night out in BK

Cue Happy Dance music. A night out, A night out, A night out! With, shhhhh....adults. One whole night when I didn't have to worry about tucking in or story reading that actually started at 2:00....no make that 2:30pm.

Our friends Nicole and Jamie invited us to go see one of their favorite bands last week. The band was playing at Brooklyn Bowl. I couldn't begin to imagine going to a bowling alley to see a band but I trusted them so we accepted the offer. Bowling Alley?-yes. Kick-Ass place to see a band?- also yes. They have 16 lanes but they are second to the rest of the joint. A cool little bar and food from Blue Ribbon are there to welcome you as you enter complete with local Beer (Brooklyn, Sixpoint, Kelso & Greenpoint ) I have to pause to fill y'all in on the eats.

view of the bar from our table

The menu had me torn. Should I get a salad, sandwich or entree? Mac & Cheese was so tempting but I always like to try something I might not get at home. Grilled veggies in any form are my fall-back and adding some tzatziki.....mmmmm but in the end, I went with the Oyster Po' Boy. It was great but a dash of hot sauce really added a lil' sumpin'. Our friends each got french bread pizza. The first time I ever had french bread pizza, I must have been in middle school. I remember the excitement of my friend Megan as she pulled it out of a Stouffer's box and put it in the toaster oven. She was in disbelief that I'd never experienced this important culinary creation. (I envision she may still secretly keep a box of this frozen delight hidden in her home) Megan would never believe Blue Ribbon's version of this treat. It was easily half a loaf of bread, open-faced and loaded with toppings. They looked magical and next time, I may have to hit up that section of the menu. Another thing that you can't pass up is the Rock and Roll Fries. I generally stay away from fries but they looked too good to pass up! Shoestring fries topped with gravy, cajun spice, provolone & cheddar. Just a step up from the diner's disco fries, right?

And who could resist our after dinner Bourbon St. Shake....with nutella...AND a shot of bourbon? We were all full but wanted to try it. Jamie asked the waiter to bring some small glasses so we could all share it. The waiter said he'd bring straws and we thought he was kidding until it arrived with four enormous straws. We felt kind of ridiculous but after tasting it, no one cared.

Bourbon St. Shake

Having been to this venue before and even just two days prior to our visit, Nicole insisted that we stand against the stage. She swore that it was the best place to be so we grabbed a few beers and headed straight to the front. We had a place to put our glasses and our purses so we were free to chill empty handed. We did still have a few jerks stand by us but after that was sorted out, the rest of the night went off without a hitch. The only drawback to standing up front was that the bathrooms are at the other end of the building but on the upside, the path you take leads you right past the bar so you can grab another pitcher as you head back.



We were there to see a band named Galactic. They are a funk and jazz band that has a strong New Orleans influence. Though they are an instrumental band, they often invite other artists to join them for their live performances. This time, Corey Glover from Living Colour joined them as their vocalist for the evening. What a treat!

The opening band was The High and Mighty Brass Band. Their website says that, "Their sound is a mix of classic New Orleans Funk, R&B and more modern influences of Afro-Beat and Hip Hop" They were a lot of fun and a great start to get the crowd moving. Nicole and I were joking what we could play the tambourine for them that night but they had that covered. A girl high on who-knows-what had that role. Dressed in her sparkly leggings, 1980'd leotard and wearing her old marching band boots with yarn tassels tied to them, she shook that tambourine (and everything else) as the HMBB got us going.

tambourine girl, cowbells.....what is better than this?

And now.......

the ceiling and industrial fan in this old warehouse

I don't have the appropriate words to describe this band or the rest of the night. I never stopped moving and I was totally in the zone. I have a little of their music on my ipod but to see them live is how you should listen to them if possible. I know that they have many albums to their name but the entire night felt like a jam session on crack. It was amazing and a night I will never forget.