If you like to try your luck with games of chance, you might want to head to Cabana on a Monday or Wednesday night for its twice-weekly poker tournaments. Players of all skill levels are welcome, and the games kick off just before 10 p.m.
Belly up to one of the six to eight tables and you'll receive an initial stash of chips. If you have a run of bad luck and gamble away all your chips too quickly, you can "earn" additional ones by purchasing food or alcohol.
Prizes range from T-shirts with liquor logos to Cabana gift cards, but the real joy in winning is the right to brag about how high your stack of chips is.
I popped by on a recent Monday with no idea how to play the game, but I somehow managed to bluff my way all the way to the final table, an honor usually reserved for the most serious players. But, of course, it's easier to play like you have nothing to lose when you aren't gambling with real money.
MIRO
Miro District Food & Drink is a new upscale restaurant on the ground floor of The Adelicia brought to us by Jerry Brown, the man behind Watermark, and managing partner/chef Dean Robb. Miro opened its doors for business last week and has already become the newest place to see and be seen.
Hundreds of people poured in last Wednesday for a sneak peek of the airy, two-level space, sipping on donated wines and nibbling on tasty treats that offered a fabulous sneak peak of what Miro's menu has in store for foodies.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, serving Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a Southern twist. Yum!
DRINKYPALOOZA
My weekend in Chicago for the annual Lollapalooza festival was quite an adventure. It kicked off with a totally random yet completely lucky face-to-face meeting with event founder and Jane's Addiction front man Perry Farrell, just moments after I stepped through the gates. He welcomed my crew to the party and escorted us to the nearest open bar. Swear to Perry!
I knew right then it was going to be one heck of a weekend.
We caught nearly 60 bands, snuck into the VIP section during Radiohead's set, ran into Lindsay Lohan backstage, danced our booties off to Girl Talk, dipped our toes in Buckingham Fountain, went bowling with Bloc Party and Chromeo, got lost on the train and so much more.
YOU WERE SPOTTED…
* Figure skater Tonya Harding in town recording a song at Gene Breeden Studios. This attempt at converting to country is a long way from chasing gold medals, but at least she's not clubbing anyone in the ankle to get a leg up on the competition. Not yet, anyway. Jessica Simpson, watch your back!
* Music industry leader Mike Curb receiving The Cecil Scaife Visionary Award for his outstanding work with Belmont's music business program, the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
* "Sparkle Josh" Johnson hosting a screening of two HGTV shows, Design Star, the reality show that made him famous, and the new Summer Showdown series, for which Johnson is a special guest judge. The screening took place during a private party at Aerial. Of course, the place was decked out with fresh orchids, candles and towering floral arrangements -- one of Johnson's design specialties.
* Taylor Swift and Joe Jonas of The Jonas Brothers shopping together in the new outdoor shopping area in Hendersonville, Swift's hometown. Perhaps she was bringing her rumored new beau home to meet the family?
* Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, Elf) performing at Mercy Lounge with her musical partner, M. Ward, as She & Him. Special guests who joined the pair onstage included Karen Elson, Jack White's supermodel wife, and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.
* Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley and her son William watching a children's show with conductor Jack Norton at Whole Foods. A Byrd's Eye View reader reported that Williams-Paisley was super nice while casually chatting with surrounding guests.
