Happy
New Year, Houston! By now, you have probably broken most of
your new year’s resolutions,
but maybe you’ll keep a few and make 2009 your best year
yet. Hopefully one of your resolutions is to spoil yourself a
little more by getting out to enjoy the outstanding restaurants
and nightlife our city has to offer as well as taking time out
of your busy schedule to RELAX and spend time doing things that
make you happy.
One of my
resolutions is to spend more time with my friends. I did just
that recently when Heide Morgan and I stepped out to enjoy
a Sunday Funday. I rarely get a Sunday off so it was so much
fun for me to be out and about. We started with a pitcher of
bellinis and a delicious brunch at LaStrada, eating to the
beats of DJ Josh Dupont. LaStrada (322 Westheimer) was filled
with a “who’s who list” of hot Houstonians,
and we bumped in to Artist Micah Simmons, Jewelry Salesman Chaz,
Bronx Bar owner, Mike Taubin and his gorgeous girlfriend, Devon.
Our service was supreme (thank you, Joseph!) and it was very
nice to be greeted by long-time LaStrada manager, Viral Patel
when we entered the place. It was a great experience and on the
rare occasion I get another Sunday off, I’ll be back to
LaStrada again for brunch. My Sundays are usually spent working
as a server at Cyclone Anaya’s (309 Gray.) Cyclone was
Heide and my next stop on our outing. We had a quick drink there.
I just had to make sure my restaurant wasn’t falling apart
in my absence. Much to my surprise, it was fine, so we said our
hellos and we were off to Beer Island (2631 White Oak Drive.)
Haven’t been to Beer Island? Get a sneak peek at myspace.com/beerisland.
From there, this girl needed a nap after our all-day drinkathon,
so I headed home. I’m certainly not the bar banshee I was
in my younger days.
NEWS
IN THE BIZ: Rachel Luna, Public Relations Director for The Manor,
informed me the Manor is opening at the end of this month and
she is planning a spectacular Grand Opening for March 14th.
The site is located at 4819 Washington Avenue or get an eyeful
of great things to expect. Their web
site is very impressive.
To book parties or make bottle reservations, contact Rachel.
Check out something new in town, The Wise Guy Deli at myspace.com/thewiseguybronxdeli.
Element Lounge is now open at 2611 San Jacinto. Reign Lounge
is coming soon at 4105 Washington Avenue. Wow! Washington is
flourishing with clubs, lounges and restaurants. To sign up to
be included on the guest list for the grand opening of Reign
Lounge, click
here. Jessica Lozano (one of the queen’s
most favorite DJs!) and Mohawk Steve are at Mosaic, downtown
in the Bayou Place, every Sunday to provide the beats for “Sunday
Bloody Sunday.” Doors open at 8PM.
Pin-up Model, Writer and Photographer, Heidi Van Horne will
be at the Continental Club on February 28th following her appearance
at the Burnout Houston Hot Rod Car Show. Rev up your engines
click here for details.
The queen
has got to go on a lovefest tangent for Pravada. It is located
at 2815 S. Shepherd. Let me open the flood gates for my adoration
for Pravada to runneth over. For starts, it sounds an awful
lot like “Prada.” If you are a lady with
class and taste, you are already foaming at the mouth. I never
get to get out after work. Easy remedy? Pull rank and schedule
my co-workers, Angel Torres and Sandra Mejia-Munoz, a duo birthday
on a day all the invitees had asked to be off several weeks prior.
We planned our celebration for a Friday night and started the
evening with dinner at PF Changs in Highland Village. From there
we were Pravada-bound on a mission to have a blast and we did
just that. It is posh and glamorous and filled with a very upscale
crowd. We loved DJ Bizz and our server, Sarah, treated us like
royalty. The female bartenders and waitresses wear the sexiest
uniforms I have ever seen, and wear them well, may I add.
Wednesdays
at Pravada are hosted by Joe Applewhite (one of the queen’s most favorite promoters of all time,) Todd Bui
and Geno Segura and they make Pravada “THE” spot
to be on a Wednesday night. For information or to make reservations
for Wednesday, contact Geno at 281-236-6325. Mondays are Industry
Night every week at Pravada with DJs Zach Crager and Gabe Bizonee
(DJ Bizz) in the mix. See the next paragraph for special event
details for next Monday at Pravada.
Barstool
Magazine will present their Industry Mardi Gras Madness Party
at Pravada on Monday, February 23rd featuring the original “Phat
Tuesday” lineup, the Krackernuttz (Baby Jae and Kleancutt,)
the Chad and DJ Aggravated. This is a special party for those
in the Service Industry who usually work on the weekends and
for whoever wants to celebrate Fat Tuesday a day early. Doors
open at 10PM. The event will feature $3 beers, $5 drinks and
$175 bottles all night long. Pravada is going to “bead” HOT
on February 23rd. For more information, drop their web
site.
Pravada also has a myspace page and a facebook page, so add both
as a friend to be kept in the loop on parties and events. Did
you see the feature in this month’s Barstool on page 49
about Pravada owner and operator, Carlos Palomo? It’s a
funny read. Special thanks to Carlos for helping me plan the
recent birthday bash we had there.
Due to blocking
for several email servers (AOL and yahoo in particular, the
internet servers, not the newsletter recipients, more precisely!)
Most of my loyal and LOVED followers have been cut off from
my newsletter in their email box, so to be sure you receive
it monthly and perhaps pass the link to 10…or
100 of your friends, I am asking that you forward this
link to
people you think may enjoy receiving this once a month. Be sure
you sign up as well to insure we have your most current email
in our database. Just click
here and fill out the form.
If you ask
Dominique what she wants you to hear when listening to her
upcoming debut EP “Good Girl Blues” she will
tell you something beautifully different. The 24 year-old singer/songwriter
has put together an infectious, soulful blend of records that
aim to have you remember loves of the past, present, and future.
Independently released via digital retailers last month, “Good
Girls Blues” contains 5 songs written in Dominique’s
unique relatable style. Solely produced by innovative producer
M DUB, the records convey a cohesive sound that is sure to solidify
the singer as one to watch. Learn more about Dominique, a friend
I met on myspace at one of her sites, lovedominique.com or myspace.com/msdominiquemusic.
One of my
favorite nightlife gossip columnists is back in action in the
pages of the queen’s favorite mag, Barstool. A warm
welcome back to Jane Ho. See her latest “lashing” in “Ho
Knows” on page 50 of the February edition of Barstool Magazine.
Her writing makes me laugh out loud and I hope I am never part
of her subject content. Jane is one my nightlife kittens who
has sharp claws, if you know what I mean, and it makes her column
all the more entertaining.
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Who
is the Queen of Clubs?
Kimberleigh Coyne is a server and does marketing and new business development for Chuy's of River Oaks (2706 Westheimer.) Kim also books events for Chuy's and for Crave Sushi (2900 Travis.) She has been an event planner in Houston's Hospitality Industry since 1995, having done projects for over 30 venues in town over the years. In her spare time, she is a Sales Associate at Massage Envy Galleria (5387 Westheimer.) She is available for consultant work and freelance projects. Her writing resume features magazines including Texas Access, Urban Beat, Insite, Houston's Other, Controversy, Envy, Houston Select and Nightclub and Bar, a national trade publication. The Queen is an active member in the Young Active Professionals, Downtown Houston Alliance, Emerging Leaders, Downtown Midtown Residents Association and Houston Innovative Professionals. You are also invited to add her to your network at www.linkedin.com. You may also contact her via houston_queen_of_clubs@yahoo.com or add her as a friend as "Kimberleigh Coyne" on www.facebook.com. She welcomes feedback and suggestions on places to visit and write about, and she LOVES her readers. Queen of Clubs current and past editions are posted at www.houstonqueenofclubs.com.
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