Cheers to Downtown Cocktails!

Over the years Martini bars have had a bit of trouble making it in downtown Raleigh. Though the idea of a classy Martini lounge is nice, for one reason or another they end in an abrupt closing. So where can you be guaranteed a classy night on the town, enjoying freshly made martinis and cocktails? A couple of places that have been around downtown Raleigh a while and seem to be a great choice would be Sullivan's Steak house and Cashmere. Conveniently located right beside each other on South Glenwood these two places, I guarantee will provide you with a tasty beverage.

Sullivan's is known for many of its amazing dishes but provides awesome cocktails keeping the regulars coming back for more. Every Thursday night is five dollar Martini night. Ask Pete, the bartender to make you a 'chocola tini' and you will not regret it. All of their hand shaken martini's are absolutely delicious. They also provide a half price bar menu Thursday nights as well. It is a great night to enjoy high quality drinks and appetizers without going broke. Customer, Autumn Burwell says, "I really enjoy coming here on Thursday's nights, I always see a lot of people I know and I love choosing from all the different five dollar Martinis."http://sullivansteakhouse.com/

Neighbor to Sullivan's, Cashmere, also holds a five dollar Martini night on Thursday, making a great night to be able to bar hop back and fourth and enjoy the best of both worlds. Cashmere also has five dollar Fresh fruit Mojitos every Wednesday night. Though it may not be a easy night for the bartender, constantly muddling mint and fruit, it is a great atmosphere for the customers and the cocktails are fantastic. Cashmere also is a great place to hang around late night and enjoy dancing with friends to some of the hottest tracks from some of Raleigh's most talented D.J's. http://www.cashmereraleigh.com/specials.htm

This one is for my Winos.

So if you are not a beer drinker than I am sorry about last week. If you like wine than you are in luck. This week I had the awful task of trying a couple of wine spots out, I know poor me. My first choice was a favorite of mine, Sushi O Bistro and Sushi Bar located on S. Glenwood Avenue.


 Not only is this one of my favorite spots to order sushi or Pho but I love the awesome selection of half price bottles of wine every Sunday and Tuesday night. Customer Autumn Burwell says, I come here almost every Tuesday night for girls night. Its a perfect dinner and the selections of half price bottles of wine are amazing."

Whether you are a red or white wine drinker Sushi O's wine menu will please anyone. The service is amazing, every server I have had has been extremely helpful and friendly. Sushi O definitely has me always coming back for more, even though the Wednesday morning hangover may disagree. http://mtfujinc.com/SushiO/SushiO-S.html



 Another great place worth checking out is Mosiac Wine Lounge located on W. Jones street. Mosiac has an awesome atmosphere all the time. I have never had a negative experience here and really enjoy their carefully selected choices of wine.
Wednesday nights is their absolute all about wine night.
Beginning at 7:30 every Wednesday night you are able to enjoy six tastings of different wines while enjoying Dj Keith and Guest and great service as well.

You do not need to be an expert on wine you just need to simply have an opinion of taste. They also provide catered food for only five dollars if you need something to go along with all of the wine. If you find a wine that you like you can order it for half price. Every Wednesday night is also half price bottles of wine. Mosiac is a great place to enjoy a bottle of wine with a group of friends and maybe even hang around late night to get your dance on. http://www.mosaicwinelounge.com/

Mmmmmm Beer...

North Carolina is starting to really make a name for itself in the beer world. North Carolina is home to many famous breweries making it easy for local bars and restaurants to provide quality craft beer on tap all the time. Within five miles of each other, many of the these places are located... Yea you guessed it downtown. Breweries such as Natty Greene's Pub and Bar located on W. Jones Street and Boylan Bridge Brewpub located on S. Boylan Avenue are both breweries that brew all of their beer in house and offer a hearty menu as well.

Natty Greene's opened its second location here in downtown Raleigh about two years ago after a successful start in downtown Greensboro. Natty Greene's has at least 12 craft beers on tap to choose from including the very popular Buck Shot Amber Ale. What I noticed about the brews at Natty Greene's is that they don't over do it on the hops. Some breweries have a hard time making it amateur friendly and the beer will be quite bitter. Natty Greene's has a smooth taste to all of their beers and creates the perfect combination for all types of beer drinkers. Not to mention the homemade potato chips and Ranch dressing make a perfect addition to any beer choice. http://www.nattygreenes.com/content/natty-greenes-pub-brewing-co-raleigh

Boylan Bridge Brewpub began about three years ago by owner Andrew Leager who originally brewed beer for a hobby. When he decided a Brewpub would make a great addition to downtown Raleigh he built the brewery and Restaurant above his wood shop, which is still located beneath the restaurant. Boylan Bridge always has eight hand crafted beers on tap all the time. You can't always be guaranteed your beer of choice will be on tap because with only eight taps the brews are switched out frequently. Employee Sarah Wilkinson says, "The Endless Summer Ale is almost always on tap as it is the most popular beer. The Endless Summer is the lightest beer we have on the menu and is ordered often by new craft beer drinkers."

Though the Summer Ale is their lightest beer on tap it still has no comparison to a watered down bud light, it is full of taste and has a hint of bitterness. My personal favorite is one of their seasonal brews, the Trainspotter Scottish Ale. The Scottish Ale has the perfect mixture of Carmel malt creating a memorable after taste making you anxious for another sip. Any choice of beer goes perfectly with their famous hand battered onion rings. You can enjoy all of these beers by ordering a flight which is a sample of all eight beers and absorb all the different tastes while enjoying the best out door seating in Raleigh.http://www.boylanbridge.com/index.shtml

If you are looking for a wide variety of beer selections and not strictly house brews, you might want to check out the newly opened Tyler's Restaurant and Taproom located in Seaboard Station. With more beer than you can even count, you are bound to find a favorite craft beer here. They are constantly putting new brews on tap and make it a priority to have the best beer they can find. They also have quality, mouth watering burgers that you have no choice but to eat it all.http://www.tylerstaproom.com/

Home is where the PARTY is...

Cab fares, traffic, and finding parking are a just a few things that makes going out downtown Raleigh irritating. Living downtown Raleigh, going out is only a few steps away. Raleigh provides many upscale Downtown condo and apartment complexes in the center of all the action. There has been continuous construction over the years in mass production of downtown living. Some of these luxury condos can run pretty pricy but for the most part can be affordable.  With the positives always comes negatives as well.

West is located on North Street.  The condos are very high end and include many extravagant ammenienities such as, roof top pool, top of line fitness facility, and a "club room". What this doesn't include in the ad is the description of it being above to very noisy night clubs, Mirage and Still Life.
 http://www.westatnorth.com/

 Employee at Still Life that requests to remain anynonoumous says, "I hear that these apartments (West) are really nice. Honestly though I wouldnt want to live here. We got so many compliants from residents about it being loud. It got to the point where the club decided it would be easier and cheaper to just relocate." 

At a evening out on the town I also recall this being an issue.

When entering Still Life I happened to notice a couple of large signs posted about "Respecting the residents and keeping the noise down." I thought to myself, "is this a high school house party?"

Trying to keep drunken clubbers quiet is like trying to make a heard of elephants walk softly. Though this employee wishes to remain anonymous, it is no secret that living above two night clubs will be noisy and the night clubs are not at fault.

712 Tucker

                                                  

Other downtown condos such as 712 Tucker, located on Tucker Street and The Hue located on West Hargett are two high end condos that are centrally located in downtown but does not have the problem of loud night clubs. After reading a few reviwes online I discovered that The Hue was not popular amongst the people but 712 Tucker was widely liked. The Hue resident, Jerrad Bement says, "I have never had a problem with The Hue, I mainly like it because its location. I love being able to walk to just about anywhere downtown."   

The Hue

Best advice for downtown living, ask around before signing a lease. You will never know what to expect, and you do not want to find out when it is too late.                                                          

Eating Krispy Kreme Guilt Free!

It's that time again, get in your stretches and practice you doughnut consumption. The annual Krispy Kreme challenge is here. For you not familiar with this unique event then you must be living under a rock, no only kidding.  Day: The 2012 Krispy Kreme Challenge

The Krispy Kreme challenge is an annual event hosted by NC State University. All benefits are donated to the North Carolina Childrens Hospital. The challenge is for a great cause and has increased in popularity nation wide. The challenge itself is as hard as it sounds, it is around a five mile run from the NC State bell tower to the Krispy Kreme on Peace Street (2.5 miles). The event has grown so popular the route of the run had to be re-designed this year in-order for more running room for the participants. Once the runner reaches Krispy Kreme they are provided with a dozen warm mouth watering Krispy Kreme glazed donuts. You must eat all 12 donuts before you continue the run back to the NC State bell tower, using the same route as it took to arrive to  Krispy Kreme (2.5 miles). As if running 5 miles and eating 12 donuts isn't enough, you must complete this in less than 1 hour. http://www.krispykremechallenge.com/uncategorized/race_route_2012

I know, you must be thinking how the heck do you not throw-up? The answer is, most do. This is a very tough and unique challenge. The most important part of this challenge is not stuffing your face with sweet, delicious, fried dough nor completing a very strenuous run. The most important part is that all proceeds are being donated to the North Carolina Childrens Hospital. Krispy Kreme employee, Delicia says, "The most important reason people do this challenge is for the cause, and it is nice to see what they are willing to do just to be able to help."http://www.krispykremechallenge.com/where-the-money-goes



This challenge is not only an awesome event to take part in but to observe as well. Delicia says, "I really enjoy working on the event day, it is very interesting. A lot of people are in crazy costumes and it is really funny to watch." 



The challenge begins at 8:30 am this saturday, February 4th. The last day to pick up your packet to participate is Friday, February 3rd at the Krispy Kreme located on Peace Street. http://www.krispykremechallenge.com/news-blog/packet-pick-up-information


Also, if you are not able to participate please feel free to donate to the North Carolinas Children Hospital and receive a Krispy Kreme Challege T-shirt, every donation is greatly appreciated.
http://www.krispykremechallenge.com/donate