Steve Tulipana and Shawn Sherrill have found great success with their Westport music venue and restaurant. RecordBar has been known to host singer-songwriter dinner shows, nationally touring experimental post-punk bands, local hip-hop artists, trivia nights, charity pub crawls, a rock band geared for 5-year-olds, DJs, an occasional karaoke throwdown, and one of midtown's best Sunday brunches. Yes, there is a full menu served until midnight of thoughtfully crafted and creatively presented dishes, such as the Hip to Be Square Burger and the Bat Out of Hell meatloaf sandwich. But mostly, folks show up for the music. Accessible to all demographics, all ages (depending on the show), and all hair and beard lengths, RecordBar is the place to catch emerging acts before they make it to larger stages.
The Riot Room rose from the ashes of the Hurricane. Booking some of the hottest names in local music, the scaled-down, cleaned-up spot at 4048 Broadway has quickly re-earned its cred as Westports rock-and-roll institution. Dimly lit and loud, the Riot Room can be intimidating or a godsend for those who are comfortable with the debauchery of the midtown scene. Claiming that its bringing wasted back in style, the Riot Room has a reverse happy hour at midnight. But early in the evening is when some of the areas most ubiquitous drinking musicians can be found at the circular bar.