A couple years ago, local rocker Jason Dove started filming short re-enactments of funny episodes from his life and uploading them to YouTube. He called the series the "Jason Dove Diaries."

My personal favorite was this one, which is so absurd it's funny. I also like this one.

Dove has spent the last few months putting together season two -- a series of 10 videos. This time around, they're based on a (semi) fictitious story about Dove's band performing with actor Adrian Grenier's band, and the drama that ensues.

Dove even made a trailer for season two. Here it is:

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A few months ago, Amie and I were at a restaurant in Costa Rica when we first spotted a waiter making Spanish coffee for a neighboring table. 

Watching him prepare the Spanish coffee was pretty wild -- it involved flames and liquor and heavy cream and general craziness. It's traditionally made table side, and is quite the show. Here is a Web site with all the ingredients and directions on how to make Spanish coffee.

The drink itself is super sweet and heavy, which, after a large dinner, almost made my stomach explode.

I had forgotten about Spanish coffee until Midnight Sunner Sarah asked me where she could get it in Baltimore ...

Continue reading "Where to find Spanish coffee" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

It's been a hectic three weeks for Dave Benton.

Benton is one of the new owners of Hideaways, which replaced the Tavern on Key (1400 Key Highway) less than a month ago. As soon as Benton and his business partner took over the space, they set about fixing it up, he said.

"We've made a ton of changes," he said. "Just cleaning the place up and painting was a challenge. When you come in here, it looks completely diff than it did before."

Hideaways has its grand opening tonight ...

Continue reading "Hideaways replaces Tavern on Key" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I promise this will be the last one of these for a little while. But considering how helpful everybody was with Brad's predicament the other day, I want to throw one more at you.

This one's from Midnight Sun reader Ben:

I've got a girlfriend coming to visit from out of town this weekend.  I'd like to impress her by taking her to a nice, classy lounge/bar in Baltimore that would hopefully have a nice view of the city.  I thought of the 13th Floor but read some reviews that indicated it wasn't that great a spot.  If it isn't an imposition, could you make a suggestion? ...

Continue reading "Let's help out Ben, too" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

R&B star Usher recently released a new cologne called VIP. And guess what? I got a sample of it!!! OMG!!!

Heh.

I've read that wearing this new fragrance is supposed to empower you to be your own VIP. This weekend, I'm going to put that theory to the test.

Either tonight or tomorrow night, I'm going to drench myself in Usher's VIP and try to breeze past the bouncers at one of Baltimore's high-end clubs.

What do you think will happen? 

There's only one way to find out.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

This could have come in handy in college, when corkscrews were hard to come by. I can't tell you how many times we ended up jamming the cork down into the wine, which almost always meant tiny bits of cork bobbing in your glass.

Not only does this shoe method look like a fun party trick (or an ace in the hole, if you don't have a corkscrew), it seems like even tipsy Frenchmen can do it. And if tipsy Frenchmen can do it, so can we. Thanks to Owl Meat for sharing the vid:

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

I got a peculiar call today from a woman named Dawn Carey, who is promoting the new Canton Arts and Entertainment, which replaced Huckas on Boston Street last month.

Canton Arts and Entertainment (whew, that's tough to type, let alone say aloud) is split into three spaces: A restaurant named Gutman's, an oyster bar called the Black Pearl and a bar, My Generation.

Does Canton Arts and Entertainment have a Web site?

"They're in the process of getting the Web site," Carey said.

When's the grand opening?

"They're trying to get that together for a grand opening," she said.

I see ...

Continue reading "Some details on Canton Arts and Entertainment" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

Brad of Beer in Baltimore sent me this plea for help:

I've got a chef from a popular DE brewery/brewpub coming into town tomorrow afternoon and evening for a show at Ram's Head.  He's asking me to suggest places "besides Max's, Wharf Rat/Pratt St., Brewers Art, Cat's Eye for some great beer and food."

I'm the beer guy and can name a few more great beer spots like Mahaffey's.... but he's also asking about good food. Care to help?!

I've got a few suggestions, but I'd appreciate some help with this one, too ...

Continue reading "Let's help out Brad" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
        

I was surprised to learn that comedic singer/songwriter Stephen Lynch isn't a big fan of comedy.

In fact, the 38-year-old Pennsylvania native, who performs at the Lyric Opera House tomorrow, was wanted to be a professional musician since college.

Instead, Lynch has made a name for himself by combining a little music and a little comedy.

The result? Some raunchy, dirty, nasty (but funny) songs ...

Continue reading "Checking in with Stephen Lynch" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Sun writer Mark Gross and I made some calls this morning and found out more information about Sonar's line being disconnected and rumors of the Talking Head closing.

Though its Web site survived and its Twitter account continued to be updated, the direct line to Sonar, 410-783-7888, was disconnected.

Surely, this must be an ominous sign, right?

Manager Lauren Friant cleared the air. Friant says the disconnected number was an "accident." Apparently, someone forgot to pay the bill ...

Continue reading "Sonar is still open, but the Talking Head is being phased out" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Bwaaaaahahahahah!

For Halloween this year, ryan97ou and a couple of his buddies went as the Yip Yip Aliens (from "Sesame Street").

This is quite possibly the best possible Halloween costume of the year.

Unsurprisingly, they had their photo taken hundreds of times, ryan97ou said. Next year, he wants to organize an army of Yip Yips -- not necessarily for Halloween. Just for kicks.

Should this idea get the Midnight Sun stamp of approval? Yip yip yip yipyipyipyipyipyipyip!

Also, bonus points if you guess what Midnight Sunner HottieMcSexyPants went as ...

Continue reading "The best Halloween costume of the year?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

All day, I've been exchanging Twitter messages with a Baltimore nightlife pessimist.

This pessimist doesn't believe Baltimore's bar and club scene has anything -- besides an excellent local music community -- that you couldn't get in other cities.

But Baltimore is cheap, I wrote, and though Baltimore doesn't have many high-end lounges, it has plenty of charming, quirky corner bars.

Corner bars are in every city, the pessimist shot back. This irritated me, but also got me thinking. What, after all, is so special about Baltimore's bar scene? ...

Continue reading "What makes Baltimore's nightlife scene so special?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (39)
        

When I first heard a high-end Mexican restaurant and lounge named Azul 17 had opened in Columbia, I couldn't help but scratch my head.

A fancy lounge? In a strip mall? In Columbia?

Yes. And guess what? It's a hit. 

When Amie and I paid Azul 17 a visit on a recent Saturday night, there was barely a seat left in the place. The line for tables was nearly out the door at 8:30 p.m. We bee-lined for the bar area, and snagged the last two open seats.

Azul 17 is split into two sections -- a long, semi-narrow dining room and a square-shaped adjacent bar.

Owners Julio and Lily Soto must have pulled out all the stops: The chairs in the bar appeared to be made of white leather and the back-lit bar glowed different colors over the course of the night, while Latin house music pumped through the speakers. I don't think I've ever seen a trendier spot in Columbia.

Azul 17's only stumble decor-wise were the long white drapes, which covered the windows and looked tacky from the outside.

As stylish as a high-end lounge might be, substance is always going to win out in the end. Snazzy decor and fancy furniture don't trump good service and well-made drinks. And Azul 17 came through ...

Continue reading "Sipping cocktails at the new Azul 17" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Hahahahaha! That's all I'm going to say. Thanks, Allan, for the link.

Watch this:

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Owl Meat Gravy has come up with a great bar discussion topic. Personally, I'd love to have a beer with George Martin or David Bowie. Take it away, Owlie:

I have a test that I call the Tony Danza test. It basically divides people into whether or not you would like to have a beer with them.

Tony Danza? Sure. Do I imagine that I would have a lot to talk to him about? No, but he he seems beer-worthy. It doesn't have to be a beer. It could be anything.
 
Hillary Clinton? Pass. Bill Clinton? Hell yeah. Keith Richards? You bet. Charlie Watts? No.
 
Today's game goes like this: Name someone alive or dead that you would like to hang out with and what you would do. I think dead people are the more interesting choice, but it's up to you.

Here are some examples that I collected from random people, ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime ...

Continue reading "Owl Meat's Tipsy Tuesdays: What famous figure would you drink with?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (45)
Categories: Owl Meat's Tipsy Tuesdays
        

This assignment looks like a real gut-buster: Find, photograph and consume 10 local dishes made with beer.

Thankfully, Sun correspondent Lisa Wiseman was up to the task. Here's a link where you can see all 10 meals.

This photo is of the Boh battered O's at Hamilton Tavern. Man, those look good.

Wiseman writes:

All onion rings are edible straight out of the fryer, but when they are still crispy and crunchy after they have cooled off, that is a sign of a quality o-ring. Such is the case with the rings at Hamilton Tavern.

I'll have to try those the next time I'm up on Harford Road.

(Photo by Lisa Wiseman)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Way back in April, I did this piece about local artists, photographers and musicians who were using the recession as inspiration.

One of the people I spoke with was Andres Zapata (pictured), who was working on a project called Recession Nation.

Zapata collected photos, short stories, visual art and poems from Baltimore and abroad, and recently published them in the book "The Recession Nation Project."

You can preview and buy a copy here.

I flipped through the book online and was pleasantly surprised at how well it came out ...

Continue reading ""The Recession Nation Project" is released" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Chris Furst of Power Plant Live spotted this awesomely bad sign in Fells Point.

Since the recession started, we've seen a lot of restaraunts on the chopping block.

But it's not every day you get the chance to rent a restaraurant. They're a rare breed.

I wonder how much it costs to rent a restaraurant? Do they charge by the letter?

Hee hee.

(Thanks for the photo, Chris)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Don't you love the first couple days of fall daylight saving? I think we all deserve this extra hour -- especially after such a wild and crazy Halloween weekend.

How was everybody's Halloween? What was your costume? Feel free to send me pictures (sam.sessa@baltsun.com) and I'll post the best outfits. I slapped on an old suit, parted my hair down the middle, popped a cigar in my mouth and -- presto chango! -- H.L. Mencken.

Station North was definitely the place to be for offbeat Halloween partying ...

Continue reading "How was everybody's Halloween?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

This one's been a long time coming: Last week, the liquor board revoked the license of the shady Fells Point bar Cheerleaders. This piece says it best:

Liquor commissioners said they stripped the bar of its license after a series of attacks inside the club. On May 15, police were called to Cheerleaders for a fight that spilled into the street and left two women hospitalized, according to a Southwestern District officer who testified during Thursday's hearing. The next night, another fight broke out at the bar that required the entire Fells Point police sector, about 40 officers, to bring it under control, according to testimony.

I never wrote about Cheerleaders, because the management threatened my life ...

Continue reading "Cheerleaders (finally) loses its license" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)