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Live Piano Dining Establishments
Four upscale dining establishments or cocktail bars that are currently open and have both a live piano and dancing space are Cicada Restaurant in Los Angeles, Bix Restaurant in San Francisco, Vito's in Seattle, and Table 13 in Dallas. Details of each establishment are below.
CICADA RESTAURANT
- Cicada Restaurant is located in the Historic 1928 Art Deco Oviatt Building at 617 S. Olive St. Los Angeles, CA 90014.
- This restaurant and club features live music and dancing on two floors, including at the Mezzanine Lounge and Bar on the Second Floor.
- In addition to live piano music, the restaurant also features a variety of bands and musical groups on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the year.
- This restaurant is considered upscale for numerous reasons, one of which is that it is named by Yelp as one of the "Best Upscale Restaurants with Live Piano Music" in Los Angeles.
- Another reason is that the restaurant's prices are relatively expensive, with Yelp showing its price range at $$$ out of $$$$.
- Its menu features a three-course dinner with steaks, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian options ranging in price between $58 to $79 per person.
- Finally, the decor is considered lavish, with "elegant art deco fixtures, stair rails, and molded plaster ceiling panels."
BIX RESTAURANT
- Bix Restaurant is located at 56 Gold Street, San Francisco, California 94133.
- This restaurant is a throwback to the traditional supper club and features music from the Bay Area's best jazz musicians. Each evening, diners are treated to live jazz from "solo piano to vocals and spirited trios."
- According to reviews on Yelp, dancing is encouraged at Bix Restaurant, as one patron in January 2019 wrote, "My husband and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary at Bix, San Francisco... it was one hella great night. Lots of food, drinks, and dancing!"
- It is considered upscale for several reasons, one of which is that its price range, listed as $31-$60 ($$$) on Yelp, puts it on the more expensive side of dining.
- Second, its decor is one of elegance, with a "soaring room of fluted columns, mahogany paneling, plush banquettes and distinguished artwork."
- Its "white-jacketed bartenders" and early 1940s ambiance give it the feel of a "civilized speakeasy, a supper club and an elegant saloon."
VITO'S
- Vito's is located at 927 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98104.
- This is an upscale lounge that features a central bar, grand piano, lounge acts, and great jazz.
- According to The Stranger, dancing is available at Vito's.
- Vito's is a "throwback to the old lounge days" of the 1950s, with low lighting, dark red vinyl booths, mirrors, and wood paneling.
- Although a full menu is offered, Vito's focus is live music, cocktails, and culture set in a mid-century, Italiano-style lounge.
- What makes it upscale is its decor, which has been restored to "its original mid-century glamour and style, respecting its colorful past and setting the course for a 21st-century resurrection."
TABLE 13
- Table 13 is located at 4812 Belt Line Rd., Dallas, Texas 75254
- This restaurant represents a "new era in fine dining, music and cocktails" and features live music Monday through Saturday. A baby grand piano "sets the stage for an elegant, yet... comfortable dining experience."
- According to a review of Table 13 in the Dallas Morning News' Guide Live, Table 13 is the "elusive grail of a certain segment of night-life consumers and providers: one place for dinner, drinks and dancing."
- This restaurant/bar is considered upscale because of its own website description, which states: "Table 13 offers vintage-inspired food, beverage in service in a distinctive, upscale atmosphere reminiscent of early 1960s."
RESEARCH STRATEGY
To locate upscale dining establishments and cocktail bars that have both a live piano and dancing space and are located in major U.S. cities, we began our search with Yelp, The Stranger, and Travelocity, among other review sites as these types of sources often provide lists of locations that meet specific criteria. While we found quite a few upscale restaurants and bars that offered live piano music, most of them did not have space for dancing. Others had spaces for dancing, but were dueling piano bars or other venues that were not considered upscale.
We were able to identify Cicada Restaurant through this search, which met all criteria of having a dance floor, live piano music, and being considered upscale. It is also located in a major U.S. city (Los Angeles). Unfortunately, there are no pictures available of the dance floor, so we were unable to determine its size, but the website itself says there is dancing available on two floors of the restaurant, so we assumed the dance floors can accommodate many dancers at one time.
Our next strategy to identify other establishments that met the criteria was to search for dinner or supper clubs, since in the past, these establishments offered dinner, drinks, and dancing. This was successful in that we located Bix Restaurant in San Francisco, which has live music (featuring solo piano artists, among others), a full upscale menu, and space for dancing. Again, there is no picture of the dance floor available, but reviews indicate that dancing is encouraged, so we assumed it also has an adequate space for dancing.
Since we had identified two upscale dining restaurants, we turned our attention to locating an upscale cocktail bar. As with our initial search, we continually came across venues that offered piano music, but either did not have space for dancing or were not upscale in nature (i.e. dueling piano bars). We finally came across Vito's in Seattle and even though it does offer a full menu, it is mostly focused on cocktails and live music. Review references to its lounge-like atmosphere allowed us to conclude that Vito's is more of a cocktail bar than a fine dining restaurant. Once more, there is no picture of a dance floor, but a review in The Stranger indicates that dancing is available. However, the lounge itself does not appear to be very large, so our assumption is that the dancing space is likewise not very large.
Our final selection is another upscale dining establishment located in Dallas that we came across during our search for an upscale cocktail bar. Table 13 offers a full menu and unique cocktails in an elegant atmosphere reminiscent of 20th century supper clubs. While a review indicates that dancing is available, there is no indication of how large the dance floor is. Pictures of the restaurant show that it is not a very large area, so we assume the dance floor is also on the smaller side.