November 16th. Mark Your Calendar (Updated) (16. November 2006, 07:44 by Derek Young) ~ Let's Have Some Fun
Updated
November 16th is today. A lot of restaurants and businesses have stepped up to make this a decent evening. It’s less of a specific event, and more about getting you downtown for dinner, theater, and/or drinks. If you can’t make the show, go to dinner. If you’re working late, stop by the bar at one of these places and hang for a bit. Vin Grotto, Over the Moon Cafe, and Stadium Bistro are all small places. Make you reservations now and let’s fill them. Enough of you have said you’re coming downtown that it should be possible to pack these restaurants.
Over the Moon Cafe: (253) 284-3722
Vin Grotto: (253) 722-5079
Stadium Bistro: (253) 576-1917 (temp number)
Some have asked me how many people are coming downtown. I have no idea. Show up, order and drink, and find out. Other folks have asked where I’m going to be tonight. Let’s just say that we’re probably starting at Matador after work. Then, we’ll finish at Stadium Bistro five…six… seven hours later. In between the two we’ll be stopping at most of the places on this list and riding Link at least once.
Be a part of a new Tacoma and support our arts scene and downtown businesses. I hope to see you on the streets of our town tonight.
Sound Transit
Sound Transit has stepped up and will be offering Link Light Rail service until 10:00 pm. This is two hours later than usual for a Thursday night. Thank you Sound Transit.
Star Rentals
Star Rentals are providing some supplemental lighting to brighten a dark corner street or two near the Pantages. Thank you.
EVENTS
Artwalk
November 16th just happens to be the 3rd Thursday of the month. What does that mean? From 5:00 to 8:00, the museums in town plus several galleries are all open to the public and totally free. If you haven’t done it before, this is a great reason to get downtown. Try it! For a list of locations, check out the website.
Address: All Over Town
Website: www.artwalktacoma.com
Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital
Join Met Vet from 6-8pm as we kick off the holiday season! This will be our last art installation for 2006, so we’re celebrating Arts Tacoma with a Double Show, featuring paintings by Jennevieve Schlemmer and C.J. Swanson. Both of these artist’s are opening their studios for this weekend’s Art at Work Studio Tours, as well, so we feel very fortunate that they were ‘ready, willing, and able’ to extend their considerable talents our way. You won’t want to miss this, and we look forward to seeing you all. It would also be a great opportunity to donate to our First Annual Pet Food Drive!
Address: 401 S. Fawcett
Website: www.metvetpets.com
Broadway Center for the Performing Arts
The gorgeous newly renovated Pantages is the cornerstone of our evening. The show for the evening is 3 Mo’ Tenors and I’ve heard at least one person mention that they saw the same show in Chicago and loved it. Buy tickets! Sell it out. If you don’t want to go to the show, buy your friends tickets. Give them as gifts to friends that wouldn’t normally head downtown. Then you can meet them after the show at Matador or Vin Grotto. The show starts at 7:30.
Address: Corner of South 9th and Broadway
Website: 3 Mo Tenors at the Broadway Center
Tully’s Coffee
Live music from 5:00 to 7:00 pm booked for this evening only. This would be a great reason to come downtown early, park, and relax before the Tenors show.
Address: At the corner of South 9th and Broadway
The Horatio
Do you want to be a part of something new and exciting in downtown’s theater scene? The Horatio Theater is opening its doors to show off its newly leased space on Opera Alley. Come by, say hello, and show your support for live theater in Tacoma. Open from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm on Thursday.
Address: 708 Opera Alley
FOOD AND DRINK
Vin Grotto
Wine tasting and dinner from 5:00 to 8:00. Barnard Griffin Winery will be onsite. Vin Grotto will be Open late for the after theater crowd. We’ll be here for at least a little bit on Thursday.
Address: 813 Pacific
Website: www.vingrotto.com
Over The Moon Cafe
Over the Moon Cafe is hosting at least a few friends’ dinners before this show and is acting as a central meeting point for many of the folks behind this evening. Fill the place up.
Address: 709 Court C
Meconi’s Pub & Eatery
Open to 11:00 pm and just blocks from the theater.
Address: 709 Pacific
Website: www.tacomapub.com
Stadium Bistro
The absolutely brand new and spotless Stadium Bistro is offering a free tapas and 50% off a glass of wine after the show on Thursday night. Stadium Bistro is open until 1:00 am. For us this may be our post-show place of choice. Anybody want to join us?
Address: 208 St. Helens
Varsity Grill
First Annual Ice-block Party!
Check out the Ice-block Party at Varsity Grill on November 16. Taste all the hot winter beers – Just five bucks will get you six generous pours. Plus you can get the scoop on how they’re made, what they pair well with, etc. Feeling lucky? There will be prizes, live music, snacks and more.
Beer tasting (from breweries like Georgetown Brewing and Deschutes) is on the patio from 5 pm to 8 pm but the restaurant is open late so stop by any time. Mention that you read about this on Exit133 and you’ll get an appetizer on the house.
Tents and heat lamps will help ward off the elements but this is a rain or shine event.
Address: 1114 Broadway
Website: www.varsitygrill.com
Matador
The much anticipated Matador Restaurant & Tequila Bar will be one week old on November 16th. Check out Tacoma’s hottest new food and drink destination. Gourmet tex-mex and a large tequila menu would be a great way to end the evening.
Address: 721 Pacific
Website: www.matadorseattle.com
TwoKoi
The hip new Japanese restaurant TwoKoi offers Happy hour from 5:00 to 7:00 and is normally open until 11:00 pm on Thursdays. If folks show up after the show or simply for a late evening meal, they’ll stay open for you tonight. Complimentary parking in Lot C on Broadway starting after 5:30 pm. Mmmm… Sake.
Address: 1552 Jefferson
Others
There’s a pretty long list of restaurants that are normally open late including Pacific Grill, El Gaucho, The Swiss, The Rock, and many others.
Our emphasis on this night is the theatre district but, to be honest, I don’t care where you go, as long as you’re downtown on this evening. Why? To show those restaurants and organizations that we can support a downtown scene and to show you, if you haven’t been coming downtown, that it’s already happening.
If you want your bar, restaurant, or event added to the list, or send me an email. I’m particularly interested in places open late for the after show crowd.
I apologize if I’ve forgotten anybody. Now remember, tell a friend.
If, for some reason, you won’t be able to make it out on the town Thursday night, there will be more opportunities. Have you heard about all the events happening on the 18th yet? What about the 30th? More news to come…
Previously on Exit133
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Taste all the hot winter beers…
Mmmm….hot beers…..
1 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Nov 7, 01:17 PM
Exciting to see the buzz of activity. Good for the economy, and just good fun.
Greater Tacoma Community Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary on the 16th from 5:30 – 8:00 too – a lot of good has been done over the past 25 years and there is much more to come.
2 | Posted by Ken Gibson | Nov 8, 07:33 AM
Thursday is another Downtown Merchant’s Group “Live After Five” night. Hopefully other merchants will stay open a little later. I excited about the night. We are begining to see more things like this happening Downtown with more frequency (Block Tie Affair, 100 Monkeys, Glass Roots). Good things are afoot in Downtown. Oh yea, The Swiss, Buzzard’s and The Rock will all be open late.
3 | Posted by Marty | Nov 8, 12:02 PM
Looks like the The 3 Mo Tenors tickets are moving pretty fast with around 75 – 80 percent sold. The front area is getting sold out.
Ok. I just bought my tickets from the Broadway Center online ticket purchasing web site. Pretty cool, first time I used it.
Viewing the online seating chart, there is a ton of green in most sections now signifying that most of the seats are sold. I would estimate that The 3 Mo Tenors event is around 90 percent sold at this point. So close. Will we sell the event out? Two more days….
I get off work at 7pm, I’ll try to catch up after that!! Will there be a way to identify anyone, or will I just pick you out through scintillating conversation?
6 | Posted by Christine | Nov 14, 02:30 PM
Crap! I just realized I have a class that evening until 8:30! I’ll stop by the bistro afterwards- can’t say no to free tapas!
7 | Posted by morgan | Nov 14, 11:17 PM
So are the Exit133ers planning a meetup somewhere? I’ll probably make it up by around 7. See you there!
8 | Posted by drizell | Nov 15, 11:26 PM
Thanks for lighting the fire Derek! We’re off to SF this afternoon for the 49ers game, but this may just have to become the Thursday Bocce winter replacement – why stop at one?
11 | Posted by Les | Nov 16, 08:12 AM
Stadium Bistro’s temporary phone # is 253-576-1917!!!
Once the permanent phone is connected, the number will be 253-683-4150.
Thanks for your support! We look forward to seeing you tonight! – Cat.
12 | Posted by Cat at Stadium Bistro | Nov 16, 08:52 AM
Some have asked me how many people are coming downtown. I have no idea. Show up, order and drink, and find out.
How many people downtown tonight? Hard to estimate.
Right now, there around 1000 seats sold for the Three Mo Tenors (around 150 seats left). So there is 1000 people.
There there are the Art Walk folks, perhaps a few hundred more. Then add in the downtown boosters without tickets, merchants keeping their places open later, bloggers and general patrons of the restaurants and shops.
It could be quite a few people especially with the weather looking good. 2000 to 3000? More? Less?
Gotta work late tonite but I hope to meet up with some of you. We will most likely hit Matador, Vin Grotto etc. Hope to see everyone later!
14 | Posted by Mike H | Nov 16, 03:16 PM
so…
How was it? Those of us tethered by babies want to know and be envious.
15 | Posted by UPSpatrick | Nov 17, 07:53 AM
Last night downtown was pretty great.
Vin Grotto was overflowing with standing room only crowd. The weather was generous, cool but nice and clear.
The city seems to have some high wattage down at 9th and commerce which is working well to make the area more inviting.
A few of us managed to get a spot at the edge of the firepit at the Matador. Once you are there with some good food its hard to leave.
Eric Hanburg was even there at the new location for Horatio Theater to show everyone his new place in Opera Alley.
(Three Mo Tenors was pretty much full too)
so…
It was a good time. We walked into Vin Grotto to find it packed, but were able to find a spot at the bar for some wine. Then we walked up to Stadium Bistro, via The Horatio, to meet up with friends. Along the way we found Drizell (regular commenter) in Opera Alley and dragged him along. The dinners and tapas were absolutely amazing. Morgan Alexander of streetcar and Tacomaworks fame somehow ended up at our table near desert time. It was good to see several tables full in a place that had just opened days before. After dinner we came back down the hill to Matador where we sat around the fire and enjoyed a late evening drink. Once the clock hit midnight, we started the walk back up the hill toward the Stadium District and home.
We did a lot of walking.
I met several of new people last night. All of whom seem very interested in making Tacoma a better place. There was definitely an energy in the air.
Where to next?
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