| I
hope everyone got their fill of lovey-dovey stuff yesterday
and had a wonderful Valentine’s Day with your sweeties.
If you struck out yesterday, I heard about a guide to dating
in Houston you can buy at www.itsjustlunchhouston.com. Now
it’s time to get in training for St. Patrick’s
Day. It’s coming up next month on Thursday, March 17th.
The place to celebrate is the 2004 Best Irish Pub in Houston
winner on www.citysearch.com, Slainte Irish Pub at 509 Main.
Go ahead and request the day off from work on Friday the 18th,
the day after St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll need it…to
recover. Hell, take the 17th off too, because Slainte opens
at 9:00AM to start the festivities on St. Patty’s Day.
Be sure not to miss the Main Event with live performances and
other special treats along Main Street. Visit www.deda.org or watch the Houston Press for all the 411 on the Main Event.
The St. Patrick’s Day parade will be downtown at 2:00PM
on the Saturday before and it’s a must-see because it’s
the second largest parade in our city. It starts near Minute
Maid Park and ends at Main and Texas. Slainte will be open
at 4:00PM, right after the parade, so come see me there. Brian
O’Neill’s at 5555 Morningside will host a sexy
kilt contest on March 15th. Come cheer for cute boys in skirts.
I’ve been told it’s a rule to wear nothing under
your kilt, which means I’ll be sitting in the front row.
I get the privilege of judging and I’m thrilled. The
Thursday before St. Pat’s at Griff’s, 3416 Roseland,
is the 40th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival. There
will be a St. Pat’s Queen Contest that night too. Come
cheer on Slainte Irish Pub’s beautiful contestant, Assistant
GM, Celise Keller. Sneak a peak of her on our website, www.slainteirishpub.com.
She’s the curly haired Irish Barmaid in the photographs.
St. Patrick’s Day is only 29 days away. Main Street will
be THE place to be!
I
was a judge for the Sam Houston Hotel’s Cocktail Contest
on February 3rd along with Food Writer Robin Barr Sussman, KRBE
radio personality Maria Todd, and Senior News Editor for the
Chronicle, Jason Middleton. World-renown DJ Mike Snow set the
mood for the contest. There were 13 original entries and the
winning drink was a creation of Julian Ritchey of 6º Lounge.
It was a tasty little concoction called the Banana Splitini.
It’s my new favorite martini! You can taste his masterpiece
very soon because the drink will be added to the menu at the
Sam. That’s quite an honor. If you see Julian at 6º Lounge,
you could probably talk him into making one for you there, too.
The martini is a blend of Light Godiva, Banana Liqueur, Dark
Crème de Cocoa, Vanilla Vodka and Pineapple Juice, then
a splash of grenadine and a cherry. It was garnished with a piece
of banana and won our hearts over with the look, taste and originality.
The contest and crowd were terrific, and the Sam Bar was standing
room only. I was so impressed with the organized way the contest
ran. Everything was fantastic. I’d like to send a special
thank you out to Ernie Arias, Melodie Francis, Patrick Davila,
Konni Godley and Kelly McCourt for their warm hospitality. Melodie
took me on a tour of the hotel and now I want to LIVE there,
it’s so plush. I was very impressed. The new Sunday Brunch
menu at 17, including Julian’s Banana Splitini, is ready
to taste. How about some soft scrambled eggs with crab and caviar?
For details, call the hotel at 832-200-8800. 17 Restaurant and
the Sam Bar are both inside the Sam Houston Hotel at 1117 Prairie
Street.
Back by popular
demand, downtown Houston has brought back a fresh-air market
on Saturdays.
The residential and retail markets
are expanding in the downtown-area and Houston Downtown Alliance
is opening the Market Square Market. The goal is to develop a
destination downtown for those looking to sell or buy "the
out of the ordinary," including clothing, soaps, purses,
jewelry, art, novelty items and more. The market will be held
every Saturday from 9:00AM to 2:00PM. If you are interested in
being a vendor or would simply like more information, please
contact David Kozowski at david@marketsquaremarket.com, or visit
www.marketsquaremarket.com.
For girls
in the know. If you know what Club Eve is, and if you know
what Throb Parties
are, let me tell you that Miss Lupita
will be at Club Eve on February 18th. Club Eve is located upstairs
from Azteca’s Restaurant at the corner of Richmond and
Greenbriar, 713-523-EVES. Say hi to DJ Rocky B. while you’re
there. I’m a big fan of hers. To see more details and a
great newsletter, visit www.throbparties.info.
Kudos to
Roger and Kayla who own Freebirds Burritos in the Shepherd
Plaza at 3745
Greenbriar for the excellent job on having a great
place to eat. For those of you who have been around as long as
I have, it’s in the old 8.0 spot. Remember 8.0? I heard
the name came from the fact it was 8 investors who knew zero
about the booze biz when they opened the place. The place was
great, though, and had a decent stint in the 90’s. Visit
Freebirds online at http://www.freebirds.com/loc_sp_houston.asp.
Stop by and see Barbara Bush, Willie Nelson, and Racer X crashing
into the restaurant in a roller coaster. It’s really cool
décor but the food is what is REALLY cool. There’s
an Amy’s Ice Cream right next door to Freebirds, so save
room for such treats like Lucky Charms Ice Cream or Guinness
(yes, the beer) Ice Cream. Their stuff is so good that even my
lactose-intolerant friend, Mollie, will eat it. It’s THAT
good!
There is
a new poetry and performance venue in Houston. See what’s happening every Tuesday @ Main Event at 9405 South
Main. There is poetry, dance and live music by some of the best
performers in Houston and the surrounding areas. Local artists
and entertainers will be featured every week. There is also an
open mic. Please contact Gina Batie at 713-213-3884 or poetrybygina@cs.com or Noah Thomas at 832-858-3793 or iamthaverifyah@yahoo.com. Kaleidoscope
in Black have teamed up with the Main Event to provide art lovers
with a weekly dose of Houston’s hottest performers and
artists: ‘K in B’ is a spoken word venue enriched
with singers, musicians, visual artists, dance, hip-hop and more.
DJ Socratez is controlling the sounds. Gina, the G-Spot Poet,
is coordinating the performances Main Event is providing the
drink specials and Big Momma’s Chicken and Waffles is serving
great food that’s easy on the wallet. Sounds like something
new to check out on a Tuesday. Doors open at 7, show starts 8.
The Main Event’s phone number is 713-667-2004. Let me Clarify
this is the name of a place and not to be confused with the Main
Event that takes place on Main Street downtown each weekend (details
on THAT Main Event are at www.deda.org) If you’re still
confused, drop me an email and I’ll explain it better.
NEWS
IN THE BIZ: You can catch DJ Surain on Fridays and DJ Soul Tower 606
on Saturdays
at 6º Lounge. The Third Floor is
now open at the Hub, 312 Main Street. For information call 832-865-4571.
I haven’t checked it out yet, so give me a report if you
go. Downtown Goddess and one of my most favorite people, Jenny
Green, is now the ‘promotress’ for Club Mantra at
711 Main Street. She’s teamed up with Angela of houstonpartingratings.com to host Thursday nights at Mantra, and now their Thursdays are
spectacular. Miss Green is also doing work for Joia Lounge on
Wednesdays and Sundays. Clubs in the City has a great new look
on their website www.clubsinthecity.com Glo Club at 507 Main
will be opening at the end of this month, or early March. Carlos
Palomo, formerly of TOC Bar will be the Manager. Saba Grill,
downtown, is closed for remodeling for awhile. I’ll let
you know when their new look is complete. There is a new bar
coming soon to downtown called Shadow Bar. Their website doesn’t
divulge when or where, but keep an eye on www.shadowbar.com.
Finally, a warm Main Street welcome to M-Bar’s new Event
Director, Khomie Sibiya, formerly of Spy and Drink Houston.
Here’s a name to watch: After-Darque Promotions. It’s
a concept that will blow the roof off of this town and I’m
proud to be a part of their marketing team. Look for details
in a future newsletter about a Launch Party in the next few months.
In the meantime, I’ll keep you in suspense on the concept,
but After-Darque will take the town by storm! www.Skynightlife.com is in the works too, and their creators have shared their vision
for the company with me and I am positively thrilled at what
they will have in-store for the night owls of Houston.
I was at
the Engines of Elk (www.enginesofelk.com) clothing line’s
Houston Launch Party last month at 6º Lounge, and I ran
into Andrea, one of the editors of Free Press Houston. I really
enjoy reading the Free Press Houston newspaper. You can also
see it online at www.freepresshouston.com. It’s more of
an alternative publication. Does anyone remember Public News,
from years ago? It’s kind of like that. It’s described
as opinions, art, photography, music, poetry, comics and soul.
I especially like the funny Horoscopes by Meni Koulakiotis. The
Word of Mouth food reviews by Andrea Afra are great too. The
publication comes out every two weeks. Check it out.
I love getting
mail and feedback. "This is a wonderful
service that you are providing. It really makes me realize how
exciting
Houston downtown has become. I love it!" writes Betty Bellomy
of Haynes and Boone. Well, thank you kindly, Betty. Another reader
named Roni says "You do such a terrific job.... straight
to the point! Wow!!! Houston has solved the problem when is comes
to finding out about the nightlife!!" I’m happy I
solved a problem, for a change, rather than causing one. Brady
Rodgers of Devon Engineering put in his two cents and said "Great
distribution! I’m looking forward to trying some of these
hot spots." I happen to know Brady, and he is an expert
in nightlife, so that means a lot to me coming from him. Jennifer
Ste. Marie of the Inter-Continental Hotel dropped me an email
that said "Just saying hello and thank you for this organized,
informative newsletter…..always good to know of and be
recommended new places / happenings!" Well, a big Inter-Continental "you’re
welcome, and thanks for reading," goes out Jennifer from
the Queen. Airplane pilot, Pam Vela said "Thanks for the
great New Year's Eve Suggestions! I made my choice for our group
solely from your list. Good Job! Your info emails really make
me want to go out. Your write ups are wonderful." I’m
really happy that people are reading and enjoying Queen of Clubs
because I love writing it. Our database of readers is up to over
12,000 now. My goal is to have 20,000 readers by the end of the
year, so feel free to forward the newsletter to your friends,
please. A big, warm, thank you HUG goes out to all of you who
read this. www.Hypermail.cc and I appreciate your loyalty.
George Mendoza,
promoter for www.nightfunctions.com told me about this new
phone and
internet service that saved him a lot
of money, so I’ll pass the savings on to you, too. He said,
for the reliability you demand, the service you expect and the
savings you deserve, Birch is the better phone company. They
have become the largest and most competitive phone and internet
company in the country. For a free quote, call Corina Wilson
with Birch Telecom @ 713-278-6484 or e-mail her at cwilson@birch.com.
You go, Corina, you obviously have a satisfied customer in George
and he was so thrilled he told me, so now my whole reader-base
knows about it. I hope this mention brings you some new clients.
If you are
an avid reader of this newsletter, and you have not been to
6º Lounge yet, shame on you. Let me paint a verbal
picture of it, so you’ll have no excuse not to venture
in and take a gander for yourself. It reminds me of older,
historical establishments with modern flair, like the kind
you’ll find in New York City. The layout and set-up of
this playground offers a laid-back, cozy atmosphere. The décor
is sultry wood and muted colors with antique light fixtures
that cast a warm and inviting glow over the entire room. Fabulous
art adorns the walls. There are comfy couches and chairs to
provide plenty of intimate seating so you can enjoy conversation
and bottle service at the tables. I have my very own personal-favorite
couch there. The weekends are crowded, but not uncomfortably
so, and best of all, the clientele is not even a little bit
stuck-up. I meet new friends every time I’m there. 6º is
a perfect venue for happy hours, corporate parties, bachelorette
parties, bible study (okay, so that one…maybe not so
much so, but you get the point.) It’s really in a category
all its own. In one word, brilliant.
Hey College-goers, www.bookbucks.biz is a free website that
you can use to buy and sell your textbooks which will save time
and money. You can save money when you buy and make money when
you sell. This is a college textbook classifieds and it is
a free service for students. You can buy, sell and trade with
other students at each school. Basically, what they do is match
buyers and sellers of college textbooks. Students from the
University of Houston, Houston Community College, Texas State
University, and The University of Texas at Austin are current
clients.
Promoters
Chac-Mol and Euro Latin present the best music from around
the world
at Indigo Lounge on Thursdays. Celebrate your
birthday there on a Thursday and receive a free gift. Drink
specials include $2.00 Blue Margaritas and Kamikazis from 9-11PM.
Cover is $5.00, but if you mention Chac-Mol at the door, you
will get in free. Indigo Lounge is at 2151 Richmond Avenue,
www.loungeindigo.com. For more information contact your choice
of Chac-Mol’s promoters Lauro Medina 281-723-969, Ulisses
Carsi 832-428-9377 Ucarsi0264@hotmail.com or Rogelio Portillo
713-927-1162.
I’m looking forward to the unveiling of the Spring issue
of the Perfect Wedding Guide on Tuesday, February 22nd in the
Ruby Room beginning at 6PM. Details at www.pwg.com or call 281-804-1808
to get details or an invitation. Also on the 22nd is the Houston
Innovative Professionals Happy Hour Mixer at Joia Lounge, 2511
Bissonnet. If you’ve yet to try Joia, this is a great opportunity.
It’s a gorgeous venue. For details about the event, visit
www.houstonnetworkingnews.com. Joia’s happy hour buffets
are catered by Café Le Jadeite. Café Le Jadeite
has Pacific Rim Cuisine with an Asian twist and is located at
1952 West Gray (near Laff Stop.) They are open for lunch and
dinner. For more info call 713-528-4288, or visit www.cafelejadeite.biz.
Has everyone
heard about the revival of happy hour fun at Slainte Irish
Pub? "CPR" Fridays resuscitate great drink
prices with $1 well drinks and $1 domestic draft beer from
5:00 to 7:00PM. Book an office party on a Friday by calling
713-222-1033. You’ll be glad you did, and so will your
friends and co-workers. Charlie Wemyss will be performing that
day, as well. There will be a huge "CPR" Happy Hour
party with a complimentary buffet for those who book a free
party on Friday, February 25th. Book your FREE party and get
the FREE buffet. Operators are standing by to take your call
now. Put a little life back into your weekends with "CPR" happy
hour on Fridays. |
