I ended up getting pink hair extensions in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. And the other was at The Wine Shop where drinking wine was good for the heart … the American Heart Association.
By the way, The Wine Shop in SouthPark has more than wine for sale … nightlife is also in their inventory.
They offer tastings every Friday from 5 – 7 p.m. and cooking classes one a month … and they serve you wine while you cook (I wish my Home Ec classes in high school were that cool).
Charlotte is full of bleacher bars for football fans to watch their teams, there’s even different cheering sections.
But now there’s a new way to watch Monday Night Football … on the big screen. And by big screen I am not talking about a 52 inch flat screen, I am referring to a movie theater.
Last night, I watched the Panthers lose at the EpiCentre Theater. They showed the big game on the big screen… and had a full bar under it. And even better, there were no movie theatre prices - Bud lights were a mere $2 and admittance was even free.
They have trivia during commercials and timeouts so you can really get into the game … and a game of your own. There was also a raffle for a Bud Light Grooler (grill-slash-cooler) and tickets to Panthers games. It wasn’t the typical theater atmosphere where you have to whisper and put your phone on vibrate, it was more like a sports bar with a really, really big television. Mez-slash-EpiCentre Theaters will host all Monday Night football games – next week the box office will be showing the Vikings vs. Packers.
... aside from some chewed up chewing gum, napkins and people's cards and numbers we don't want — trash cans at bars are typically only occupied by bottles and cans.
And what happens to those trash cans full of recyclable materials? ... they end up in the trash. Why? For starters, because it's more complicated than just transferring it into a recycling bin and putting it out on the curb to be picked up like we do at our residence. The bar staff is supposed to rifle through our spit, shit and broken glass in trash cans to separate the bottles... and generally at 3 a.m. following an all-day shift. Sucks for them - so why not make it easier on them and, in turn, the environment by putting recycling bins in bars? I don't know about you, but if I saw a big blue bin with a triangle of arrows on it - I would only put my bottles in it. As long as they make it obvious enough for drunk people to figure it out.
Besides, going green is the trend these days. ... and when I say green I am talking about recycling, not money.
What do you think ... should they put recycling bins in bars?
Read more about recycling in bars here
There's another bar opening to watch football in... and by football I mean soccer!
Courtyard Hooligans in Brevard Court has replaced the baseball bar George Herman's that struck out in the beginning of the summer.
The European Soccer pub had its grand opening last weekend - Saturday for the Arsenal game and Sunday for the Manchester United vs. Manchester City. And the pub was packed for the Carling Cup - and although it is easy to pack such a small pub, still ... it was a Wednesday afternoon. They even have a regular already - William seen here promoting their specials ...
They did some major remodeling transforming the ambiance from a NYC baseball dive to an English pub, and are now utilizing the patio space in Brevard Court.
Well, now we know where we'll be watching the World Cup next summer. Goal!
I know, I know ... Charlotte is no N.Y.C. or L.A., but it's still a metropolitan city worthy of red carpet events - and we're rolling out the red carpet for YOU.
Sleeping Giant Productions is going to be E! and I will be the red carpet correspondant. And Sleeping Giant doesn't sleep on anything, so come red carpet ready ... although renting hundreds of thousands of dollars in jewelry, wearing a specialty made designer dress, and getting a colonic are not required. Just dress to impress (yourself).
Miami's Mark Leventhal will be DJ'ing with opening DJ Charlotte's own D-Rock. When a DJ has an opening act, you know he's good ... just saying. AND - DJ R Wonz, DJ Rob Reeves and DJ Fotizo will be spinning on the patio
Speaking of red carpets and paparazzi ...
This past year while attending the Sundance Film Festival I thought to myself ... Charlotte should have a film festival. Turns out, we do ... and parties too. But I highly doubt I'll have another moment with Paris Hilton in the bathroom of the event locations: Whisky River, Blackfinn, or Therapy, as I did at Sundance. See a list of film festival festivities here
Hopefully, I'll see you Saturday, but either way, just remember that you don't need to be taking a bite of the big apple or off in la la land to walk the red carpet.
... and they're showing it off at a campus wide talent show this Thursday. Translation: party on campus! - the Cone Center at McKnight Hall to be exact. But don't expect to see frat kids doing keg stands - it's not that kind of college campus party. College kids do have talents other than bonging beer.
The event will feature a variety of acts, special guest judges and DJ Prep. The winner of the talent contest will walk away $150 richer - which is essentially riches to a college kid.
Show runs from 7 - 8 p.m. ... you can hit the keg party on Greek row afterwards if you want.
While Creative Loafing has the Best Of Awards - Chicago's Time Out Magazine has the "Eat Out Awards." The diner Fat City which I went to won this prestigious award in 2008. It just made me giggle... apparently I have a dirty mind. But I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.
While in Chicago, I also went to the Bull&Bear, and since it's a sports bar it stands for the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Bears... you know, the Bulls and the Bears, the Bull&Bear... as it turns out, it actually stands for the Bull&Bear from the Stock Market, which I learned after being laughed at and made fun of for five minutes.
For the record (and on the record): Latorre’s didn’t close… they just relocated, according to manager Adam Corkhill.
Latorre’s is now on the top level of HOM where Play was. And they’re already open … and they remain open until 2:30 a.m. because it’s a nightclub now and no longer a restaurant.
Latorre’s is Charlotte’s original Latin nightclub – and now there are so many of them between Tres Pesos, 1900 Mexican Grille and Tequila Bar, and all the ones up and down Tryon Street. But there’s only one Uptown - Latorre’s. They only serve salsa — without the chips — but it's still just as, if not more, spicy.
Every Friday, they offer free salsa lessons with a professional instructor starting at 9 p.m. And if you're hungry you can go to their sister restaurant to get your food fix … which is currently having a special where you 3 course meal for two people for $59.99.
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