Thursday night I ventured to EP Delta Kitchen for their rooftop party the first time this year. I wanted to see how it compared to the Peabody and Madison.
EP’s is a little different in that it’s not a “rooftop party” in the traditional sense: The band still plays downstairs on the stage, as they do on other nights. The upstairs patio is open with a bar and seating at tables. Whereas, at the Peabody and Madison, the band plays on the outdoor patio itself.
However, I think the main selling point of EP’s rooftop party is the crowd. There were a lot of people there and I’d generally describe them as young, hip, and sophisticated, compared to the Peabody rooftop where I usually get a vibe that the crowd is young and trying REALLY, REALLY HARD to be hip and sophisticated. EP’s is more laid back, it seems slightly easier to get service at the bar when the place gets crowded, and you don’t have to deal with those stupid drink tickets.
I also think the later hours of EP’s party (8 to midnight) contribute to the good vibe. You get a mix of people – people who’ve already been to the Peabody or Madison and have chilled out a little after having a few drinks; service industry people who have gotten off early and are ready to have some fun; and people who don’t have traditional 8-to-5 rat race jobs who can stay out late.
So who has the best rooftop parties? For my tastes, I’m going to call it a draw between the Peabody and EP’s – the Peabody for the outdoor stage and the sense that you’re overlooking all of downtown; EP’s for the great service, great food and the crowd that goes there. I have to rank the Madison third, although that’s nothing against them, they do an awesome job too – it’s just that their rooftop is smaller and they tend to attract an older crowd. When I go to the Madison I’m usually in the youngest 20% of the people there. Next Thursday, however, the Madison will get the nod because the Dempseys will be playing. I’ll probably stop by EP’s afterward.
While at EP’s Thursday night, I met the drummer of a band called Blackberry Wednesday – he gave me the link to their MySpace page and I checked them out. They have a great sound. They’re performing on my building’s rooftop next Saturday, so I’ll get to check them out in person then.
Also had a great conversation with one of my regular blog readers at EP’s. We must’ve talked for hours. In keeping with the theme of the month, I tried to convince her to wear tube tops more often. After she left, I thought to myself, “I better go soon, it must be after 11:00.” I checked the clock on my cell phone and it was 1:18! Needless to say, Friday was a rough day at the rat race.
Didn’t go out at all last night… stayed home and got some quality sleep. Trying to decide whether to drive to the mall and buy some shirts today, or stay Downtown and work on my newest online store, which is taking forever to finish. Tonight I’ll be going out somewhere to celebrate.
Celebrate what?, you may ask. I’ll tell you Monday.