101 replies to this topic

[Charlotte_native]

Went to Press in the bottom of Trademark last night.  Awesome addition to downtown.  Cool, laid back, great food, unique concept, outdoor seating, knowledgeable and friendly staff, good prices...

I'll be there a lot!

The tapas, apps, and sushi were not tiny portions -- our smoked salmon plate was 8 bucks and there was plenty for 3 people to have their fill.  Seriously.  We had some sushi as well -- delicious.  Wine was decently priced and the selection was huge.

[83alphaunder]

Charlotte_native, on Mar 12 2008, 02:53 PM, said:

Went to Press in the bottom of Trademark last night.  Awesome addition to downtown.  Cool, laid back, great food, unique concept, outdoor seating, knowledgeable and friendly staff, good prices...

I'll be there a lot!

The tapas, apps, and sushi were not tiny portions -- our smoked salmon plate was 8 bucks and there was plenty for 3 people to have their fill.  Seriously.  We had some sushi as well -- delicious.  Wine was decently priced and the selection was huge.

Is it a purely sit down and eat locale or can one venture there searching for a glass of vino rosso or a nice stiff drink?
I guess what I'm asking is, "Would u consider Press a restaurant with drinks, a restaurant with a bar, or a bar with a restaurant?"

[Charlotte_native]

83alphaunder, on Mar 12 2008, 02:03 PM, said:

Is it a purely sit down and eat locale or can one venture there searching for a glass of vino rosso or a nice stiff drink?
I guess what I'm asking is, "Would u consider Press a restaurant with drinks, a restaurant with a bar, or a bar with a restaurant?"

Hmmm...I would personally consider it a wine bar with heavier than typical tapas and apps.  It is a restaurant, there is a kitchen and sushi counter, but it is more of a chill place for wine and conversation.  They do have full wait staff, but you can also walk around and pick out wine.  There is even a good selection of easy sushi, wine, and light food take-out.  Think of Dean & Deluca but far more emphasis on wine and far less emphasis on take-out.  Much cozier decor too.

By the way, no mixed drinks, just beer and wine.

[83alphaunder]

http://whiskyriverch..... Construction

Whisky River has some pix up of the building and inside. I still say this sign is great looking, and thankfully its neon. Looks like the space itself is going to be quite impressive.

[ScottCLT]

I went to Whisky River with a couple friends for a peek tonight. It opened officially on Saturday, but tonight was their second night and was billed as invite-only, though no invites were requested at the door. I was in line at 8:50, 10 minutes before opening, and thought it would be a bust considering that only 2 other people were in line. After opening, it picked up quickly, though. I stayed for only 45 minutes just to get a feel for the place.

The bar is cool. It's quite large, though still smaller than I had imagined. The ceilings are very tall, giving the place a very open feel like Cans. There are 3 main bars -- one large round one near the entrance, one in front of the VIP booths, and one around the mechanical bull. The place has an interestingly mixed feel -- it's like a posh nightclub with NASCAR reruns playing and cowhide on the booths and bar chairs. The round bar at the entrance is made of stainless steel with fiber-optic lights poking through changing colors -- very cool! The VIP booths behind the bar on the dancefloor are separated by curtains of chain mesh with lights projected through them that change constantly. It's seriously a little trippy when you stare at them from a close distance -- you'd have to see it to realize what I mean. The "chandeliers" above each booth are actually huge lava lamps. The mechanical bull is yet to be installed and is sitting on a couple of barstools currently.

The bartenders were at their best tonight -- one guy, Chris, at the bar near the dancefloor was doing all sorts of bar tricks (think a tamer version of Shadow Bar in Las Vegas if you've been there). He's actually quite the magician as well, and was entertaining us with levitating dollar bills as well as some odd tricks with some cigarettes that none of us have seemed to figure out yet. The others didn't seem to have a hesitation at handling the sudden crowd that piled in after 9:00 when it opened. On top of that, the bathroom attendant staff was definitely better than you see in most bars -- I actually gave them a dollar and felt good about it.

If this gives us a hint of the nightlife to come to the Epicentre, then this place is going to be HOT!

[Charlotte_native]

ScottCLT, on Apr 8 2008, 10:50 PM, said:

On top of that, the bathroom attendant staff was definitely better than you see in most bars -- I actually gave them a dollar and felt good about it.

Great to hear good reports about the bar -- can't wait to check it out.

As for bathroom attendants -- what is the point of them?  Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than having someone hover over everyone while they are using the bathroom then expecting to be paid for it.  I can turn on water and grab a towel myself thank you!

[nyxmike]

Was it more rock music or country music? I'm not a fan of country music, so I'm not sure if I would go there or not. Might check it out sometime if it becomes a popular place to go.

[ScottCLT]

nyxmike, on Apr 9 2008, 02:26 PM, said:

Was it more rock music or country music? I'm not a fan of country music, so I'm not sure if I would go there or not. Might check it out sometime if it becomes a popular place to go.

It was a combination, but it was definitely more rock than country. Even the country songs they played were more like songs that everyone knows -- "Friends in Low Places," "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy," etc. There was certainly nothing that would make you expect to see line dancing. Think more along the lines of what you'd hear a band play at Buckhead Saloon.

I'm not a country fan either, but I enjoyed the music at Whisky River. The Avett Brothers (from right here in Charlotte, actually) are about as close to country as I come, and that's the only band that I listen to that is even close.

[voyager12]

Petra's, the new piano bar along Commonwealth has opened another room adjacent to the main bar. I was there for a party last night. A lot more breathing space now. Great improvement.

[nyxmike]

It seems like they are trying to move the Coyote Ugly bar from College Street to a spot on the first floor in the Ivey building on Trade Street. The people who live in the building are against it. Stefan Latorre, who operates some of the other nightclubs in the area is applying for a liquor license.

http://www.wbtv.com/...s/18161329.html

[dbull75]

nyxmike, on Apr 25 2008, 12:52 AM, said:

It seems like they are trying to move the Coyote Ugly bar from College Street to a spot on the first floor in the Ivey building on Trade Street. The people who live in the building are against it. Stefan Latorre, who operates some of the other nightclubs in the area is applying for a liquor license.

http://www.wbtv.com/...s/18161329.html

Yea, I wouldn't be happy about that either. I went there one time about a year ago and haven't been back to CU since...

[Charlotte_native]

Tried out Whisky River last night.  Pretty cool spot.  Not really my type of place, but it will do quite well and we'll go there some.  There was a pretty decent crowd for 5:30 in the evening as well -- not huge, but probably 30 or so people at one of the bars.  Cool thing too, open a tab at one of the 3 or 4 bars and leave your card, you can order at any bar and they just pull up your name.

[swh1972]

nyxmike, on Apr 25 2008, 12:52 AM, said:

It seems like they are trying to move the Coyote Ugly bar from College Street to a spot on the first floor in the Ivey building on Trade Street. The people who live in the building are against it. Stefan Latorre, who operates some of the other nightclubs in the area is applying for a liquor license.

http://www.wbtv.com/...s/18161329.html

CCCP and FOFW have both expressed their objection to the placement of CU in this spot.  I can see the point of wanting to have a more sustainable retail spot placed there, rather than just another bar (and one, from my perspective, that promotes heavy drinking).  However, I really don't see a big difference between CU and Daddy's, other than the fact that Daddy's was more of a Sports Bar.  Will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

[Raintree21]

It appears that Stir on Independence has reopened. They had a packed parking lot last night at 10:45 when I drove past.

[voyager12]

^ That fronts part of the dead zone along Indy correct? Great if so, that area needs more life in the worst way.

[Raintree21]

Yes, it's on the outbound side of Independence, just past Wendover/Eastway. It's right next to the beuty school and where Infinity's End used to be.

[QueenCityLegend]

I got my free tickets in the mail over the weekend for the grand opening of SUITE at Epicentre next Friday night(May 23rd). I expect it to give HOM and Forum a run for its money on the weekends. The month of June should be a interesting one, to see how well Forum and HOM will survive aganist SUITE. Forum is now down to 1 Nightly Resident DJ (that being DJ Frenzy, but they do still have DJ Five from Vegas and DJ Roctakon from NYC as monthly residents)), since they got rid of Supa Skip(who is with a doubt, the best DJ in NC and the Southeast. Who will be one of the resident DJ's at Suite). Suite I believe is designed by the same people who designed Pure nightclub in Las Vegas. I'll let everybody know how it is.

[Appetite for Construction]

nibletodell, on May 23 2008, 12:12 AM, said:

For those whom will be going out for speed street this week, its great as usual. On a side note SUITE IS HOT! as long as they get some good signage, projected signage is kind of annoying. Epicenter is shaping up and if you haven't seen it yet, one must check out the stainless artwork that goes up the front escalator, it really makes me think they could actually do something with this project worthwhile.

I agree ... saw the escalator art on the walk in this morning, but didn't have a camera with me.  Just got an email about the EpiCentre after 5 events starting next week (picture below) and saw a good deal of Howl at the Moon advertising out at Speed Street.

[tozmervo]

Appetite for Construction, on May 23 2008, 10:32 AM, said:

I agree ... saw the escalator art on the walk in this morning, but didn't have a camera with me.  Just got an email about the EpiCentre after 5 events starting next week (picture below) and saw a good deal of Howl at the Moon advertising out at Speed Street.

Read as "For those of you that hate Alive After 5..."

Edited by tozmervo, 23 May 2008 - 10:01 AM.

[Charlotte_native]

nibletodell, on May 22 2008, 11:12 PM, said:

For those whom will be going out for speed street this week, its great as usual. On a side note SUITE IS HOT! as long as they get some good signage, projected signage is kind of annoying. Epicenter is shaping up and if you haven't seen it yet, one must check out the stainless artwork that goes up the front escalator, it really makes me think they could actually do something with this project worthwhile.

I agree -- great place, love everything with one exception and its a big one.  Ashtrays EVERYWHERE.  Why would any new place, modern place, have indoor smoking?  Especially if you have a huge patio.  I met about 10 friends out there and everyone complaiined about it.  I think it is partly because we are no longer used to dealing with smoke.  The bad part is everyone smoking congregated at the bar so you had to hang out in a haze to order a drink.

That aside, I think we'll go there frequently if they move the smoking outdoors.