Comedy and The Graduate in Plaza-Midwood

The Graduate is the latest entry into the expanding Plaza-Midwood bar scene. The restaurant and bar opened in the spot that used to be Joe’s Raw Bar at The Plaza and Central Avenue on Friday. The grand opening will be next weekend.

Last Friday, about 50 longtime Graduate regulars, Joe’s Raw Bar faithful and neighborhood residents filed in after 9 p.m. The Graduate is more inviting than Joe’s, which felt dark and depressing. It’s lighter inside with lots of wood from the floor to the tables. There’s a pool table in the back room and the bar is now in front of the door.

Along with giving Plaza-Midwood area residents another watering hole, the Graduate is also home to the Charlotte Comedy Theater. The improv comedy group will perform in the Graduate’s back room every weekend. The bar will also have the NFL package for football season, but there are only a few flat-screen TVs. Still, if they’re showing the Redskins I’ll either be there or at Steamers.