Photo Courtesy of Hell’s Kitchen Lounge
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this night. My good friend Nelson Pla called me up and asked if I’d wanna check out this place called Hell’s Kitchen Lounge in Newark. I hadn’t hung out in Newark in ages and I was hearing good things about this place, so I figured, why not. Besides, it was burlesque night.
I’ve never been a fan of strip clubs. The sleaze factor oozing all around combined with the concept of bilking clueless souls of their money never appealed to me. Ask me about the all-ages, all-nude joint in the boonies outside of Biloxi some day.
However, put me in a place of dark-red decadence fresh out of the seedy subconscious of a German cabaret. Add nearly-naked, Betty Page lookalikes staging campy performances, serve me ice-cold cans of PBR for $1.50 and I’m a fan.
That is Brick City Burlesque. A weekly feature every Thursday here at Hell’s Kitchen Lounge (150 Lafayette St, Newark). All it takes is a few alterations here and there to make sleazy sexy. To take the obscenity out and add entertainment in. There in lies the difference between a strip joint and a burlesque show. Sure it may be a hairline distinction, but it is a distinction i stick by nonetheless.
Feminine distractions aside, Hell’s Kitchen Lounge seems like an overall cool place to hang. I ran into friends I never expected to see. Afterward, I was getting messages from people saying they love this place. I’ll be back to check it out on other nights.
It felt weird being back in Newark. This is a very different city from when I hung out here many moons ago. The cleanliness and safety may take some getting used to.
See Also:
Hell’s Kitchen Lounge (website)
Hell’s Kitchen Lounge (facebook)
Hell’s Kitchen Lounge (myspace)
Hell’s Kitchen Lounge (twitter)
