225BatonRouge.com

Best New Club or Bar

Boudreaux & Thibodeaux

This hot new Third Street bar is no joke. There’s something about drinking on a balcony that’s irresistible. That’s reason enough to vote Boudreaux & Thibodeaux best new club or bar, but that’s not the only one. There’s a bar upstairs and another downstairs. From roots to swamp pop, there’s live music almost every night. To top it off, it’s decorated like the houseboat you left on the bayou.

214 Third St., 636-2442, myspace.com/boudreauxdowntown

Best Place for Girls’ Night

The Wine Loft

Remember that stylish little number you bought just because it was fabulous? This is the place to test it out, arm-in-arm with your gal pals. Mix and mingle in this hot spot or grab a seat on a leather couch and share some gossip. It’s laid-back enough that you feel at home, yet atmospheric enough to feel you’ve teleported to Manhattan. Plus, you can nibble on baked Brie while you sip your favorite wine.

304 Laurel St., 341-3948, thewineloft.net

Best Place for Guys’ Night

The Chimes

Beers, wings, burgers and good times beckon the guys to The Chimes.

Whether it’s the old-school pub décor, the man-sized menu portions, or the phenomenal beer selection, The Chimes is the ultimate place to chill with your amigos. Chow down on some blackened alligator while you add a notch or two to your ’Round the World belt, or just grab a few seats at the bar and watch the game on one of their flat-screen TVs. You and your bros never had it so good anywhere else.

Two locations, thechimes.com

Best Happy Hour

Superior Grill

Had a bad day? Go to Superior Grill for happy hour. Had a good day? Go to Superior Grill for happy hour. It’s from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day. There’s live music on the patio and fresh-squeezed lime juice in the margaritas. If you can’t find a table, just hover or have another cup of liquid courage and make some new friends.

5435 Government St., 927-2022, batonrouge.superiorgrill.com

Best Place for Dancing

Ringside at Sullivan’s

It’s an eclectic crowd that gathers every weekend at Ringside to mix it up on the dance floor. Regular live acts like the V-Tones and the Chris LeBlanc Band pack the place to the rafters every Friday and Saturday night, pleasing the crowd with both original tunes and top 40 hits. Just try to keep your seat once the place really starts jumping—the atmosphere is so electric, you may find yourself unable to resist the siren call of the beat.

5252 Corporate Blvd., 925-1161, sullivansteakhouse.com/batonrouge

Dancing at Sullivan’s

Live acts every Tuesday and Friday night means that Sullivan’s usually manages to avoid the trap of the top 40 countdown that so many dance venues fall into. But that doesn’t mean some songs don’t get repeated.

Ringside bartender Lindsey Mouhot gives us a few examples:

What song do you hear the most over here?

“Brown-Eyed Girl”

What song do you never want to hear again?

“Brick House”

Is there a song that gets everyone moving?

“Cupid Shuffle”

Best Martinis

Sullivan’s Steakhouse

The bar crowd is getting younger, the drinks are getting sexier, and Sullivan’s is one place that’s definitely on top of the trend. Beachy ’tinis like the mango tango and the margatini are fruity arpeggios to the classic, while the cleverly titled Dirty CEO should satisfy even the most diehard martini purist. Be sure to get there early since the bar fills up quickly—especially on Thursday nights, when the price drops to $5.

5252 Corporate Blvd., 925-1161, sullivansteakhouse.com/batonrouge

Ringside's Knockout Hit

With a dozen specialty drinks on the menu, Sullivan's prides itself on its drink selection and rightly so. With such a variety, it's a wonder any martini could emerge from the pack. According to General Manager Leonardo Verdi, however, it's Sullivan's signature “Knockout” hands down.

Verdi takes the bar side of his business very seriously. “The bar is the heart of the business,” he says, and the way he treats the drinks reflects that.

Walking into the steakhouse side, you might notice the enormous glass jar filled with pineapple slices arranged in a mesmerizing spiral balanced on one side of the bar. It's more than a conversation piece: it's the pineapple-infused vodka that makes the Knockout such a ... well, do we have to say it?

According to Verdi, the pineapples marinate for an average of nine days before the liquor is carefully strained through a cheesecloth and used for the drinks.

Now that's treating alcohol like an art form. —R.U.

Best Place for Live Music

Varsity Theatre

Three years running, you’ve voted Varsity Theatre the best place for live music. Sure the multiple bars help, but the giant stage and multi-level set-up make The Varsity an ideal venue. Local crowd-pleasers like the Michael Foster Project, the Molly Ringwalds, the Benjy Davis Project and Meriwether hold their own with national acts like The Crystal Method, The Bravery, Blind Melon, Candlebox, and Billy Bob Thornton, who plays there this month.

3353 Highland Rd., 383-7018, varsitytheatre.com

Tales of the rich and rocktastic

Bands keep Varsity Theatre crowds dancing.

If Varsity Theatre’s walls could talk, we’d probably hear way too much information. Thankfully they can’t, but talent buyer and marketing director Chris Lundgren can.

225: What live act has played The Varsity the most?

Lundgren: In the history of The Varsity, I’d have to say Better Than Ezra or Cowboy Mouth, but the Molly Ringwalds and the Chee Weez are close, if not more.

What’s the most absurd thing you’ve seen requested on an artist’s rider (backstage request list)?

Some bands try to get clever with the rider and request farm animals and prostitutes. The most high-maintenance rider was Dwight Yoakam—organic baby carrots and organic spinach in two sealed separate plastic bags not to be touched by a human hand. He also requested an egg-white omelet.

What’s been the most memorable show for you? Why?

Maybe not so much the performances, but for what occurred during or after, I’d have to say Cowboy Mouth when original guitarist Paul Sanchez announced he was quitting the band on stage. That was his last show. And a few years ago the members of Saliva were chasing each other around the bus around 2 a.m. after a show with brooms and bats trying to kill each other. That was fun.