Lisa Jeffries Nobling – Raleigh, NC

Tag: bars

  • Bridal Parties & the Like: Downtown Raleigh

    I have been been bouncing around the idea of starting a website or blog dedicated to being the most awesome bridesmaid you can be… ever. You know, something to the tune of “winggirls.com”.

    Why? Because I get asked questions like this on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

    “Hey Lisa – Where should I plan a bridal party in Raleigh for about 20-30 guests?“
    Here are a few of my recommendations:
    Amra’s {http://amrasraleigh.com/}
    Super trendy upscale decor, great wine selection, and catering available from Tobacco Road.
    On Glenwood

    Tobacco Road {http://tobaccoroadsportscafe.com/about/index.html}
    Dining room or private room reservation. Great food, full bar, and a very attentive and friendly staff.
    On Glenwood

    Metro Café {http://www.wix.com/metrocafeandlounge/metrocoffee}
    The girls from the E. Riley-soon-to-be-Dorn team and I hosted one here recently. They let us bring in our own food (great budget saver) and were SO nice.
    City Market

    Peche de Chocolat {http://www.pechechocolat.com/}
    A chocolate and wine bar that has just relocated from City Market to Glenwood, too. Laura is the owner, she’s awesome.
    On Glenwood

    The Oxford – {http://oxfordraleigh.com/}
    For a large party, you can likely reserve the area “under the stars” that stayed after the conversion from Yancey’s to The Oxford. Great food, full bar.
    Fayetteville Street


    All of these suggestions are in Downtown Raleigh. Each website should have an email address or a contact page for you or whoever is planning your party to contact each venue about hosting the event there.

    If anyone reading wants some options in Cary or any other parts of town, just shoot me an email or leave a comment!

    Any other Downtown suggestions from my fellow Raleigh kids?

  • You LIke to Eat, Right?

    Ok good… because here’s a cool event going on this weekend that supports our farmers!

    ‘Cuegrass Festival at The Pit
    Bring your lawn chairs for some outside BBQ, beer, and bluegrass!!


    (Click to enlarge)


    FREE STREET FESTIVAL – Saturday, April 4 Rain or Shine!

    11am – Filmore Valley Boys
    12:30pm – Town Mountain
    2pm – Old Habits

    **Bring your lawn chairs!**

    $5 beers & BBQ sandwiches on the street.
    Sponsored by Whole Foods, Coca-Cola, LoneRider Brewer and Aviator Brewery

    Proceeds benefit Feed the Farm, a non-profit organization helping to raise money to provide financial assistance for NC farmers.

    The Pit
    328 W. Davie Street
    Raleigh, NC
    (919) 890-4500

    Facebook event listing | DowntownRaleigh.com

  • Some Quick Raleigh Updates…

    …because I’m always shocked how many of my friends actually get their updates from my local round-up of Raleigh blogs.

    Goodberry’s is coming to Cameron Village – GoGoRaleigh.com
    A Rooftop Carolina Ale House is coming to Glenwood South – DTRaleigh.com
    Boylan Bridge Brewpub is open for business – NewRaleigh.com
    I hear Foundation makes their own in-house cola… and want to try it – NewRaleigh.com    And in some previously unpublished original updates:
    Tobacco Road has has added a apple/candied walnut/and some sort of cheese salad to the menu… and it’s SO good. Lisa S. and I took Cagle to lunch there on Friday – we both had it and loved it.

    Friday night and Sunday afternoon Renee and I ended up at The Oxford and I had the Fried Goat Cheese salad both times. Renee had their very cool twist on the caprise salad. Both, very good, too.

  • From My Boys at Deep South and Lucky B’s…

    Coming Soon…


    Free Bar Crawl    : Friday, March 26!


    Yay! I love it.

  • “Helloooooo Hangover”

    I usually put Swagger‘s giveaways on the girly blog (all things retail, style, and trends), but this one can apply to many of you – girly or not, and it prefaces a later post on this past weekend’s really awesome Riley-Dorn wedding extravaganza.

    This week’s Facebook Friday of the Week from Swagger’s facebook page is a product that has gotten rave reviews and flies out of stock: Sprayology.


    Sprayology Party Relief is one of our all time most popular items – and we FINALLY have it back in! Some of our customers (you know who you are) have been begging for it!

    This Party Relief is a HANGOVER REMEDY and it works like a charm – I had to test it out for you guys! 🙂 You will be seriously happy you found this product!

    You can check it out here: https://www.swaggergifts.com/party-relief $24

    Would have been AWESOME to have some handy yesterday and this morning. My hangover (possibly second hangover of the day) hit around 2pm while we were having breakfast at iHop. Yep, breakfast at 2pm. (I had to go retrieve my car from the Sheraton parking deck while I still had a driver and a vehicle at the townhouse before he had to go to work before I could meet the gang for breakfast.)

    PS – So how did I get home? White Horse! These are my boys (because they deliver me home safely on a regular basis) and I love them. Cabs suck – get in the truck! (That should be their new tagline.)

    Put the following numbers in your cell phone address book: 919-782-5893 or 888-62-HORSE (888-624-6773). You WILL thank me the next time you’d like a reliable ride home at 2am.

  • Viva Las Vegas!

    The girls and I had a blast!


    (Click to enlarge)    Here’s my list of don’t miss places and sights (note: it’s mostly bars – which I figure is ok, because since there are so many, you’ll need to know which are worth going to).

    Sigfried & Roy’s Secret Garden
    Located at Mirage
    Only $15 and some very, very cool creatures. Lions, tigers, dolphins… all in a non-performing environment.

    Forty-Deuce
    Located at Mandalay Bay
    A hidden gem in the nightlife scene. Literally – hidden. Luckily, the Director of VIP Services found us wandering Mandalay and offered us a round of champagne. I wish we had started the night at this place!

    Stack
    Located at Mirage
    A very cool steak house with lots of delicious choices for people like me who don’t want steak all the time. Also had some affordable $30 three-course options, etc. which is important in a town where you could easily spend $100 on dinner for one.

    Mix
    Located at Mandalay Bay… on the 64th floor.
    One of the best views in town – period. And not painfully over-crowded like super-trendy Pure and Tao bars/clubs.

    Playboy Club / Moon
    Located at Palms
    Fun bars, personable bartenders. I was shocked how many people in the service industry who were working for tips just sucked in this town. Not at the Playboy club, though! The Bunnies are dealers, but the male bartenders were cool, too! Moon would have been awesome had the retractable roof been open.

    Minus 5 (-5) Lounge
    Located at Mandalay Bay
    There are a few located around the world. I didn’t get to go there, but walked past it enough to want to. The front is very lodge bar looking and the other part is surrounded by ice. I hate the cold, so the free drink passes that were being passed out by the promoter and PENGUIN that Lisa S. and I walked by would have to hook up a lot of anti-freeze (drinks) for me to stay long.

    Hard Rock Hotel
    Very cool music industry displays… everywhere. Kenny Chesney will be having a concert in their in-house concert hall (The Joint) at the end of April – I bet it will be awesome.

    Christian Audigier
    Located at TI (Treasure Island)
    Fashionable rock n’ roll-themed bar . This was in our hotel and we didn’t get a chance to go, but based on seeing it in passing and it’s branding/image… I will for sure next time. I’ll also be dropping my business card for Buckhead because they apparently have an awesome service industry night.

    All in all, Forty Deuce and Mix were my favorites for bars.

    PS – We HAD to go to Coyote Ugly because as all 80’s babies, we love the movie. Everyone who told me it sucked… was right. It was one of those “Cool, I’ve been there. Once was enough.”

    PS #2 – I can’t believe I forgot the crowd favorite. O’Sheas. Count on my friends to find the beer pong in Vegas!

    (All images linked to sources.)

  • Rehab…

    ….is where I will need to check myself into when I return to Raleigh next Monday night.

    Can you guess where I’m going? Here’s a hint:

    That was one of the more exciting videos I could find in my 30 second YouTube search.

    Well, other than:

    …but if I come back hitched, I’m willing to bet my tail is grass!

    I’m heading out at the crack of down on Thursday and meeting in lovely Las Vegas with 8 of my favorite girls (and sisters) from college for E. Riley’s bachelorette party – including fellow blogger, Adrianne! Lisa S. is coming in this weekend for a industry event next week and will be hopefully joining in with our 20-something shenanigans on Saturday night!

    The nights have pretty much been planned out (Palms, Playboy Club, Coyote Ugly *I hear it’s a sausage party, but what girls who grew up in the 90’s/early 2000’s didn’t love that movie?*, Thunder from Down Under *sorry Mom!*, and Pure), but what do any of you former Vegas visitors recommend during the day?

    In case you didn’t know, my other blog is titled “I Like My Money Right Where I Can See It… Hanging In My Closet“, so gambling is not ranking very high for me on the “I could do that all day” scale. Other suggestions?

    I’m SO excited. AND a little worried about my liver.

    Crap, I should’ve asked my Red Bull rep if he knew any of the Vegas team. I can see that coming in handy.

  • Tobacco Road… Coming Soon!

    I was able to get a glimpse into the new Tobacco Road Sports Cafe yesterday on my way to lunch with Tyler yesterday at one of my favorite hidden gems of Raleigh: Rockford. The TVs are in the windows (a cool feature for Glenwood South) and tables are being set in. After briefly chatting with Brian Amra a week or so ago, it seems that early January is when the doors will open.

    I can’t wait!

    Be sure to check out their blog – which was just updated yesterday by Brian – and get a look at the menu… it’ll make you hungry for Tobacco Road basketball and Tobacco Road food at the same time!

    Full Disclosure: Lisa S. and I discussed the need for a restaurant/bar called “Tobacco Road” long ago (in the old Damon’s location in the heart of Wolfpack country nonetheless), but these guys beat us to it.

    If it was anyone else, I might be a little jealous, but I obviously love Amra’s and know that Tobacco Road Sports Cafe will be nothing short of FANTASTIC and run by a family who really knows how to run a good business.

    12/22 Update: Ashton says it’s officially open on Wednesday!

  • P.D.C. – Amra’s

    Just after writing this post about how Red Hat was making a very festive (and pretty. darn. classy.) move with their holiday party, check out this email I just got from the Amra’s family:

    A gift for you, Happy Holidays from Amra’s

    Lisa,

    This is Samson. Amra’s is sponsoring Samson on behalf of our Amra’s guests. Samson is a Rottweiler-Shepherd mix that is in foster care through Best Friend Pet Adoption. Our sponsorship will help cover the cost of his food and medical expenses for the next six months. Although we hope that he’ll have a permanent home and family before then.

    SamsonThe holidays are here and for most this means a time of giving—finding those perfect gifts for friends and family as well as giving to charities, financially or donating your time.

    During these economic times many charities have experienced sharp drops in donations. One way to still be able to donate to your favorite charity and give a meaningful gift is by sponsoring. Click here or visit BFPA online at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Amras/48f55554e7/64adddf889/6912f621d2 to see the 48 cats and 37 dogs available for sponsorship through BFPA. Just click the “View Cats/Dogs to Sponsor” button, click on their name to learn more about them and click the “Sponsor” button located in their profile.You can dedicate your sponsorship to someone, with your dedication text appearing on their profile. BFPA will also send an acknowledgement on your behalf via email or snail mail.
    Happy Holidays,
    Brian, Alex and Rommie Amra
    amrasraleigh.com
    919-828-8488    They sure know how to win MY heart! Just look at that sweeeeeet face!

    Adrianne and Joey – go get him for Sweetie! Then she’ll have a Tank of her own 🙂

  • Congrats, Jamie!

    For those of you who’ve never met fellow Buckhead-er Jamie Saad, be sure to stop by his new venue sometime and say hello!

    Black Flower Opens in Glenwood South


    (Raleigh Downtowner/Raleigh Chronicle)

    “From an unassuming building just around the corner from the bustle of Glenwood South comes a different kind of buzz, one that will last well after the night’s end…at least that’s the kind of atmosphere Paul Lewis and Jamie Saad want to create at their new bar Black Flower. Located at 517 West Peace Street (just east of Mojo’s), one of its main goals is to promote Raleigh’s culture.”

    Click through to read the rest of the Melissa Santos’ great article. Nick and I went to visit last weekend and had a great time (and of course, Jamie made sure to have a bottle of Firefly on hand for me… because he’s awesome).

    Double plus (and I hope he doesn’t wring my neck for giving away industry secrets), but he dished that the black semi-circle seating may or may not have been reclaimed from the part of Buckhead that hasn’t been flipped and holds the leftovers from the post-Jillian’s renovation. Being the rockstar bar owners Paul and Jamie are, they found the instructions for recovering them on Google and saved them from the landfill – I support it!

    Here’s the official site (get your membership – they don’t serve food!) and of course, because it wouldn’t be the bar industry without it, the MySpace page.