Sip + Play: Things to do in Charlotte

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Oyster roast, outdoor market and parties today

I can't wait to get out today. Is it spring yet? See you in the streets...

Outdoor Market - It’s that time of year. The NoDa Eclectic Marketplace returns behind Smelly Cat Coffeehouse. It’ll be even more fun with The Company Store open now as well. Locally produced works of art, jewelry, body products, clothing, housewares and more. 10 a.m. - 3:00pm Behind Smelly Cat Coffeehouse & Roastery, 514 E 36th St.

The Girls Are Back! - Charlotte Roller Girls take on the Greensboro All-Stars. 4:30 p.m., Grady Cole Center, 310 N. Kings Dr. Tickets.

House Heads - The monthly RELEASE! Classic & Soulful House Party returns with DJ Jazzy B (NJ), Tomie B aka DJ Real (House 90.1) and DJ Roc (NJ) with resident DJs Badala B (NJ) & Deep House Providers Gary 'Jackmaster' Wallace (CHI) and DJ Marcus (VA) spinning soulful house. 7 p.m. Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave. $10. Details.

Don't Forget
Oyster Roast - This is going to be soo good! Plaza-Midwood’s Annual Shuck & Awe Oyster Roast is an all-you-can eat roast featuring oysters, shrimp and chicken, side dishes and vegetarian options. Catch On is providing the oysters, Birdsong and Legion breweries are pouring the brews. There will also be wine and cocktails. There will be live music from the Shana Blake Band and a DJ. 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. (dinner from 7pm to 9pm), The Historic VanLandingham Estate, 2010 The Plaza. $35 for dinner, dancing, raffle tickets for great door prizes and access to the silent auction. Cash bar. Order tickets.

Bar Crawl - The 3rd Annual Craft Cocktail will feature speciality drinks from Rooftop 210, Blackfinn, Vida, Strike City, Bubble, Suite, Whisky River,Tinroof, Howl at the Moon and Mortimors. Crawlers will receive a commemorative t-shirt, cup, two free drink tickets, great cocktail special prices, no line and no cover. 8 p.m., 210 EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. $15-$50. Details.

A Slave Story - Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks' play "Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3)" tells the story of the slave, Hero. It examines a slave’s dedication to his master and the people he leaves behind. Opens tonight through March 12. Actor’s Theater of Charlotte, 650 E Stonewall St. Various times and prices. Details.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Big night! Food trucks and gallery crawls

The weather is beautiful, and events abound tonight. I'm starting my night moderating a discussion about Black gays and the church, but then I'll be hitting the streets. Join me at JCSU or maybe I'll bump into you at one of these events below. See you in the streets.

Gallery Crawls - Head to Southend and NoDa for the first Friday Gallery Crawl. Be sure to stop in The Company Store while you’re in NoDa. Tonight is the Grand Opening.

TGIF - The new monthly social gathering #ThankGawdIts1stFriday aka Electric Relaxation returns tonight. DJ Loui Vee will be spinning music from1990 - 2005. 10 p.m., STACHE House, 1520 South Blvd.

Drinking Carson Style - I’ll be sad to see “Downton Abbey,” but you can get a taste of it at the Downton Abbey Tea. The Ballantyne Hotel’s culinary team will present Countess Grantham’s favorite tea sweets and the option to add Spanish Sherry for $8. Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1920 – 1930s period clothing. 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Today and Saturday, The Ballantyne Hotel & Resort, 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway $36.

Don't Miss
Gay, Black & The Church - A new BET.com documentary “Holler If You Hear Me: Black and Gay In the Church" explores homophobia in the black church. This is a touchy subject that often rocks the core of the Black community. I'm moderating the post-screening panel discussion. 6 p.m. New Science Building, Johnson C. Smith University, 100 Beatties Ford Rd. See the panelists.

Amazing Dance - A Butoh style performance isn’t a typical modern dance. It kind of reminds me of real slo-mo pop-lockin' to a didgeridoo instead of hip-hop beats. Judge for yourself at New Frequencies at McColl Center presents Du Yufang. Plus don’t want to miss Charlotte-based ensemble Triptych Collective opening each evening with a new dance performance. 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. McColl Center, 721 N. Tryon St. $10, $12. Tickets.

Food Truck Fridays Are Back!

Friday Night Festival replaced Food Truck Friday in Southend. It’s a collaboration between The Unknown Brewing Company, Craft Tasting Room and Growler Shop along with The Gold District and Historic South End. There will be multiple food trucks and pop ups and live music. Participants can buy beer from nearby Southend Breweries. Judging how lines typically are, I suggest splitting up and sending one friend to stand in line to get beer and the other two get food. But that's just how I roll. 5 p.m. Unknown Brewing Co. - Parking Lot, 1327 S Mint St.

Matthews Food Truck Fridays features Acoustic South Duo on stage and Sugar. Handmade Gourmet Donuts will also be there along with 10 food trucks. #MatthewsFoodTruckFridays

Holla: Sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Weekend Preview: Food Truck Fridays & An Oyster Roast

Whew! Last weekend was crazy, but the fun doesn't stop. We're barreling head-first in St. Patrick's Day Weekend next week! Before things get to crazy with pinching and kissing and imbibing, let's start this weekend of partying.

Thursday
Walk The Walk - Want to learn more about Sustain Charlotte’s transportation campaign? The organization will highlight innovation throughout the country and potentially in Charlotte. 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sugar Creek Brewing Company, 215 Southside Dr. Get on the wait list.

Friday
Gay, Black & The Church - A new BET.com documentary “Holler If You Hear Me: Black and Gay In the Church" explores homophobia in the black church. This is a touchy subject that often rocks the core of the Black community. I'm moderating the post-screening panel discussion. 6 p.m. New Science Building, Johnson C. Smith University, 100 Beatties Ford Rd. See the panelists.

Matthews Food Truck Fridays features Acoustic South Duo on stage and Sugar. Handmade Gourmet Donuts will also be there along with 10 food trucks. #MatthewsFoodTruckFridays

Saturday
Oyster Roast - This is going to be soo good! Plaza-Midwood’s Annual Shuck & Awe Oyster Roast is an all-you-can eat roast featuring oysters, shrimp and chicken, side dishes and vegetarian options. Catch On is providing the oysters, Birdsong and Legion breweries are pouring the brews. There will also be wine and cocktails. There will be live music from the Shana Blake Band and a DJ. 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. (dinner from 7pm to 9pm), The Historic VanLandingham Estate, 2010 The Plaza. $35 for dinner, dancing, raffle tickets for great door prizes and access to the silent auction. Cash bar. Order tickets.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

The Company Store Preview Event (Videos)

A guy was still painting a wall outside The Company Store at 9 p.m. on Thursday, but inside NoDa's newest establishment was bustling. A couple of dozen or so people got a sneak preview of Scott Lindsey and Joey Hewell's latest concept - The Company Store. The official opening is Friday.

The concept is simple. Open the door to your home, put some food out on the table, offer cold beer and invite people over. The food is charcuterie fixings from local and not-so local makers.The beer is definitely local, except PBR (gotta have PBR).

The Company Store is furnished with handcrafted (by Lindsey and Hewell) wooden tables, chairs and benches. Outside there are even more tables and a front and back porch. Artwork adorns the walls, but doesn't overpower. The Company Store is easily going to be the go to place in NoDa. No overpower music, no pushy waiters and a simple concept. Food for munching, beer and wine for drinking and good people for conversing.

It's open 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon - 9 p.m. Sundays. Here's the official press release.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

What's So Special About Pappy Van Winkle? (Video)

So an auction house in Hillsborough is planning to auction bottles of Pappy Van Winkle next week. One bottler could fetch more than $1,000 easily. If you're not a whiskey drinker, you're probably wondering what's the big deal about a Kentucky bourbon that sounds like the title of a kid's book.

Buffalo Trace Distillery only releases about 7,000 bottles of Pappy each fall. Liquor stores and bars only get a bottle or two - if they're lucky. Bottles sell from $80-$250, according to Forbes magazine. Last year, Buffalo Trace released a statement that it would release fewer bottles than usual.

In Charlotte, Heist Brewery, RiRa and Queen City Que are a few of the places where Pappy can be found behind the bar when new bottles hit the market. To better understand the Pappy mystique, I attended a rare Pappy tasting at RiRa last month. I'll let Republic National's Jason Bradley tell you what's so special about Pappy.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Monday, February 29, 2016

King's melodic soul sells out Neighborhood Theatre (Video)

I spent my CIAA tournament week partying with old school acts such as Dru Hill, EPMD and others. By Sunday night, I was ready for something low-key. The King performance at the Neighborhood Theatre was just what I needed. The soul trio performed to a sold out room - on a Sunday night! Here's why fans love this rising group.

Holla: Sipandplayclt@gmail.com