Club Review

I was in Atlanta last week & had a chance to dance at the new Tongue & Groove.I'd recommend it.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when after the fabulous night at Top of the Park, my little crew and I drove over to El Camino Real. My first impression was a good one. Not only were the doormen nice, when we walked in they were playing salsa music. We were seated by a host immediately and had three waiters at arms length most of the time. They offer appetizers late into the evening which ranged in price from $2.50 for a cheese quesadilla to $11 for some monster nachos. Their claim is authentic Mexican cuisine and though they only served appetizers at that hour (after 11 p.m.), you could tell they were closer to authentic than many "Mexican" restaurants. My telltale sign is the type of flour tortillas they use. These looked like fresh, hand-tossed ones you might find at the tortilla factory in Detroit. From what I ate, I thought the food was good and a much needed boost after dancing in the streets for 4 hours already. The service was really great and friendly too The music was loud (but not too loud) and the variety of music was great too. Best of all, for me, was that the reggaeton didn't start until 1 a.m. Those of us who wanted to dance mostly salsa got what they were looking for. Whether or not that was the intent, DJ Sabor did a great job keeping everyone on their feet.

I actually made it down to Berts Marketplace last night. Rarely does my schedule allow me to make it out dancing on a Monday night but it just so happen that things worked out for this once a month event. It is nice little place to hang out with a patio and tables set up out front. Inside they have a small stage directly across from the bar with a small area for dancing in between. About ten tables are set up off to the side where a waitress will come by to serve food and drinks. I had the catfish dinner with a couple sides and it was very good.

When I walked in I had already missed the first set. While the band was taking a break, the floor was completely filled with about ten people taking a beginner salsa class by Rico from Energetic Soul. There were some new faces, a few familiar ones, and everyone was enjoying the class. Immediately following the class, La Inspiracion performed a final set with a few salsa songs, a cha cha, and wrapped up the show just before midnight. It was just enough for me to get few dances in and was back home by 12:30. It was a nice relaxing time.

Overall it was a nice night and nice intimate place to chill at the end of the day with chance to get a salsa or 2 in. The only down side for me is that it is too far away for me to make it there every time on a Monday. But if you happen to live downtown then it is definitely something you should think about making into an occasion with a couple of friends.

I went to Vicente’s Friday, December 14, 2007. I t has been a while since I had visited. I was looking forward to a new Salsa experience as well as having dinner.

Originally posted on www.detroitsalsadance.com

With a number of options being presented to us these days, to go salsa dancing, it is somewhat challenging to be everywhere at once. And if you’re having a hard time choosing what venue to attend for your weekly salsa fix, then go ahead and read on.

Now that is the way it should be!!!
Live music on the stage with and a huge dance floor filled with every salsero in the city throwin' down all night! It was an uncommon move to have a salsa night with live music Thursday night but it all worked out nicely. Grupo Salvaje impressed us yet again with the quality of their sound and the wide variety of old and new salsa. There were a lot of first-time people at the Harem Nightclub, hopefully some of them will return for our regular nights with DJ Shekyla. And people were buying drinks! Either bottled water or some of the other more exotic options. And as most of you salsa veterans know, high drink sales on a salsa night is a rare thing.

Well, I decided that since I needed to work late in Ann Arbor I'd forego my regular Thursday night salsa gig at Harem and go straight over to the Firefly Club on South Main Street in Ann Arbor.

"My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridito"
Ernest Hemmingway

As anyone who has been hanging out at the Harem knows -- it's a great place to dance, but maybe not always the best place to get a drink... However, the ever resourceful Sky Mambo team decided to do something about that and last Thursday they brought in a secret weapon. I had no idea what I was in for.

I went to the Heidelberg "Club Above" for the first time Friday, Sept. 21. While I arrived at the end of the lesson, I was impressed by the number of people that were there and it was packed by the end of the night. I can't vouch for the quality of the lesson, but I can tell you that I liked the energy of the place. Here's my take in general: