Vintage
4536 Magazine Street (upstairs)
Thursdays 6 p.m. - midnight

Friday classes optional. It was a kind of unwritten rule many of us lived by, back in my days as a happy little co-ed at LSU. Thursday was the big night to go out. Fraternity mixers, drink specials and live music at the bars, etc.

But out here in the real world — inasmuch as New Orleans can be considered the real world — Fridays are mandatory. Or maybe that doesn’t apply to everyone, because lately I’ve noticed that wherever I go, Thursday nights are happening. Restaurants are packed; bars are hopping. People are out. .

However, it takes more than a hip crowd, a hot meal or a drink special to get me out on a school night these days. Still, for the past two Thursdays, I’ve been bellying up to a new bar in town, one that is exclusively a Thursday night thing. It’s called Vintage (4523 Magazine St.), the beautiful, newly renovated space above Savvy Gourmet.

I was invited to the first gathering two weeks ago by the Savvy Gourmet’s Peter Menge and PR gal Kelly Rose. Here’s what they envision for Vintage: “Our dream is to create a comfortable, non-smoking club where art openings, bourbon tastings, private dinners, dance parties and everything in between come together. Where people can mix and mingle, create and inebriate. A place where people can get inspired and a have a martini. A place for you.”

Okay, maybe I’m just a PR writer’s dream target — but you know what? — I think it is a place for me! I had a lovely time at Vintage — chatted with lots of cool, creative people, sipped Champagne, nibbled at a cheese plate, checked out an exhibit of photographer Natalie Finnegan’s work. But really it was the people who were there that I found inspiring: friendly, interesting and laid back, creative but not pretentious. So if that sounds good to you, come check it out. (Enter through the door just left of the entrance to Savvy.) On the other hand, if you are boring, uptight or pretentious, please do us all a favor and just stay at home and watch CSI. I’m serious about that.

But to all open-minded, engaging and otherwise charming individuals: do come to Vintage this Thursday night — and bring your iPod with your top three songs to take your turn as at guest DJ. (I am planning to be there, even though the iPod I got for Christmas is still in its original wrapping in a bag in the trunk of my car.)

Also this weekend at Vintage: On Friday and Saturday, April 18 and 19, Chris Rose will perform his ASSHOLE MONOLOGUES. Doors open at 6 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased through a link on the Savvy Gourmet website calendar or by calling Kelly Rose at 975-9325.

Next Thursday, April 24 is the Jazz Fest kickoff party. Future plans for Vintage include things like “Dinner and a Movie” nights, game nights, ’80s parties, art shows and more. If you’d like to be on the Vintage email list for future event announcements, please send an email to Kelly Rose at kellygluthrose@yahoo.com.