Denim & Diamonds

My employer was kind enough to set up a post holiday party for us here. We had private group two step lessons then stayed to hang out, dance, play pool and of course people watch.

This is a large place, big dance floor and multiple bars. They card every single person who walks in the doors with this little hand held thing that scans your i.d. It is non smoking and there's an outdoor patio of you want to smoke.

The lessons were a lot of fun. There was a lady and man who taught, you can tell they teach a lot because they did a great job of explaining. My husband and I had never two stepped before and we caught on fairly quick. It was nice to have the private lessons because then our group was able to practice some before the dance floor filled up once they opened.

From 7:30-8:30pm they open and have free line dance lessons. I watched and those looked tough, but keep in mind this was all new to me. A lot of people were out there enjoying themselves.

We only stayed till after 9pm. We enjoyed the lessons and all, but we aren't into dancing really. During the time the place was open there were not many young people there. The crowd was in their 40's and up. I don't know if any younger people come in after it gets later.

Overall this was a fun experience. The play was clean, staff was friendly. I'm not sure we'll be back because it's just not our thing, but if you like to two step and enjoy country music then you'd probably really enjoy it.

Let me start by saying that this is the type of place I normally wouldn't be caught dead in.  Let me also add that I am not a country music fan by any stretch.  However, my girlfriend is, and I was convinced to come here one night to see a Jerrod Niemann show.  Of course, I had absolutely no idea who that was up until the night I went to Denim & Diamonds.

For the price of a toy, which was donated to Toys for Tots, I bought myself an admission to this show.  We somehow won "meet and greet" passes, and were taken into a back room, where we met Jerrod. I definitely had a "WTF" look on my face, as I was shaking hands of a minor country music star, who I had never heard of until then.  Hey, he is a nice guy, and kind of cute, so it at least made for a good picture!

As for the bar itself?  Not too bad.  They definitely need to open a well or something on concert nights, because sometimes it took forever to get beer. Several people were up at the bar buying mixed drinks and shots.  The bartenders were fast, but competing with a line of twenty people is no fun.

The dance floor is decent sized here, and there are actually quite a few places to sit as well.  After the show (which wasn't that bad, really), they played some country songs and also a lot of popular top 40ish dance songs.  I was actually kind of surprised as I found myself dancing along.  I was also surprised at the number of lesbians at this bar.  A country bar in the middle of a warehouse looking area is not the place I'd ever expect to find a cache of Sapphic girls--ever.  That was a complete shock to me.    

Overall, I had a good time.  This is certainly one of those places you'll go with someone you love, but not ever by yourself... if you catch my drift!

I'll be honest.   I, personally, do not really care for Denim & Diamonds.  But that's because I'm not a fan of this particular bar genre (dance club, in this case country).    However I am still going to give Denim & Diamonds four stars because they execute the genre VERY well.   If you are into country music and want to go out dancing to it, this is probably the very best place in the metro area to go.

The interior space is huge -- big enough that there are actually four separate bars around the perimeter.   (Not all are open on slow nights, and other than about 3 stools at one of them there's no bar seating.)

The centerpiece is the big dance floor, but if dancing isn't your thing there's pool tables and other games to entertain you.  There's also a patio in the back.

Denim & Diamonds offers free dance lessons from 7:30-8:30 every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night.    The bar also regularly features live acts and brings in some really big names in country music.

Yes, as you'd expect, there's a cover charge.  It was $5 the last time I visited.  

Food-wise, there's a limited menu of fried appetizers.   Mixed drink prices aren't too bad, but it you prefer beer, be prepared for some of the highest beer prices outside of the P&L.   Unless you aren't going to have a lot, you're better off doing the $18  all-you-can-drink draft beer special (Fri-Sat only) or the $10 bottle buckets.