Between Moosehead Grill, Angry Ales, George Pappas and Jeff’s Bucket Shop, I used to refer to Montford Drive as Dive Drive, but it’s a little hard to now that Andrew Blair’s has opened for fine dining and wining, and one of the most famous dives, The Press Box, is now a premium pub – Brazwell’s.
...as in getting bigger.
As you may have read in Jeff Hahne's cover story this week: NC Music Factory is Ready to Rock we're getting a new Uptown Amphitheatre and we're getting some new nightlife.
The Fillmore, a live music venue larger than Amo's and Neighborhood Theatre is opening up on June 19 with Corey Smith (read more about the Fillmore in Jeff's article.)
Also opening eventually ...
* Wet Willie's Daiquiri Bar, which is like a bar of alcoholic slurpees with just about every flavor imaginable. I went to the one in Charleston and let me just go ahead and warn you about the dangers of brain freeze.
* Crobar, a large dance club where you can get jiggy with it, drop it like it's hot, and shake it like a polaroid picture ... at least that's what I did at the Crobar in Miami.
*The owner of Butter, the celebrity hang-out in Manhattan that you've probably seen pictures of stars stumbling out of in US Weekly, is personally coming down to Charlotte to open this upscale lounge here.
There will also be an Irish Pub, Sushi and Sake Lounge, a wine bar and a two story brew pub.
So, while Rob Dyrdek has the Fantasy Factory, thanks to the Lazes, we have the N.C. Music Factory.
By Sarah Coombes
This Tuesday, its time to get shaken, not stirred at Martini Fest. Unfortunately ladies, James Bond won’t be there, however his favorite drink will be. Martini fest, hosted by Elevate Lifestyle, Kiss 95.1 and Bud Light, will be held tonight from 6-10 p.m. at the Pavilion at Epicentre.
Tickets are $25 and allow you to sample Martinis from Charlotte’s top bars and restaurants. All profits are donated to the American Cancer Society, so not only are you helping vendors by sampling their alcohol, but you’re benefiting cancer research too ... who knew drinking could lead to such good ends? Local companies that are participating in the event include Suite, Whiskey River, Blackfinn, Apostrophe, On The Roxx, City Tavern, Bar Charlotte, Dixie’s Tavern, Strike City, Mez, Wild Wing Café, Tutto Mondo, PJ’s Coffee and Lounge and Hooters.
You can shake, stir, and shimmy thru the EpiCentre to the spinning of DJ Red Bull; however, all that Martini tasting will have you spinning in your own way. No worries though, area restaurants will be serving food alongside their Martinis. So, for $25 you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck with a buffet of martinis and food. So perhaps the event should be called Budget Fest, seeing as how we’re essentially saving money while donating it at the same time.
Whatever way you look at it, there’s lots of reasons to head on over to Martini fest.
Purchase tickets here .
Looking for a new way to view nightlife dining? Well, The Big View Diner has rejuvenated the restaurant world, or is taking us back rather!
The Diner just opened yesterday on Lancaster Highway, at the corner of Ardrey Kell and Johnston Road. And they are bringing the '50s back with a Classic Diner Burger and milkshake favorites... and some new twists too — like Toasted Coconut and Peanut Butter Banana. And if indulging in a milkshake wasn’t enough, they also provide a bake shop — so when cakes and pastries are your weakness, there’s no better place for getting baked.
The diner poses a challenge — finish their Triple D dessert and you’ll get it for free. The Triple D is chocolate cake, with bananas, nuts, cherries, caramel, whipped cream and every flavor of ice cream. A challenge has never tasted so good.
The Big View will begin serving breakfast all day starting May 25 — perfect for us nightlifers and summer breakers who won’t be getting up till after 2 p.m.
If you follow the brick road, you’ll find another old favorite at Robinson Farm, and I’m not talking about Dorothy and her little dog. Instead you’ll find Cosmos Café, a heaven for Martini drinkers with its 46 different Martinis.
As you know, Cosmos Café is a successful, Uptown restaurant that as of two days ago has opened a new location in Ballantyne — and they offer meals from all over the world, including Mini Lamb Burgers from Morocco and Cherry Duck from France. So if you’re not heading out of the country this summer, you can still eat like you are!
So, whether it’s food from a former time or an older café in a new place, you can start your summer with a classic!
Tonight, check out this cool event (info on flyer below) and help out a good cause while having fun:
Who was seen on the scene ...
* Tee Party: Peyton Manning teeing off with Tiger Woods at the Quail Hollow Championship Wednesday morning.
* Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and a lot of racer chasers at the Rusty Rudder on Tuesday night.
* Trent Tomilson serenading lunchers at McCoy Smokehouse on Wednesday afternoon.
* Kellie Pickler was at Whisky River last time she was here and probably will be again when she comes back to open up for Taylor Swift.
* Notorious actor Jamal "Gravy" Woolard was at SUITE Wednesday night, and he loved it when they called him Big Poppa.
And as for the Tupac pictures... it's a profile shot and I would imagine Tupac would have aged a little bit, if he's been alive this whole time and all.
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Another Charlottean seen on the country scene ... my friend Sue whom I met in NYC while working at MAXIM. Sue was the leading lady in the Little Texas video “My Love”
And ten years and two kids later, she's still that hot ...
Little Texas is actually coming to the Old Town Ampitheater in Rock Hill on May 8.
As we get older, we earn more responsibilities ... between work and school, we start to tune out the rest of the world and march to the beat of our own drum. Yet, DrumSTRONG, offers a way to get back in touch with our community- by beating on someone else’s drum!
Scott Swimmer, the founder of DrumSTRONG, reminds us that music is a great unifier. We all have a natural rhythm, so the event plays on that with hand drums, fiddles and flutes- the origins of drumming itself. But the drummers aren’t getting together to just bang out a song or two — DrumSTRONG volunteers come together in the fight against cancer.
By Larken Egleston
Despite not picking until the 43rd overall selection in Saturday’s annual NFL Draft, many in the Panthers organization had quite a busy day.
Saturday morning, almost 20 players from the Panthers came out to support teammate Jordan Gross at his 2nd Annual “Kick CF with Jordan Gross — Joe vs. Pros” Charity Kickball Game. Held this year at Memorial Stadium, the game pitted a team made almost exclusively of Panther players against a team of amateurs who had qualified in a tournament earlier that day to receive the professional beating the “Pro” team had in store for them.
The game benefitted the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and a handful of children who suffer from the disease attended the game with their families and were invited to participate in between-inning games with the players.
This Friday, as in tomorrow, Strike City is bringing in some special guests — Fall Out Boy. The group will be there to bowl, meet and greet fans and play Guitar Hero. Anyone who has played the game knows how sensitive the controls are... wonder how the bands do at their own songs! Rock‘N Bowl starts at 3:30 p.m. and might I suggest getting there early. Who knows, maybe 50 Cent and Ashlee Simpson will be there too ... more random things have happened.
Every woman has a little black dress just waiting to shake off its dust and escape the dark, hidden space of our closets. With that in mind, Strike City is holding a Martini Mixer, and the sexiest little black dress wins $200 cash — and with that kinda money, you can buy a little flair to match your hot-ass dress. The event starts at 10 p.m. and is hosted by Kiss 95.1’s Otis. Martini’s are ½ price and drafts are only $3. Even better, the event will benefit Autism Speaks. So come out for this black-dress-bowling-benefit … because there’s nothing sexier than a little black dress and bowling shoes.
And if these events were not enough to spur you to Strike City, on May 2, the bowling bar will be hosting Dos de Mayo! There will be Margarita, Tequila and Mexican beer specials. Aye Carumba!
If you don't get a chance to bowl with Fall Out Boy, you can still rock out with them ... and 50 Cent (how random!) at Bojangles Coliseum. Get tickets here
I get a weekly text from BAR Charlotte advertising their specials and reminding me that it is, in my opinion, still the skankiest bar in town.
Some of the texts that have bombarded my inbox boasted about ...
“Midget Wrestling”
“BARkini Contest”
“Shamrock with your cock out”
“Playboy party and wet t-shirt contest”
“Joe’s Birthday party” ... who is this Joe you speak of?
And a “BAR Charlotte job fair” ... I’m sorry but the economy isn’t that bad
And then each mass text is tagged with: “no cover with text” But little do they know, you couldn’t pay me to go to BAR Charlotte ... unless, of course, Mini Britney is there.
The BAR scene is different from the bar scene considering every night is college night. The one time I set foot in that place, I wanted to run up to the 18-year-old riding the bull in a bikini and give her a hug, teach her the difference between negative and positive attention, and then proceed to Lysol the bull ... there may be S.T.Ds living on that thing.
So to 882-02, whoever you are, I am begging you — take me off your text list and stick to sending mass messages on facebook like the other 813 unread messages in my inbox from promoters.
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