First Friday

Denise will likely wring my neck for posting that picture of her. Sorry, Grube! But this is pretty much how my Friday nights roll in some way, shape, or form - at least every First Friday.

And whatdya know, it's that time of the month again... FIRST FRIDAY!

Raleigh Folks: What's on your Friday Friday agenda?

Non-Locals: Does your town participate in anything fun like this? Share the details!

All Star Shenigans!

"The fact the All-Star Game is awarded to the Hurricanes is a testament to the strength of this franchise and, above all, the enthusiasm and fantastic support that you 'Caniacs have shown your team. When the Canes are home, you make RBC Center one of the loudest places in sports." - Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner

Nick and I headed down to the FREE headline 3 Doors Down concert last night at the (still fairly new) Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater (that you'd think has finally gotten approval to be called the Bud Light Ampitheater due to all the Bud Light signage displayed) and it did not disappoint! 3 Doors Down has been my favorite rock band for years and their most-recent Raleigh show was canceled when the lead singer was sick. Seeing them for free? Yep, I braved the cold for that! We had a nice view from the lawn, but many thanks go out to Marcie, Ellen, and Andrew for inviting us to join them at the media box for an even closer view... directly behind all the crowd surfers ;-)

There is SO much happening for free on Fayetteville Street and for $8.00 in the Convention center still today as part of the NHL All Star Wide Open weekend, so if you're in Raleigh and haven't made it to Downtown yet for the All Star shenanigans, you should do yourself a favor and put on some comfy shoes and make your way down!

Nick and I are heading out shortly to check out today's action on Fayetteville Street and maybe even spend a few bucks to head inside the Convention Center. See ya there!

Country for Kids Concert on Thursday Night!

Thursday night... be there! Only $25.00 - proceeds to visit this amazing place: http://www.ncchildrenshospital.org/

Buy tickets online at http://www.dpacnc.com/default.asp?dpac=19&objId=371.

Details:

Country for Kids concert at DPAC to benefit N.C. Children’s Hospital

Curtis Media Group announced the addition of a charity concert, dubbed ’Country for Kids,” to the ninth annual N.C. Children’s Promise Radiothon/Telethon with proceeds benefiting North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

Presented by 94.7 WQDR, Country for Kids will feature live performances from four artists, Rodney Atkins, James Otto, Clay Walker and North Carolina’s very own Jason Michael Carroll. The concert event will be the celebratory culminations of a day full of miraculous stories being broadcast live from the N.C. Children’s Hospital lobby on nearly 20 Curtis Media Group radio stations and Time Warner Cable’s News 14 Carolina as part of the N.C. Children’s Promise Radiothon/Telethon, UNC Health Care’s largest fundraising event each year.

PS: Jason Michael Carroll also has a new five song holiday album out from his very own label - Stray Records. Download it on iTunes today! (I can certainly approve the playing of his holiday music prior to Thanksgiving. ;-))

PS #2: Jason is the Grand Marshall at this year's Raleigh Christmas Parade taking place on Saturday. Get excited!

{Image: http://www.dpacnc.com/default.asp?dpac=19&objId=371}

Never Too Busy for a Little Brian Davis and Brantley Gilbert!

My pals at City Limits Saloon in Downtown Raleigh are having a FREE concert tonight (courtesy of Bud Light's One Night Stand... thank you Bud Light!) featuring Brantley Gilbert who I posted about earlier here. Who is opening for him? None other than our good buddy BRIAN DAVIS!

It's already shaping up to be a busy week, but who could turn this lineup down?

Not this girl!

Renee's already in for the Monday night fun. Who else wants to join?

PS - You can find Brantley on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BrantleyGilbertMusic and City Limits at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raleigh-NC/The-Official-City-Limits-Saloon-Raleigh/105498752816348! (Don't forget BD at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Davis-Live/20712075596, either!)

Restaurant Review: The Cherry Bomb Grill

(Click to enlarge - It's not the best picture in the world, but it's a fun "panoramic" courtesy of Nick's Droid cell phone.)

On Thursday night Nick and I ventured to the new Cherry Bomb Grill - now in the space of the former Joe's Place, which for the record, I cannot remember going to once in my 26 years in Raleigh. (Maybe because I never saw it open during dinner or weekends?)

Based on the early marketing for the restaurant and bar, I didn't think I was going to be much of a fan. It was a little too pin-up cheesy for me. Luckily, I am all for giving a local venue a first chance, because once we got there, it was a lot more toned down inside on the original concept - which I think was a great move.

Seating - +
The restaurant has a really accommodating open layout and bar. We walked in and were immediately greeted by the hostesses and waitresses and taken to a high-top table for two. (They were overstaffed for the evening, however - so the girls were just hanging around up front with not a lot else to do. Not necessarily a drawback, just an observation.)

Service - +
Our server was a little shy, but by the end of the night she finally became a little more personable with us (although I think it was mostly due to asking her what she had tried and liked on the menu so far).

Atmosphere - +
As I noted before, it was much better than I had originally imagined it to be based off the concepts they marketed before opening. The bar setup was accessible and had a nice TV display - great for game day. The restaurant is on the corner of a busy street in Downtown Raleigh, so I was bit surprised when all of the street-facing windows were covered with heavy, dark red curtains. (From a marketing standpoint, I'd rather see them left open so those driving by can see everyone inside having a great time.)

Food and Beverage - (neutral)
http://cherrybombgrill.com/dinner.php
The bar also features three walls of draught brews - mostly micro-brews. Nice! (They lost points and a few dollars revenue for being out of Shotgun Betty, however, because that's Nick's go-to choice. With Lone Rider Brewing Co. being here in Raleigh, it should be the most readily in-stock brew. Maybe an early-opening oversight?)

The menu features a wide selection of appetizers, salads (with meat), entrees, and desserts. Nick had a burger and fries (fries were good!), but unfortunately I was left with few options as a vegetarian. I opted for the macaroni appetizer (sans the bacon) and that was it. (And obviously not fulfilling.) Our server noted that the lack of vegetarian options was brought up by their staff and would likely be remedied in the full menu being offered in the coming weeks as the restaurant gets situated and "fully open". I am kicking myself for not having dessert, though! There were four dessert offerings, including a peach something or another dessert that I sure would have sealed the positive deal for me. ;-)

Nick liked his burger just fine, and that's about all you'll get out of him in regards to a "review". It's not necessarily somewhere he'll be asking to go back to specifically for a burger like Tribeca Tavern in Cary (that review to come later). My macaroni was fine, but it tasted more like an Italian mac and cheese than a cheddar or some other based-dish. My preference goes to cheddars, pepper jacks, etc. So again, it was fine, but not something I'd go back just to have that one dish (very similar to Capital Club 16 - again, another review to come!).

Pricing - (neutral)
Our bill for two was less than $20, but had I opted for an entree it would have tipped just over that. I would say it's "about norm" for casual dining in Downtown Raleigh.

Overall - +
Their facebook marketing is a bit overkill (I'll "like" your page, but please get away from the "be our friend" kick... it's just too much), but I'll venture back for a drink when near the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater again. I'd also give them another chance when they expand the menu to see if they offer more non-meat options. The new owner(s) have invested a great deal in upfitting the restaurant and you can tell that they've put some time into it. The music played when we were there was not as rockin' and rollin' as I expected (but I liked the music nonetheless).

The only other "hitch" in the evening was that an owner or manager never approached us to see how our experience was (even though I noticed him sitting at a table on his laptop during our visit). I have come to expect it in independently-owned restaurants, but it's not something that would keep us from coming back... it's just a nice touch that I think really ensures a positive experience when the owner thanks you for coming in and asks for feedback.

Other Cherry Bomb Grill Links:
http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/cherry-bomb-and-pin-up-costumed-servers-to-replace-joes-place/
http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/cherry-bomb-to-open-later-this-week-on-martin-street/
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/business/cherry-bomb-grill-opens-in-downtown-raleigh
http://trioutnc.com/Cherry-Bomb-Grill-Raleigh-7181
http://www.facebook.com/cherrybombgrill
http://cherrybombgrill.com/

So Many Options this Weekend

The only problem will be finding time for them all!

Retail, etc.

SmartMomma Grand Opening (in their new location!)
Saturday - 9/25 - 10:00am until 6:00pm
http://smartmomma.com/Locations-Raleigh-NC-sp-6.html
First 100 families to arrive are getting a nice free gift, which may or may not include a VERY nice discount from SmartMomma's neighbors at Fred's Beds. Just throwing that out there... ;-)

Downtown Designers Market (is back!)
Saturday - 9/25 - 9:00am until 3:00pm
http://www.designersdowntownmarket.com/
Jewelry, crafts, apparel, and other fab vendors in the Ornamentea parking lot!

The Green Chair Project Fall Furnishings Drive
Saturday - 9/25 - 9:00am until 1:00pm
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/greenscene/green-chair-project-holds-fall-furniture-drive
http://www.thegreenchair.org/
Got stuff? Donate it to keep it out of landfills - and help those who need it!

Festivals

Ray Price Capital City Bike Fest
Friday and Saturday - 9/24 and 9/25 - 10:00am until 10:00pm
http://CapitalCityBikeFest.com/
I don't personally "ride", but my family and LOTS of friends do... so I'm always game for going along for partaking in the sights, food, and fun.

Hillsborough Street Reopening
Saturday - 9/25 - 1:00pm until 10:00pm
http://hillsboroughstreet.org/event/
http://www.technicianonline.com/news/campus-buffer-to-get-proper-reopening-1.2337841
In true Raleigh fashion, let's close a street to traffic to celebrate it being re-opened to traffic. (It's what we do.)

Triangle Uncorked
Saturday - 9/25 - 2:00pm until 6:00pm
http://www.triangleuncorked.com/
Wine tasting event benefiting the Frankie Lemmon Foundation and Rotary!

Come Check Out the DTR Water Tower on Wednesday!

Who has $685,000 to lend me? I think this would make a GREAT location for my first restaurant... no?

My friends at Glenwood Agency have listed this very cool water tower (and current home to the NC chapter of the American Institute of Architects) and are having a little open house/tour on Wednesday of this week (ie: tomorrow). Consider this your official invite, via Ann-Cabell's post on my facebook wall:

Okay, so, it's official - invite whomever you'd like! 115 W Morgan Street - Wed from 4:30 - 6:30 pm at the Old Raleigh Water Tower! We're going to serve some champagne, too! I sent out a post card to some folks, but, am eager to get as many people there as possible since it's such a cool building!

Click here to read up on the history and join me on Wednesday afternoon to check out this cool property!

Click here to watch the video about this piece of property going up for sale on News14.com!

{Image: Downtown Living Advocates blog post}

Last Call for Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week!

It's the last day to get out and enjoy Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week... so if you haven't, get to a DTR restaurant today and make it count :-)

Indulge your palate during the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week — a week-long dining extravaganza showcasing the culinary talent in the heart of the capital city!

Select restaurants will offer tantalizing, three-course prix fixe dinners for either $20 or $30, depending on the venue. Savor the delectable dishes prepared by downtown Raleigh's finest dining establishments from Monday, August 23 through Sunday, August 29.

Prices are $20 or $30 per person, depending on the venue (tip, taxes and beverages not included).

{via http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/restaurantweek/index.html}
The girls (Denise, Adrianne, and Jess) and I made it out to Irregardless Cafe on Thursday night and enjoyed wine, appetizers, and dessert for less than $30 a person. I, recently vegetarian, enjoyed the vegetable curry (and had leftovers for dinner last night) and the vegan fruit crisp for dessert. SO good! (I also ordered the Mediterranean platter as my appetizer and shared it with the table - it included hummus, lima bean pate, olives, and other goodies.)

Irregardless takes pride in being the oldest (consistent) restaurant in town, but I'm ashamed to say my first visit was only a few weeks ago for breakfast with the Shop Local Raleigh gang. I won't be waiting too long to return again - breakfast and dinner have both been excellent, in my opinion! I also heard no complaints from lovely ladies that I enjoyed a night out with on Thursday! :-)

Check Irregardless out online and stop in soon for a meal:
http://www.irregardless.com/
http://www.facebook.com/IrregardlessCafe
http://twitter.com/IrregardlessNC

Holy Crap

This girl has the best idea EVER.
I freakin' LOVE sandwiches!
(And love even more that she will downright bring it to you!)



http://www.porchrockin.com/

Essentially, she posts a menu on Sunday night. You email, call, or text to place an order. Lunch arrives at your location on sandwich day.

How cool is that??

The breads she offers and the creativity are downright appetizing.

What are YOU Doing on Saturday?

I have two great options for you fellow Raleigh kids!



1 - Raleigh Wide Open
Specifically, the 11:00am parade through Downtown... where you can see yours truly (and Nick will very likely get volunteered, too) volunteering with Shop Local Raleigh!

PS - Go see my buddy Mike for great prizes from Triangle.com, too!




2 - Second Chance Pet Adoptions' Auction for the Animals
This fun event taking place at 7:00pm features several ways to get in on the fundraising fun!

• Buy a ticket!
• Bid on over 150 silent auction items
• Bid on over 40 chance auction items
• Bid on over 10 live auction items
• Purchase raffle tickets for some cool items including:
• Disney World Park Hopper Passes
• Sightseeing Plane ride
• Tickets to Carowinds
• $100 Bailey's Fine Jewelry Gift Card
• Gift Certificate for a Pet Portraits
• 2 Air Tran Airline Tickets - anywhere in the US
• Doggie Daycare Gift Certificates
• Original Engraving from Clark Art
• NC Symphony and Ballet Tickets
• Private Dance Lessons
• Topsail Beach condo - 1 week
• And, much, much more...

Individual tickets are only $35.00 and open bar tickets are $125 for two!

Tickets include a wonderful selection of cold and hot hors d'oeuvres along with a fantastic dessert buffet. A selection of Pepsi products, along with water will be available. Wine and beer will be available on a cash basis.

Wines for Humanity will be doing wine tasting of select red and white wines during the evening. Wines for Humanity is an in-home wine tasting company dedicated to introducing the public to the joy of fine wines while raising funds for charity. Their wines are sourced from award-winning vineyards from all over the world.

Purchase your tickets online here!

See you there!

LOTS of First Friday Options - Even on a Holiday Weekend!

My twitter question today:

Ok Raleigh kids... what's on the agenda for #FirstFriday in #DowntownRaleigh? I'm making my list now!

Appropriate responses included:
@artspacenc - Artspace has it going on! We've got our Summer Artist in Residence here setting in Gallery 1- come on down!

@_huddy_ - Come on down to @Fragmentlabs and check out the jewelry on display from Jaclyn Anthony.

This girl right here! RT @FireflyVodka: Who is in the mood to celebrate family, friends, and summer?! #fireflyfriday #fourthoffirefly


Also on the list:

Music on the Porch at Seaboard Station
(This is where my gang is starting!)
Event opens at 6:00pm, band starts at 7:30pm – tonight featuring Peter Lamb and the Wolves.
Music on the Porch is a grassroots community event featuring free music every Friday night this spring, summer and fall.




First Friday Market… presented by IndieNC.com
The place to visit for LOTS of unique local finds tonight! Located at 131 S. Wilmington Street (in Downtown Raleigh), this once-a-month market features emerging designers, iced coffee, and live music from Mike Roy and Rob Watson this evening from 6:00pm until 10:00pm.


WKNC First Friday Dance Party at Jibarra
(You might be able to find me here for the tequila!)
10:30pm - 2:00am

WKNC is launching a series of Raleigh Afterhours dance parties at Jibarra starting on July 2.
These events are meant to showcase the Afterhours DJs and are free and open to the public for anyone 21+ and only $3 for those 18-20. All of the money collected at the door goes straight to WKNC.

You can find the Facebook event here.


Need to get around to all of these great events?
Park your car once and then hop on the R-Line -Raleigh’s free downtown circulator bus! Check out the mobile site and pick up the bus when it gets to a stop near you: www.yourhere.com/mobile.

Sunday Funday: Pi Phi Love

(Click to enlarge.)

Man, I miss college. And I seriously miss every single one of these gorgeous ladies. This picture, ladies and gentlemen, is my senior class of the NC Delta Chapter of Pi Beta Phi.

The only thing that's missing? A few rockstar juniors (paging Hannah, Rach, Sesh, Sarah, Regina, Ave, Liv, and any other baller-ettes I have accidentally left off the list!).

So, with that said, I dedicate today's Sunday Funday to my college sisters. I love you all and I hope life is being fabulous to each and every one of you - even those of you who I do not have the pleasure of seeing regularly :-(

Heading to Natty Green's in a bit with Adrianne (who I just realized is not pictured... A - where were you?) to wish Ashton (top left corner) bon voyage as she sets her sails for Italy for an extended period of her life! (Let's wish her the best and extra luck in finding a place to live that will accommodate guests... because I'm going to visit!)



Above: One of my favorite Ashton and Lil Lisa pictures. So us.

Lots of Options Tonight!

Yay, it's First Friday again!

Music on the Porch at Seaboard Station
http://musicontheporch.com/

Laura Ridgeway and The Livewires will be playing for us this Friday June 4th.

(And yes, this is a first Friday so we have bounce rooms again.)

Laura Ridgeway and The Livewires want you to come out to relax, have fun, and dance, dance, dance (if you want to) - this seasoned troupe of musicians will cross the gamut of swing, upbeat jazz standards, blues, Latin, and oldies pop (Stevie Wonder, etc. and lots of stuff that grooves).........everything is danceable, tail-waggin', foot-tappin', family-oriented fun. Laura is one of our local musicians out of Cameron Park.

Save the Neuse Campaign Kick-Off with SweetWater Brewery (and Old Habits) at the Pour House
http://savetheneuse.com/

Come out to The Pour House of Raleigh this Friday, June 4th, to help SweetWater Brewing Company kick start its campaign to SAVE THE NEUSE. Swift Creek Revival will open up for Raleigh favorites Old Habits. Ticket sales go to the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation.

We’ll also be raffling off some gifts that were graciously donated by our Participating Accounts. Please check them out and support them. They are doing a great service by participating.

Grassroots Opening of the new Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater
http://www.raleighconvention.com/amphitheater/

You're invited to the Raleigh Amphitheater's Grassroots Grand Opening: Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of Raleigh Music from 5 pm-11 pm on Friday, June 4. Admission is FREE!

Event Schedule
5:20 to 5:50 - Th' Bullfrog Willard Mcgee
6:00 to 6:25 - The Small Ponds
6:45 to 7:10 - Sleep Control
7:30 to 7:55 - Old Avenue
8:15 to 8:40 - Mosadi Music
9:00 to 9:35 - I Was Totally Destroying It
9:55 to 10:55 - The Connells

Conservation Meet-Up at Isaac Hunter's Oak City Tavern
http://www.huntersoakcity.com/ | http://www.triangleland.org/

After (or before) stopping at the Mahler Gallery reception, head one block north on Fayetteville Street to join Triangle Land Conservancy staff for a conservation meet-up at Isaac Hunter's Oak City Tavern (112 Fayetteville Street) from 6 to 8:30. Thanks to Isaac Hunter's for offering the space, and to Conservation Trust for NC for inviting us to be part of it.

Pumped!

Renee and I are working on our game plan for tonight and it definitely includes City Limits Saloon for the Brantley Gilbert (sorry, it's a MySpace link) show.

Brantley is one of those artists that I have the pleasure of hearing on XM Radio, but if you're stuck listening to just local stations, you probably aren't hearing enough of this guy! He's got a voice that's a little country, a little rock 'n roll... untainted by Nashville's increasing lean toward pop.



PS - It's also NEB/the boyfriend's birthday today... so happy birthday to him :-)

PS #2 - Our local homie, Brian Davis (LIVE!), will be opening for Brantley. Now THAT'S a good lineup!

Happy First Friday, Everyone!

I love First Friday in Downtown Raleigh - it's a shame I'm usually busiest on Fridays and don't get to participate in the fun more often.

I am tonight however!

On my list:

Half-price menu at Sauced Pizza from 4:30pm until 6:30pm and $5.00 Three Olives cocktails (this happens every Friday, by the way).

Rhapsody art show at CityGate from 6:00pm until 8:00pm (don't you just love the dog paintings?).



Cupcake Shoppe for sure after.



And adding vino into that mixture somewhere :-) I haven't been to Mosaic or Amra's in ages... maybe those will be the wine destinations!

{Images: Rhapsody image via Pizer Fine Art, Cupcake Shoppe image via LusterStudios}