Monday, July 9, 2007

PAZO, Club Hippo, & Junior Vasquez (Baltimore, MD)

This past weekend I actually flew out to Baltimore, MD to meet up with my friend Stuart who had been out there since earlier in the week. It was a pretty quick flight, about 1 hour in the air, 30 minutes taxi time. My flight actually arrived fifteen minutes early, however it did take almost 30 minutes for the baggage claim from the flight to even start it's circulation. After retrieving my bag, Stuart showed me around the city of Baltimore and then we met his friends Charles and Eric at PAZO Restaurant (A Tapas Restaurant). Until this point, I was a "tapas virgin". This place was magnificent. Imagine an old vast revamped factory warehouse, restored on the inside with very modern, yet nostalgic design that feels like an old Spanish cathedral . Pazo is located in a rustic yet chic two-floor venue with an open kitchen, plush booths, mezzanine dining and a posh-meets-earthy bar/lounge. After Dinner and a quick tour through the downtown Baltimore area, we entered Club Hippo for the owner's 35th Anniversary party for it's patrons. Free drinks and Hors D'oeuvres, Hell Yeah, you can't beat that. Needless to say, I was pretty lit by 10:00PM. After a break and 2 bottles of water, I was ready to see the other side of the club and to experience what would be the best night out that I've had in quite some time. I practically danced the entire evening. www.clubhippo.com