Wednesdays, July 8, July 22, and August 8, 2009

All sets starting at 7:00pm and as always…NO COVER

Julie Clark is well known in the Urban Folk genre.  Clark’s second full-length CD of all-original material, Change Your Mind, is crystal clear – both in terms of Clark’s vivid lyrics and the pristine sonic quality of the recording itself. You can see straight to the bottom of its sparkling pool of widely diverse emotions.

Newest Album Release "Change Your Mind"

From the ebullient hopefulness of the opening track “Change Your Mind” to the raucous fun of “I’d Do ‘Em All (if I could),” Clark’s songwriting addresses a broad range of human experience with surprising honesty and insight. Throughout Change Your Mind, Clark sings of love in its many forms, such as the poignant hope of restoring closeness with a sibling in “Growin’ Up” and an intense longing to be desired romantically in “Jacket.”

We are extremely excited and proud to have such a talent in our home. Please come by and enjoy these scheduled performances.  Our restaurant is elegant yet casual and always smoke free.  A great place to relax and enjoy wonderful live music.

See you there.

We have been lucky enough to get a trio from the local group Fuzzband to perform for us every Monday Night with the first set kicking off at 6pm.

Future schedule is not certain yet, but we hope to make this continues to be a standard event. Colley Avenue simply does not have enough musical options (if any) so we think it’s time to change that. This will be our first run so come and enjoy.

There is NO COVER CHARGE and we run some great specials throughout the night! Our intent is to simply have some fun and go from there.

So take advantage and enjoy some good music this Monday Night. Remember, every Monday first set starts at 6pm.…Cheers!

You can always see pictures of recent events and our restaurant in our image gallery. But, here are a few of our favorites.

	The view of our entrance from Colley Ave.
	No matter the address, we absolutely know how to have good time!
	The new tasting room can be really cozy…

Again, in the image gallery, we have quite a few more posted so feel free to browse. Look for more coming soon.

Just Another Picture @The Winehouse

October 1st, 2008 marked a very special day in the history of The Winehouse Bar & Bistro.  After months of extremely hard work and careful planning, we opened our doors to our spacious new location in the heart of the Ghent Business District area of Norfolk.

Now located at 1517 Colley Ave, right next door to the Naro Cinema, we have now become even more accessible to the residents of Norfolk with both street parking and a large parking lot directly in the rear.

In addition to greater accessibility, we now have over 120 seats including a covered Colley Ave. side patio.  We still have a private tasting room that comfortably sits 12-14 and table flexibility able to accommodate 40 or more.

But, of course, maybe what we’re most excited about is our expanded wine vault able to carry over 2000 bottles at full capacity.  Will our new vault we’ve been able to expand both our labels and wine by the glass program.  We now can begin to provide deeper verticals with some of the classics (ie. Opus, Dominus, ..) as well as expand our main focus of unique small batch wines not currently available anywhere in the local market.

We wanted to thank all of our friends who help support our move this past summer.  It was not an easy task, but it was well worth the effort.  We are continuely humbled by the support we’ve recieved from Hampton Roads.  Please come and enjoy the new diggs!

Early American Valentine's Day Card

From the midst of winter, every February brings with it both the anticipation of a long, sweet spring, as well as the distant thought of the inevitable warm summer day. Unfortunately, for most men, it also brings with it the dread and panic of another Valentine’s Day and the laundry list of apologies soon to follow. I will admit, I am part of this very club.

Yes, I have uttered the words, “Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a scam created by greeting card companies, and thus abstain from participation”. Yes, I have, on occasion, let Valentine’s Day pass without a gift, chocolates and even once, the simple card. My wife knows best that I would rather take a straight right cross to the nose, than to read poetry. I’m not exactly Hallmark material.

But, I vowed this year would be different. Not out of a sense of obligation, but because maybe for the first time, I’ve realized just how truly blessed I am to have her.

So exactly what is the origin of Valentine’s Day? Was it bred from a smoke filled room in the under belly of some multi-billion dollar conglomerate? Well, not exactly. Turns out there are some differing accounts of the true nature of Valentine’s Day. The holiday is named after some of the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine; most notably, Valentine of Rome (Roman priest AD 269) and Valentine of Terni (Bishop of modern Terni AD 197). 1

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Until 1969, the Catholic Church recognized eleven separate Saint Valentine days and although martyrdom is certainly not for the faint of heart, it wasn’t until the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century did the day became associated with romantic love.  In the United States, the first mass produced Valentine wasn’t produced until 1847 and the expanded tradition of gifts didn’t occur until the mid twentieth century. As it turns out, the present day tradition is a more recent phenomenon.

So, in searching a little deeper, I came across this simple quote: “I have learned not to worry about love; but to honor its coming with all my heart.” – Alice Walker

And maybe it was this statement that best summed up my thoughts. It was the word “honor” that caught my eye. I hope she knows I tend to speak more with my eyes, than with my pen. And, in knowing this, I hope she sees my undying commitment to her. The honor that I feel in being by her side. The day is not driven by a gift, but rather by the recognition of the other piece that makes you whole. To honor the struggle you often share and to appreciate the sacrifice that is often given.

Even prior to meeting her at the age of fourteen, it seemed our lives were already intertwined. If statistics hold, Lord willing, by the time we pass on, we will have lived almost three quarters of a century in each others presence.  This is truly the gift she has given me. And in return, my gift to her is to understand how truly lucky I am.

But, just in case I’m wrong, I still bought her a card.