Tired of spending every weekendĀ at the same bar or restaurant? Epicure & Culture has collected 12 unique ideasĀ for a specialĀ social eveningĀ in The United States — all with a culinary twist.Ā All of our top picksĀ have access to quality food to keep you fueled for bowling, live music, arcade games, culinary crawlsĀ or wherever the eveningĀ will take you.
1. Adult Arcade At Punch Bowl Social
Denver, Portland, Austin, Detroit & Cleveland
Punch Bowl Social has three priorities:Ā providing youĀ with top-notch cuisine, libations and nostalgic entertainment. The flagship location is in Denver, Colorado, although they’re all over the US, with more locations to come this year. Choose munchies from a GastoDiner menu that serves locally sourced, organic ingredients in comfort food creations like cauliflower nachos and āhipster chickenā brined in PBR and pickle juice. Sip on libations that span from adult milkshakes to sharable punchbowls to fresh juices. Then play old school games like pinball, boutique bowling, karaoke, darts, billiards, ping-pong or shuffle board.
2. Interactive Sommelier Smack-down at Philadelphia Wine School- Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ever dreamed of being on Iron Chef? The Philadelphia Wine Schoolās Sommelier Smackdown allows you to be the judge as they pit two of Philly’s top wine gurus in a wine and food taste-off. The contestants are challenged to pair the best possible wines for a four-course tasting menu, and you’ll savor the submissions to determine the winner. This Wednesday night event is a hugely popular and has earned mentions in both Wine & Spirits and the Wine Spectator Magazine. This latest hot culinary competition is held at the Wine School of Philadelphia on Wednesdays for $74.99.
3. Golf-themed Entertainment at TopGolf
Various cities in Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and California
Have you dreamed of playing golf after dark? Bring your family and friends to Topgolf, where the competition of the sport meets your favorite local hangout spot. This premier entertainment and event venue has fun point-scoring golf games for all skill levels, so anyone from the hopeful pro golfer to your neighborās 7-year-old kid will stay entertained and engaged. Pair a game with their Injectable Donut Holes and Mushi — Topgolfās ultimate creation featuring cilantro sticky rice, drunken beans, spiced chicken and Cheddar cheese neatly rolled in a jalapeƱo tortilla and garnished with sour cream, avocado and sriracha hot sauce.
4. Dinner & A Mind-Bending Show At Sushi RoXx
If you want a new after-dark take on dinner theater, look no further than Sushi RoXx located within The Tuscany, a St. Giles Boutique Hotel in Midtown East New York City. Diners can experience āPOP ROXX,ā a nightly spectacle where waiters and waitresses take orders before morphing into the nightās stars, singing and dancing to numbers expertly choreographed by former Pussycat Dolls star, Asia Nitollano. The restaurant comes alive as Asian cityscapes project behind guests, dragons weave in and out of the walls and pillars transform into waterfalls. Reservations and dancing are strongly recommended at this Tokyo-themed, restaurant-nightclub hybrid.
5. Al Fresco Dinner & A Movie At Street Food Cinema
Los Angeles, California
What could be better than a summer night spent on the lawn with a cool outdoor movie, tasty gourmet food trucks and live music? Launched in 2012, Street Food Cinema brings together the best in pop culture films, gourmet street food and progressive new music to reinvent the traditional movie going experience ā al fresco style. Each of these elements are carefully curated and combined to create a unique experience that keeps audiences coming back again and again. In 2015, Street Food Cinema will host 50 events in 11 different locations across Los Angeles over 27 weeks Ā every Saturday from May 2nd throughĀ October 31st.
6. Gaming Under The Influence
Chicago, Illinois
Are game shows your guilty pleasure? Every Friday from 8-11 PM, participate in the live, weekly, internet-broadcasted show Gaming Under the Influence in Chicago. Watch as three contestants battle in an interactive game show/arcade experience that consists of booze, nerf guns and smoke machines. If you are in Chicago and are over 21 you can get free drinking and gaming as you watch the show (just sign up in advance here). Gaming Under the Influence is in the process of adding a pop-up food element with local restaurateurs in the city so keep an eye out for that.
7. Vintage Dinner & Bowling At BreakTime Bowl And Bar
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
For those seeking a classy dinner and bowling experience, check out BreakTime Bowl and Bar in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Enjoy the atmosphere in a renovated 1920s historic mill building showcasing exposed brick, a sleek bar and comfortable leather sofas. Bring your own beverage and bowling shoes, but get ready for amazing food, not found in most bowling alleys. Meals are made at the restaurant Bread Lab downstairs, serving up ābooze and breadā centric creative comfort foods. Picture cheeseburger flatbread pizzas, lobster mac and cheese, queso-ladden plantain sandwiches and nachos topped with barbecue pulled pork. In this nighttime hot spot, the duckpins are hand set each time a guest bowls, and a staff personally returns the bowling balls to you as you bowl.
8. Picnic and Live Music At Grande River Vineyard
Palisade, Colorado
Dust off your lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Relax and rewind in a beautiful vineyard on the Western Slopes of Colorado with Grande River Vineyards āHeard it through the Grapevineā concert series. On Saturdays throughout the summer, they deliver live music, great wine and delicious food to benefit a variety of local charities. From jazz to Latin, bluegrass to classical, thereās something for everyone. You can pack a picnic or enjoy dinner prepared at the vineyard.
9. Downtown Napa Culinary Crawl
Napa, California
Connect with other foodies or enjoy a fun evening with friends at Napaās bi-monthly culinary crawls. In addition to the region’s legendary tasting rooms, discover the best of Downtownās renowned restaurants with a delicious culinary crawl on Thursday nights. These walking food and wine tour offer locals and visitors the opportunity to āWalk. Taste. Sip!ā their way through Napaās remarkable culinary scene. Each crawl lasts from approximately 5 to 8:30 p.m. and showcases three restaurants. Every evening features a different combination of stops so attendees can explore a wide variety of flavors where specially paired bites are paired with exclusive drink specials.
10. Piano Bar At Sid Goldās Request Room
New York City
Check out Chelseaās newest piano bar, Sid Goldās Request Room, for a contemporary take on the classic piano bar. Cmbining an interactive performance space and socialization saloon, the glitzy Mad Man-style venue brings customers back in to a time when a person at a piano entertained a crowd with party tunes, back before discos. Customers sit around the piano, sipping cocktails and munching timeless party pleasers like pigs in blanket and deviled eggs. The pianist determines the type of music, the style of performance and the general tone of the evening; however, don’t be surprised if you get a smattering of 60s and 70s pop, rock and soul, eighties and nineties new wave, disco and punk as well as 21st century indie rock and current pop.
11. Ā Table to Farm At Living Farm Cafe
Paonia, Colorado
“Farm to table” is all the rage in the current culinary scene, but how about spending a night going Table to Farm? Start with a winemaker’s dinner at Living Farm Cafe in Paonia, Colorado. During this fall dinner series, Chef Mike will construct a multi-course meal paired with local wines and spirits for an educational and social evening at a truly farm to table restaurant. Ā After eating, check out Chef Mike’s family farm right down the road to see where the ingredients are grown. On Tuesday nights, from 7-8pm, the farm welcomes visitors and members of the community to “Love a Lamb.”Ā Spend a few hours petting, snuggling and loving some of the farm’s cutest creatures. Ā This event helps the lambs socialize and helps create a bond between farmers and townspeople. Ā The Living Farm also offers felting classes in the winter, tours and other events.
12. Ā Old HollywoodĀ Walking Tour
Los Angeles, California
Do you wish you could travel back in time to Hollywood’s Golden Age of iconic, Art Deco bars, speakeasies and mobster hangouts?Ā Join Historic Hollywood Stars & Bars tours Tuesday to Saturday evenings for the opportunity to linger at bars once frequented by Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Ernest Hemingway. This walking tour will bring you to theĀ hidden bars and restaurants of Old Hollywood,Ā including history, ghost stories a drink in several different places inĀ order to experience the ambiance of these historic spots and a street foodĀ snack.
What’s your favorite unique dining experience with an activity twist in the USA?
By Katie Foote
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