I think I have found my new hang out spot. I finally went out to The Riviera last night (wed.) for their salsa nights and to check out the restaurant and upstairs lounge. I immediately liked what I saw.

The downstairs restaurant was simple but still felt very original, not at all like the upstairs floor, called the Riv Lounge, which I was drawn into upon first going in. Salsa nights on Wednesdays are new at The Riviera so not many people came out. I hope this will change because I believe the Riv Lounge is a perfect stage for any dance event.

I talked to the bartender about the other nights of the week and they offer something all across the board. Along with Wednesday night salsa dancing, Thursdays usually host varied events, Friday nights consist of a live band, and DJs on Saturday nights. The website is very well done and a nice google calendar is set up to let you plan for their events.

Now if the food is just as good as the atmosphere, I’m in heaven.

Palladium Plaza has been under construction for a while now but will soon be completed. There is some retail space on the ground floor and here is the website for 101 Lounge and Café. It looks like it will be up and running this summer so expect a review right here on RalCon when it opens up.

Map it.

I went out with some friends last night to the Depot Party and we were all extremely disappointed. At around 7:30 there were about 20 people there, no exaggeration. After one beer and a free health drink, that tasted horrible by the way, we left the ghost town and walked over to Buckhead Saloon. We had our memberships that we received in the mail, which got us in to the party.

I’ve been to Jillian’s multiple times in the past so I was interested in seeing what has been changed. For those that know the setup, Buckhead did not use the large warehouse where all the pool tables used to be. You walk in through the outdoor entrance next to the sand court. The back bar/club was also not used. No word on whether it will be used in the future but if anyone knows or sees more while visiting Buckhead, make sure to comment.

The outdoor patio was simple with plenty of seating and tables where the outdoor dance floor used to be. The sand volleyball court was stripped of the net and the classic shark that comes out of the wall. As people showed up, the outdoor tubs were opened up and beer was given away in exchange for money.

A mountain lodge from deep in the forests of North Carolina has somehow crash landed in downtown Raleigh. Buckhead has done a complete overhaul on the interior of the warehouse and has covered all the walls with enough wood to make you think you are in a log cabin. They even like to blast the air conditioning to give you that cold mountain feel (not really but it was a lil chilly in there). The old circle bar still remains from the Jillian’s setup with plasma TV’s up high playing ESPN. The bar was complemented with two other siblings on each end of the warehouse. The old video game room was now filled with a couple pool tables and a lounge area. Video games still lurk about, so if you want to do some deer hunting, it’ll cost you a dollar. The larger room had a small stage and enough room for a band. They also had DJ speakers hanging from the ceiling so they may have a club night during the week. This mix of live and DJ music is appropriate for this kind of setup. There are larger projection screens on the wall so there is no excuse to miss a game while you are there. There also is no excuse to not know what a dead animal looks like; there are multiple corpses of moose and deer plastered throughout the walls, reminding us all that if you drink and drive, you’ll be just as dead as they are.

I had fun at Buckhead last night, probably because I ran into some cool people. Even though Buckhead is not my style, and I waited way to long to get a drink which I have a big problem with written about here, I liked the place overall and wish it success. I’ve always thought that the Jillian’s warehouse has huge potential for some larger event so I hope Buckhead can deliver.

There’s really nothing new to report about on the Sidetrack Brewpub, which is being planned at the intersection of Boylan Ave. and Hargett St. Last year, word on the street was that it was supposed to open in the summer of 2007, which if you check your calendar, the time has come. However, the bar has not opened and here is a note taken off of their website posted back in April:

UPDATE: 04/23/2007 – The Sidetrack Brewpub is not yet open for business. As of late April, we have received the plan submittal back from the City of Raleigh. After addressing their modest comments we will resubmit for permit and then be under construction soon afterward. The opening date is about 6 months away, or in the fall.

Sidetrack has some great potential. If you look at the website, you can see the renderings and the layouts. The outdoor patio will have a stellar view of the skyline. The view from the Boylan Ave. bridge is one of the best and is my favorite spot to take pictures of the skyline. I hope Sidetrack gets going soon so we all can enjoy the outdoor patio before it gets too cold. The Bloomsbury Estates residents may be frequenting this bar to the max.

Location.