The Punch Room makes a “dad jeans guy” feel like a “skinny jeans guy”

I don’t do many cool things. I drink beer, watch SportsCenter, play with my baby and make Trader Joe’s frozen pasta with my wife.

So, when CharlotteFive got the invite to The Punch Room, I was excited.  I also love to support local psychos, so I’m a big fan of Bob Peters because I think he’s a mixology psycho and I respect the heck out of it. Their media event started at 5:30 pm.

Fast side story. I decided that since the Ritz is close to the CVS at the Epicentre, I would go do a health screening. Why the screening? $500 off my health insurance (on my wife’s BofA benefits, not C5’s). I was shocked at the efficiency and technology of their Minute Clinic. I input my name, they texted me 5 minutes before the screening, and the exam was Henry-Ford-efficient.

The point of my side story is that the efficiency of the CVS Minute Clinic resulted in me showing up 1 hour early to the event. Entering the Ritz is so freaking awesome. The way the bellmen open the doors makes me feel important.

I was in the lobby and thinking – okay, what do I do for an hour? I checked my Zillow app for 4 minutes in a comfy chair, then I got thirsty. I was trying to keep from drinking beforehand because I wanted to consume significant amounts during the event.

I ended up buying a $7 Heineken. I was unsure how much to tip on my credit card, but I went with an additional $2. That’s a nice Heineken margin.

5:34 arrives. It’s go time.

I had to give my name to a hostess at the lobby elevators, then I pressed the button for the 15th floor.

The Punch Room was everything I thought it would be and more. Let’s evaluate 4 different criteria: atmosphere, cocktails, food and service.

Atmosphere

• Love that this is a “sitting bar” and they cap the number of people that are allowed in, which is important to the vibe. Makes for an intimate feel. Music wasn’t loud, you could hear. I like hearing.
• 3 pockets of rooms and very loungey.
• At first, I was like “what are those beads in front of the windows” then as the sun set, I loved them.

Cocktails

• Bob is even cooler than he seems. I guess it’s a thing to give him an ingredient and he makes a specialty drinks using that ingredient. Ahhh, that’s freaking cool.
• Punch was refreshing and crisp.
• Like a terrible producer, but good cocktail consumer, I forgot all the names of the drinks we had. Sorry about that, got caught up in the moment. Delicious.

Food

• Surprised me as I didn’t even know they served food.
• Outstanding small plate selections. Pounded some charcuterie.
• The small plate concept matched perfectly with the vibe/cocktails. The Punch Room is the type of place you want to go to with fascinating people and have deep conversations. You kind of get lost there, in a good way. The food fits that.

Service

• I want to talk about this because it made a big impact on me. The Ritz is the Ritz because of the service.
• Talked with a lady named Heidi for a little bit and she was unreal. I stalked her on LinkedIn and looks like she is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Ritz. She rocked.
• We had a good crew (Jen, Katie, Kseniya and Kseniya’s man) and they treated us well.

Overall: A+ experience.

Tips:

• Go with a group of 4-8.
• Stay for a while. Meet Bob and savor the cocktails you order.
• Order some small plates and talk about philosophy.
• If people have “bad talk” don’t invite them.
• Avoid the $9 Heineken at the bar, go straight up to the Punch Room.

This story was originally published February 27, 2015 at 1:13 AM with the headline "The Punch Room makes a “dad jeans guy” feel like a “skinny jeans guy”."