[ad_1]
Midsummer we reported the strip of clubs near Deep Ellum was gearing up to get tipsier. Finally, we’re only two weeks out from the grand opening of Cash Cow on Friday, Oct. 4…
[ad_2]
Aaren Prody
Source link
Tag: nightclub
-
Seven injured in Long Beach shooting near nightclub
[ad_1]
Seven people were injured, four critically, in a late night shooting in Long Beach on Saturday, police said.
The shooting took place near South Street and Paramount Boulevard around 11:15 Saturday night, according to a bulletin issued by the Long Beach Police Department.
At least two men were suspected of firing into the group, the department said in an update Sunday morning. All the victims were adult men.
Videos of the aftermath posted to social media show a heavy police presence outside the Prendido de Noche nightclub nearby.
“This police department is dedicated and focused on arresting any violent offender utilizing dangerous firearms to victimize our community,” Chief of Police Wally Hebeish said in a statement. “The Long Beach Police Department has been actively investigating this shooting since late last night, and we will continue working until we identify and arrest those involved in this unacceptable act of gun violence.”
The department believes the shooting was “gang related,” but so far, no suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made, police said.
[ad_2]
Sonja Sharp
Source link -
Fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations kills at least 29 people
[ad_1]
Fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations kills at least 29 people
A fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations on Tuesday killed at least 29 people, officials and reports said. Several people, including managers of the club, were detained for questioning.At least one person was being treated at a hospital, the Istanbul governor’s office said in a statement.The Masquerade nightclub, which was closed for renovations, was on the ground and basement floors of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas district on the European side of the city bisected by the Bosphorus. The fire was extinguished.Gov. Davut Gul told reporters at the scene that the cause of the fire was under investigation and the victims were believed to be involved in the renovation work.Authorities detained five people for questioning, including managers of the club and one person in charge of the renovations, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said authorities were inspecting the entire building to assess its safety.Several firefighting and medical teams were dispatched to the scene, he said.
ISTANBUL —A fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations on Tuesday left 25 people dead and others badly hurt, officials and reports said. Several people have been detained for questioning.
At least eight people were injured, seven of them hospitalized in serious condition, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The nightclub, which was closed for the renovations, was on the ground floor of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas district on the European side of the city bisected by the Bosphorus. The fire was put out.
Gov. Davut Gul told reporters at the scene that the cause of the fire was under investigation, and the victims were believed to be involved in the renovation work.
Authorities detained five people for questioning, including managers of the club and one person in charge of the renovations, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
[ad_2]
-
Bang Bang brings sushi, Asian-inspired cocktails and house music to Tempe
[ad_1]
At Bang Bang, sushi takes a spin with pulsating electronica and custom mixed beverages. Located in Tempe, on the corner of Mill Avenue and Fifth Street, Bang Bang is an Asian-fusion restaurant, bar and dance club rolled into one.“Here we curate an excellent experience with great food with that sexy House music playing,” JD DiPalma, Bang Bang’s Director of Operations, says as he takes a seat on a blue-colored velvet couch paired with a marble-top coffee table. He explains, “This is reserved for couples when they eat dinner and afterward for bottle service. There’s three on each side of the club, and they get red ropes for the VIPs later at night.”
Bar-height tables and seating are spread throughout the 9,300 square-foot space. The multi-concept dining and dancing destination opened in December.
JD DiPalma, Bang Bang’s Director of Operations, is sitting in one of six VIP areas by the dancefloor.
Mike Madriaga
Cocktails set the scene at Bang Bang
The massive bar located on the left side of the dance floor packs a bevy of beverages from beer on tap to top shelf sake.
Kirin, a Japanese lager on tap, is one of the more popular beers amongst Coors, Modelo and local favorite Church Music. Sapporo and Echigo Koshihikari are other Japanese-made options served in a can or bottle.
The Signature Cocktails section of the menu contains an Asian-influenced roster. The Filipino-inspired Pinoy Collins drink has Bulldog Gin, simple syrup, club soda, and calamansi juice. Calamansi is a hybrid Southeast Asian native citrus.
DiPalma points to a drink served in a wine glass, “That’s an Espresso Martini right there, the best in Tempe. We got vodka, Mr. Black (coffee liqueur) and more espresso. I built some of the cocktail list and the menu. In this margarita, we use Mandarin juice instead of normal juice,” he says, referring to the $14 Spicy Mandarin Margarita with Serrano pepper and a Tajín rim.
Another fun cocktail is the $14 Tokyo Mule. It contains ginger beer, Grey Goose vodka, lime, cucumber and sake. Bang Bang imports higher-end sake made by HeavenSake and Tyku and also makes Sake Bombs.
The Asian Pear Mojito is served in a tiki head-shaped glass topped with a mint leaf. The $13 beverage contains Bacardi Rum and Midori pear liqueur and is shaken with pineapple and lime juice.
“It’s a top seller,” DiPalma says. “It’s like one of those things when you see it go out, and other patrons say, ‘I want that.’”
The Asian Pear Mojito is made with Bacardi Rum and Midori pear liqueur shaken with pineapple and lime juice.
Mike Madriaga
What to expect on the food menu
The raw menu has an array of finger-sized treats, including classic rolls, carpaccio, sashimi and nigiri.
Then there are specialty rolls, of which the Hello Kitty roll is the most popular, DiPalma notes. The $16 roll is wrapped in pink soy paper, stuffed with spicy tuna, avocado and shrimp tempura, and topped with scallops, spicy crab, eel sauce, spicy mayonnaise and panko flakes.
The $17 Zorro Roll contains salmon and cream cheese; it’s topped with spicy crab, jalapeños, eel sauce and spicy mayonnaise.
The first location of Bang Bang opened in San Diego just over ten years ago, and DiPalma explains, “we get our fish daily fresh from the same place we do in San Diego. We have a high standard coming from the coast.”
All the specialty rolls are less than $20 each and play on other iconic Asian pop-culture motifs. The Karate Kick is packed with crab mix, spicy tuna, avocado, cream cheese and jalapeño peppers. It’s deep-fried, then topped with spicy mayonnaise, tangy eel sauce,and a sprinkle of chives.
The Kill Bill roll also packs some heat with spicy yellowtail, cucumber and cilantro. It’s then covered with big-eye tuna, garlic soy sauce, eel sauce and fried onions.
The kitchen churns out a selection of hot and cold dishes. The Hello Kitty Roll (bottom right) is made with spicy tuna, avocado and shrimp tempura.
Mike Madriaga
The menu also has classic rolls, nigiri and sashimi. Itamae, or sushi chefs, handcraft the delectable pieces in plain sight at the sushi bar underneath a massive Eva Rodriguez print.
Artist Rodriguez, who used to be a sushi waitress at the Bang Bang location in San Diego, designed many of the massive prints inside the restaurant.
To the sushi bar’s right is a hallway packed with more of Rodriguez’s art and neon tubes designed in hiragana, Japanese characters. The hallway leads to the kitchen entrance, where the chefs make hot dishes and finger foods, including chicken katsu and fried rice, poke nachos, warm crab hand rolls and a smorgasbord of signature dishes, soups and salads.
A popular side dish for the nearby ASU students dropping sake bombs is a plate of six crab rangoons with a side of tangy Bang Bang sauce.
For larger parties, the $110 Kitchen Party boat, served in a miniature wooden boat, includes Bang Bang chicken wings, shishito peppers, gyoza, Bang Bang puffs, katsu bao, spicy tuna crispy rice and edamame.
There’s also the Roll Party boat, a $140 splurge that DiPalma says is the best-seller.
“That’s eight specialty rolls. We push big parties, and what do they want? They want that finger-food stuff where they order one or two big items, and everyone is just chipping away,” he says. “It’s a hit.”
Dinner and dancing at Bang Bang
The original Bang Bang concept, which opened in San Diego in 2013, was the brainchild of Islam Ahmed. DiPalma worked at the original nightclub and restaurant for two years prior to relocating to the Valley to open Bang Bang in Tempe last fall. He spearheaded the expansion with the same branding — including the club and restaurant’s design concepts and music choices.At Bang Bang’s 5th Street entrance, patrons are welcomed with Rodriguez’s artwork over the elevator doors just right of the stairway. Immediately to the left of the entrance, people are greeted by a receptionist surrounded by glossy subway tile that spells out Bang Bang Tempe. A directory sign hangs from the ceiling.
“On club nights, people wait in line up the stairs,” DiPalma says. Club nights start at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and sometimes on Thursday. During club nights, the kitchen stops taking food orders at about 9 p.m. prior to the club opening.
Along the long flight of stairs are neon lights, slat-wood benches and walls, living bamboo plants and exposed piping reminiscent of the Tokyo subway tunnel influences.
“We want basically by the time you come up here, you took five photos,” he says. At the top, the patrons are greeted by another host surrounded by white-colored faux flowers and a dozen elongated Japanese lanterns. The first thing most people see is a ginormous gold and silver mirror ball spinning amid LED strips on the dining area’s ceiling.
“All the tables here are on wheels, and later at 10 p.m., when the club gets going, the tables are wheeled outside or to [the] side of the room,” DiPalma says.
On the second level, the sexy house, EDM, electronica, techno, trance or progressive music playing on the booming Pioneer sound system ties everything together.
“It’s about the whole experience,” DiPalma says. “Here, you can get dinner and stay for the DJ show; it’s all in one.”
Bang Bang
420 S. Mill Ave. #201, Tempe
[ad_2]
Mike Madriaga
Source link -
El Hefe, the Troubled Hubbard Street Clubstaurant, Appears Closed
[ad_1]
After more than a decade on Hubbard Street, controversial nightclub El Hefe has closed its doors. The River North bar, owned by Scottsdale-based company Riot Hospitality, has been erased from the brand’s website.
The duration of the closure, however, remains in question. The company has “suspended operations” at 15 W. Hubbard Street, but would not confirm whether or not El Hefe will return, according to Block Club Chicago. Though the bar developed a bad reputation among locals, River North tourists continued to give the venue business.
A self-described “super macho taqueria,” El Hefe made its Chicago debut in 2013 amid the notoriously bustling nightlife strip in River North, operating as a Mexican restaurant during the day and an adults-only spot for dancing and drinking at night. But as the years passed, troubling incidents began to accrue, culminating in two women filing lawsuits against the club in 2019.
A Florida woman, whom attorneys dub Jane Doe, alleged in a suit that while visiting Chicago in October 2019, she was drugged and raped in an alley behind the bar while security guards stood about 100 feet away. Doe also alleged her attacker was known to El Hefe’s staff. The incident was recorded on a security camera and paramedics went on to transport an unresponsive Doe to the hospital.
That footage inspired a second plaintiff to file suit weeks later with allegations that she was also drugged and sexually assaulted in 2014 at El Hefe and that staff failed to intervene. At the time, according to the suit, a toxicology test and rape kit taken at the hospital confirmed the plaintiff was raped and drugged with Acetone.
For its part, El Hefe released a statement on social media in 2019 responding to the first lawsuit, claiming that its security guards did not witness an assault and promising to cooperate with police investigations. At the time, one of the women’s attorneys called the statement “absurd” and alleged that club management was withholding evidence from law enforcement. A spokesperson for Riot Hospitality later issued a more contrite statement, asserting that “reports like these are unacceptable in any part of our city… Any incident that tears at the reputation of the City of Chicago impacts all of us.”
That tone, however, didn’t extend to a January 2020 court filing in which the bar’s attorneys leveraged a common legal tactic: claiming that Jane Doe “was more than 50 percent of the proximate cause of the injury” — essentially, that Doe was responsible for her own assault.
The move was met with near-immediate criticism, and in the same month, more than 5,700 Chicago hospitality workers signed a petition calling for city officials to suspend El Hefe’s liquor license until police completed their investigations. The petition specifically pointed to the club’s policy of removing overly intoxicated customers through a back door, precisely as alleged by Doe in her suit, thus perpetuating a “dangerous workplace culture.”
Protracted legal battles followed. The second plaintiff’s lawsuit was dismissed for want of prosecution in March 2021, while Doe’s case was dismissed “by stipulation or agreement” (which could mean a settlement) in early January 2024.
Originally founded in Scottsdale in 2010, El Hefe also operated another outpost in Tempe, Arizona, which has also closed. The Scottsdale location remains open. Reps for the company have not yet responded to a request for more information.
[ad_2]
Naomi Waxman
Source link -
LAVO nightclub closing its celebrity-approved Midtown location, looking for new spot in NYC
[ad_1]
LAVO, the popular Midtown Manhattan nightclub known for celebrity sightings, is shutting down its E. 58th Street location.
“After 13 incredible years, LAVO New York is closing,” read a notice on the venue’s Instagram page. “Unfortunately, the building we are located in is set to undergo redevelopment, prompting a temporary farewell.”
The party will come to an end — at least for now — on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
The LAVO brand, run by Tao Group Hospitality, has since spread to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Singapore, and London, and soon plans to operate in Mexico City.
But the hotspot doesn’t appear to be done with New York.
“LAVO will continue to offer delivery and catering until we find a new home in NYC,” the group said in its goodbye message.
Celebrities including Jessica Simpson — who the Daily News was told once left a $300 tip on a $500 tab — is one of the many A-list names to pass through LAVO’s door.
Nick Cannon celebrated his 30th birthday at the nightclub in 2010, when he and Mariah Carey were still an item. Leonardo DiCaprio, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have also paid visits.
The Tao Group operates nearly 100 other venues in 20 cities across the globe, including 34 in New York. Those include TAO Uptown and Downtown, Little Sister Lounge, Electric Room, and the storied Marquee nightclub, which has also expanded to Las Vegas and Singapore since opening in west Chelsea 20 years ago.
Co-founder Noah Tepperberg told the Daily News Friday that he’s hoping to reopen LAVO in Midtown, but is open to the idea of taking it downtown.
“LAVO’s a special place that’s really part of our story,” he said. “We’re used to opening places, not closing them.”
Whenever and wherever LAVO opens its doors next, Tepperberg said the venue will operate as a restaurant rather than the bi-level nightclub-eatery it has been for more than a decade.
[ad_2]
Brian Niemietz
Source link -
International Association of Women Recognizes Michell Rebel Reyes as a 2019-2020 Influencer
[ad_1]
Michell Rebel Reyes, Sole Owner and President of REBELMC ENTERTAINMENT LLC, joins networking organization
Press Release
–
updated: Feb 5, 2019
CHICAGO, February 5, 2019 (Newswire.com)
–
The International Association of Women (IAW) recognizes Michell Rebel Reyes as a 2019-2020 Influencer. She is acknowledged as a leader in entertainment. The International Association of Women (IAW) is a global in-person and online networking platform with nearly one million members, 1000+ in person and virtual events, over 100 Local US based Chapters and International Chapters in several cities in China.“I’m pleased to welcome Michell into this exceptional group of professional women,” said IPDN President and IAW Spokesperson Star Jones. “Her knowledge and experience in her industry are valuable assets to her company and community.”
A resident of Las Vegas, NV, Michell Rebel Reyes saw the need for an entertainment company that catered to the needs of women, particularly those in the LGBTQ community. “Here in Las Vegas, everything is mostly for men,” she said. “For example, there is not one LGBTQ women’s bar or a space for women to hold their events; everything has to be shared with the men and their spaces.”
So, two years ago, Ms. Reyes founded REBELMC ENTERTAINMENT LLC, which provides themed pool and club parties, venues for all functions, party buses to local areas, and more, for women. “I promote it as being a safe environment for women and one that does not exploit them,” she said. As the Sole Owner and President, Ms. Reyes is responsible for all aspects of the business, including customer service, sales, marketing and promotion.
“I am an MC (Mistress of All Events) and also a VJ/DJ,” she explained. “I am able to MC the events and also VJ/DJ the parties.” In addition to playing the music and showing music videos on a screen, Ms. Reyes ensures the correct sayings, such as personalized birthday greetings, flash across the screen as the video plays.
Although getting a company up and running is costly and a lot of work, Ms. Reyes is rewarded by the fact that she provides her clients with entertainment in a fun and safe environment. An active member of the LGBTQ community, she was a member of a committee in Chicago that brought the first Gay Games to the city. “I also started the Las Vegas Gay Chapter and got funding for it from one of the major credit card companies that I used to work for,” Ms. Reyes said. “I was also the VP of the Betty’s Outrageous Adventure, which is the largest LGBTQ women’s club here in Las Vegas with a membership of over 3,000 members. My future goal is to have the first LGBTQ women’s restaurant and nightclub in Las Vegas.”
Education: Wirral Metropolitan College, England
About IAW
The International Association of Women (IAW) is a global in-person and online professional networking platform that provides nearly one million women the forum, professional development and services needed to thrive in an interconnected world. Through 100+ local chapters, International Chapters in several cities in China and 1000+ in person and virtual events, members cultivate valuable connections, develop professionally, and promote themselves and their businesses. Founded in Chicago in 2017, IAW is a division of Professional Diversity Network, Inc., an online network tailored to provide diverse professionals in the United States with access to employment opportunities.Source: International Association of Professional Women
[ad_2]
