Two Grand Venues & Two Graceful Answers

The two questions I receive most often are why do I write about, instead of, enjoy this city’s nightlife and am I interested in seeking a relationship with any of the venue bunnies that I have previously complimented (or more than complimented)… My pair of answers are as simple as the questions themselves…

Anyone who walked or viewed Park and Vine streets pre and post the Fleetwood Mac concert should a comprehend why five nights out a week (writing or not) is a coveted existence… From the bricks to the sidewalks to the venues, the bunnies were omnipresent… There were black dress bunnies, eighteen carat bunnies, fashion savvy bunnies, off the rack bunnies, and score bunnies… There was, literally within five blocks, a hookup for every hangover…

Regrettably, some of the bunnies (or not so bunnies) had finished hooking up for life… When did April 18 become official bachelorette party day in this city? The plastic crowns, the sashes, the pink balloon penises… Seriously, whatever happened to a bride’s beauty sleep before she wears off-white? Save your e-mails… I’m not demeaning weddings… They are a wonderful institution… With that said, the level of tackiness within the five blocks was enough to induce vomit…

Enough to induce applause was the spectacular evening enjoyed by both the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and Lodge Bar… I know I’ve discussed both venues previously, but what I haven’t discussed (and will in moments) is how similar the pair are… If one skims the obvious, the comparison is easy to botch… One is located on the bricks, the other on Vine Street… One has a club interior; the other has a wood interior… One is locally owned, the other is a franchise…

As I said, the comparison is easy to botch… What one must observe is the similarities in management and staff, in performance and personality… On this evening, the comparison of those attributes was simple and spectacular, as the pair waged an epic, easily stranding the other venues, who performed well, but were not on their level…

While Lodge Bar can occasionally appear gargantuan, given the sheer volume of size that the front door to the bar patio encompasses, the venue appeared as small as ever post-Fleetwood Mac… When I arrived, every bar was occupied and swarmed, the tables were swarmed, and the dance floor… The dance was floor was over crushed… Between the bunnies, the chasers, the post concert revelers and those to drunk from the Blue Jackets loss to depart, the venue was impassible…

Thankfully, Lodge Bar’s patio (according to them, the largest in the city) was finally open… And it was crammed with people… From the Blue Jackets fans, drinking on the second level and lamenting their loss to the patrons playing corn hole (yes, you can play corn hole on the patio), the all night, country bull session vibe was evident… The patio provided the perfect escape for those who had found their bunny and now wanted a conversation or those who were looking to ditch a heifer…

Since I mentioned patios, I’ll switch the conversation to Frog Bear and Wild Boar, which (as always) set the standard for patios in this city (due respect to Lodge Bar’s size, skill is involved as well)… I could take three hours and discuss the crowd, which was also over crushed… The bunnies on the patio alone were enough to make one not enter the venue… But, the entire scene… DJ Bombay’s spectacular spinning in open air, the makeshift dance floor (which was incredible), the bunnies dancing behind the bar as they retrieved your orders… If the Blue Jackets played with this much energy for one period, they might have scored a victory…

What Frog Bear and Wild Boar’s greatest attribute was, on this evening, is what it always is; they are a place for all palettes… If you want a club, enjoy the patio… If you want sports, they were offering the UFC Fight… If you wanted live music, Fat Dog’s performance was outstanding (we will hear more from them in the very near future)… They were, seamlessly, three venues in one venue…

Potentially, the grandest and most similar attribute Frog Bear and Wild Boar and Lodge Bar share is stellar management…I could spend another three paragraphs discussing Frog Bear and Wild Boar Owner Tom Selvaggio, but what I said on twitter is sufficient… I simply get smarter every occasion we speak… He knows the band and their strengths and weaknesses… He knows how the DJ will perform… He knows the players in the nightlife game and how the game is played… He is, quite simply, an encyclopedia…

Not to be overshadowed was, and I know I’ve said this before, Lodge Bar Assistant General Manager Trevor Day, a superstar among management in this city… I’ve yet to meet in this industry, someone more willing to discuss any subject, someone who understands more the value of information… He is supportive of any venture, whether he directly benefits or not… There are other managers in this city I respect as much as him… There are few I appreciate more than him…

The final similarity is the amazing staffs that both venues possess… It’s not only the superstar drink slingers, it’s the servers and sellers and promotions… For Frog Bear and Wild Boar, it’s the royal trio (and if you don’t know who they are, you haven’t been reading), Matt, Sarah, Grace, and the half dozen other people I spoke with last night whose names escape me (I apologize)… For Lodge Bar, its Jen Bunny, Rick, Joe, Nick, Jessica, Barbara, and Alexa (who was for some reason, rocking the librarian look last night)… Each execute their role and allow their counterpart to execute theirs, insuring an enjoyable evening, no matter the chaos…

Of course, I can’t talk Lodge Bar staff and let a column slip past without mentioning the thirty-six carat perfection, also known as Crown Princess Kadi… You think ultimately, I would run out of adjectives for her, but every moment that I speak with her, her personality amazes me… From our first conversation in the afternoon, where we discussed everything that we hadn’t in three weeks and she was captivating to our last conversation of the night, when I had a terrible experience and she was the concerned friend… Kadi again showed why no one, and I mean no other person, is on her level…

Which walks this column into the answer for the second question… Crown Princess, the Lucky Charms, the royal trio, and others are only subject matter… I don’t write out of attraction to them… I simply write these lines of their pretty face…