DREW & THE WOO

Plotting out the third Drew and The Woo today. We have some great prospects.

The search for the perfect night out

Drew and The Woo is a regular Pineapple series that follows two young professionals as they look for the perfect night out in Delray Beach. They’ll need a happy hour, a sub-20-buck dinner, some live music and a late-night hot spot. Call it a scavenger hunt, bar crawl or even a mild bender. Either way, you’re going to want to follow in their footsteps.

At the end of the year, Drew and The Woo will select their top choice for each category and invite the whole city to come out and join them for “The Best Night Out In Downtown Delray.”

HAPPY HOUR

Buddha Sky Bar, a posh, relatively new addition to Delray Beach, sits three stories above Atlantic Avenue in the heart of Downtown. Happy hour includes half-off select drinks and menu items seven days a week from 5 to 6 p.m, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!

Ryan: We’ve really kicked it up a notch with this month’s choice. I had to pull out my best Kohl’s attire.

Drew: When your destination has the feel of a Manhattan martini bar, you have no choice.

Ryan: True. I think that’s why I’m so surprised we’re here for the best happy hour. With this view, and this vibe, they really don’t have to discount their menu to get me here.

Drew: I hate to bring up beer with this many delicious specialty drinks, but WOW do they have the best selection of Asian beers. Morimoto Hazel Brown Ale?

Ryan: Yes Sir.

Drew: And how about half off dim sum all day every Sunday!

Ryan: Dim sum? Sounds yum. Maybe I’ll get some.

Drew: Please stop.

Ryan: You’re right. Let’s just skip to the best part.

Drew and Ryan simultaneously: The Good Fellas Table!

Ryan: A little known secret about Buddha Sky Bar. There is a 12-person table on the roof that sits under the stars and over the Ave. Mood lighting and music from your very own playlist are just some of the perks.

Drew: But the coolest part is how you get there. Upon arrival, you and your party are guided through the restaurant, into the kitchen and out the back emergency door, where your table and private server await.

DINNER FOR
UNDER $20
Another fairly new spot, Off The Ave, features hot sandwiches and cold beer at a reasonable price. Patrons frequent this bar for fast grub, an array of televised sports and a little Golden Tee.

Drew: Love this place. It’s a modern take on the neighborhood bar concept.

Ryan: It’s strange because I want to call it a local bar, but it’s just so clean and the food is far superior. Plus, it’s really not too far off the Ave.

Drew: They should call it “Barely Off The Ave.”

Ryan: But maybe the name is less about the location and more about their identity. Drew: That’s deep dude. But I feel you. They’re flipping the status quo. Rather than taking the gastropub concept and delivering $20 burgers, they’re embracing their innergastropub and keeping it reasonable. Ryan: I feel very confident saying that Off The Ave’s turkey club is the best I’ve ever had. It was $7.99 and I coupled it with a Florida Swamp Ape Ale for a total of $13.99.

Drew: I also like how they’re a bar with sports, rather than a sports bar. You can catch the NFL, NBA, NHL and even MMA every night of the week. Yet, at no point does their fandom define their crowd or experience.

Ryan: This little neighborhood bar is starting to sound awfully dynamic and almost complex.

Drew: You’re right. Let’s rewind. Off The Ave features a great selection of sandwich- es, pizza, beer and a full liquor bar. An easy choice for a sub-20-buck dinner that doesn’t skimp on quality or flavor.

Ryan: Much better.

LIVE MUSIC

O’Connor’s: a real-deal Irish pub. The OC, as the locals call it, is open ‘til 2 a.m. every day and features some of the best live music in Delray. You can checkout their lineup for Friday and Saturday nights at oconnorsdelray.com.

Ryan: The first thing to note about O’Connor’s Pub is that they pour the best Guinness in town, period. It takes about three minutes and has a frothy top that leaves the tastiest beer mustache.

Drew: I’m going to second that. This isn’t a bar trying to capitalize on the Irish Pub scene. They are the real deal and their Guinness draft proves it.

Ryan: OK – enough about the perfectly poured Guinness. Tell us about the music.

Drew: Well, as I listened to Capt’n Reese tear the roof off the place (while enjoying my perfectly poured Guinness), I was reminded how intimate the atmosphere is at O’Connor’s.

Ryan: It’s crowded and loud and that’s exactly what I like about it.

Drew: Sure – but what I am referring to is the shared performance area. Either the band’s playing in the audience or the audi- ence is on stage. I just love that.

Ryan: It’s also one of the only places around where you can consistently listen to some serious blues.

Drew: I told you that.

Ryan: That was an independent observation delivered by The Woo for public consumption.

Drew: Settle it over a game of shuffle board and a perfectly poured Guinness at O’Connor’s?

Drew: Settle it over a game of shuffle board and a perfectly poured Guinness at O’Connor’s?

Ryan: Deal.

LATE NIGHT SPOT

The word “unique” hardly does this place justice. A neat spin on the upscale dining experience to some, and a chill late night hangout to others. DADA is for everyone.

Drew: What can I say? I pretty much live here.

Ryan: A Delray legend. If you don’t know DADA, you don’t know Delray.

Drew: An exquisite menu, live local music, full bar, art and the occasional spoken word.

Ryan: You haven’t told them why we’re here though.

Drew: I’m getting to it. There are plenty of places to get a late night drink, but very few places to get a late night –

Ryan: — bite to eat.

Drew: Way to steal my thunder. But yes, that’s what makes DADA truly special in our eyes. We can jump from bar to bar all night, but we always know where we’re probably going to end up.

Ryan: Outside, under a tree, listening to a band wind down as we do the same. A shared appetizer coupled with a craft beer or one of their famous fresh mojitos is all you need to end the night.

Drew: What if you have a sweet tooth?

Ryan: Good call. DADA’s dinner and drink menus are so good that you may forget to ask for their –

Drew: — Dessert menu.

Ryan: I deserved that.

Drew: Yes you did. DADA’s desert menu features items such as Warm Banana Bread, Butterscotch Pudding and S’mores

Ryan: Well said, Sir.

CHECK. TAXI. BED.

The premier of Old School Square’s Free Friday Night Concert Series in Downtown Delray was a huge success. Thousands of people enjoyed food trucks, music and fairly cool weather. The crowd properly represented Delray with an array of demographics.
 Below is the schedule for the rest of the series…

• October 14 – Amber Leigh (Crossover Country)
• October 21 – Ever So Klever (Swing)
• October 28 – The Hard Liquor Band (Rock)
• November 4 – The Resolvers (Reggae)
• November 11 – The Five Boroughs (Doo-Wop)
• November 18 – Playeros (Latin)
• November 25 – The Valerie Tyson Band (R&B)
• December 2 – The Blue Fire Band (High Energy Mix)
• December 9 – The Dillengers (Rock-A-Billy/Surf)
• December 16 – Shauna Sweeny (Pop)
• December 23 – The People Upstairs (Funk/Reggae)
• December 30 – TBA 

-The Woo

(Source: oldschool.org)