My holiday nightlife wish
What do Amie and I want for Christmas?
We want a supper club. We want a high-end restaurant where you can get dressed up, eat a meal and dance the night away while a live band plays.
I guess you would call something like that a supper club. They were from another time altogether -- namely the 1920s-50s.
I'm not sure why they fell out of favor. Maybe they were too expensive to operate. Or maybe they didn't change with the times.
The accompanying photo is of Gardel's Supper Club, which closed about a year ago, if memory serves. It was the closest you could get to one of those vintage establishments.
What do you wish Baltimore's nightlife scene had?
(Photo by Christopher T. Assaf/Sun photographer)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Sam - I seem to remember reading about a few old school dining clubs around Baltimore. If memory serves, they were all pretty exclusive and expensive. Old money type stuff.
Posted by: bryanintimonium | December 22, 2008 11:33 AM
I wish Baltimore's nightlife scene had... safe, convenient, cheap mass transit. Oh how I wish I could walk a block or 2, get on a subway/metro line in Federal Hill, and arrive in Canton. Or Mt. Vernon. Or Charles Village. Or even just another spot in Federal Hill that's too far to walk.
Posted by: AC-M | December 22, 2008 11:51 AM
A job that would let me go out on the weekends. Grr....
Posted by: JTK | December 22, 2008 1:56 PM
I was listening to Big Band on XM thinking the same thing last night.
Posted by: Mark Twain | December 22, 2008 2:15 PM
Luckie's Tavern in Power Plant Live....live music, great food, and dancing with an old school Vegas look. Aside from Gardel's, that's the next best in town. and now they have $5 parking at Pier V garage
Posted by: Chris | December 22, 2008 4:12 PM
To AC-M: Word.
I miss Gardel's.
Posted by: Patchen | December 22, 2008 4:34 PM
Luckies is nothing like a Supper Club. It is a nice place, don't get me wrong, but the closest thing would be Ruth's Chris and the Havana Club where you can go have a nice dinner and then go upstairs to pay $15 for a martini. Baltimore needs more venues that have the ability to have live entertainment and bars that are open til 4am.
Posted by: jason | December 22, 2008 5:22 PM
I wish there was a place to dance, with great dance music (not techno like Mosaic and not ANYTHING like Iguana Cantina)- think Babalu on the weekends-- where the cover isn't obscene and they actually had good customer service. If you go anywhere like Babalu or TD Lounge they act like they are doing you a BIG favor by letting you be there.
Posted by: Kristen | December 22, 2008 5:57 PM
A piano bar that isnt over-the-top ridiculous like Howl at the Moon...and better parking everywhere.
Posted by: lore | December 23, 2008 2:28 AM
how about 'europe' in reisterstown? or another russian restaurant? there's definitely dinner and dancing. its still pricey, but it may be the slice of glamour and exoticism you need. second downside - or charm factor if you will- they're probably singing pop music disco style, not big band dancing.
Posted by: ddenisovich | December 23, 2008 9:44 PM
Posh Supper Club in Penn Quarter DC ... www.poshdc.com ... seems like you have drive down 95 for everything except Nevins :-)
Posted by: Totalvicky | December 27, 2008 3:33 AM
Mark Twain,
"I was listening to Big Band on XM thinking the same thing last night."
In this age of casual dress codes do you think that people would make concessions to more formal evening wear that was part of the glamour of the Swing Era?
GDA
Posted by: GDA | December 27, 2008 10:36 AM
GDA,
Well, the current economy isn't wouldn't help attendance, and I wouldn't recommend the concept for operation in Baltimore.
But, yes, I do think the concept would work surprisingly well in a wealthy suburb with a decent demographic percentage of younger retirees and older singles (45-62).
The only spot I could see the concept potentially working in Baltimore would be the 13th Floor, which in all reality, should be Baltimore's best bar.
Posted by: Mark Twain | December 29, 2008 11:21 AM