Looking for something to do this weekend? "Night Owl" is a quick guide to special nights at bars and clubs around town. We'll give you a few hints re: cover, dress code, music and atmosphere. Every Thursday marks Natalie Merrill at Kitchen 56.
Kitchen 56 plays the fine line between swanky and casual. The crowd includes families and older couples and the bar has an easy going, cool vibe. Thursdays feature Natalie Merrill and her acoustic renditions of everyone from The Beatles to Kid Rock.
Check out the latest installment here and our impressions after the jump...
The Place: 3433 N. 56th St.
The Time: Every Thursday, 4 to 7 p.m.
The Parking: Lot.
The Bar: Kitchen 56 has an open and airy atmosphere. Wine is definitely the focus but the inside and outside bars have a variety of interesting and creative drinks including Green Tea Adult Lemonade and Maple Manhattan, a maple syrup take on the classic. There aren't any drink specials but the happy hour lasts from 3 to 6 p.m. and includes $5 cocktails, $2 off wines and $1 off beers.
The Music: Natalie Merrill plays pleasant, if not a bit amateurish, covers of mostly classic rock tracks and a few more current artists.
The People: The crowd was exclusively families and older couples.
The Style: Casual but with an undeniably upper class vibe.
What we loved: The bar had a hip vibe but didn't try too hard. We also loved the ping pong table and the picturesque view of Camelback Mountain.
What we didn't love: The placement of the "stage" directly behind the hostess stand and the incredibly low volume made the music seem like an afterthought.
Are we going back? Yes, but not necessarily on Thursday.
