Best of Detroit 2011
Photo: Marvin Shaouni
What are you waiting for? Derby Girls are ready to be served at Roast (Readers' Choice for Best Happy Hour in Wayne County).
Spend the Night - Readers' Choice
The music venues and watering holes our readers treasure
Published: April 27, 2011
Best Club Night in Oakland County
Best Bar for Under 30s
Best Sexed-up Waitstaff
Best Dance Club in the Suburbs
Luna
1815 N. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-589-3344; lunaroyaloak.com
Luna is famous for its cadre of fetching dancers, rightly priced drinks and nightly variety. Things get poppin' mid-week with electro-pop Wednesdays, where MGMT will get you one minute and Depeche Mode the next, but they go totally retro on Thursdays, when the Luna dancers twist, shake and shimmy to '80s jams. Fridays are for letting loose, and that's an easy gear to shift into with $2 "you call it" drink specials. And when cover band, Killer Flamingos, plays live on Saturdays, the place simply rocks.
Best Bar to Meet Someone - Tie
BlackFinn
530 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-582-9460; blackfinnroyaloak.com
Pronto
608 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak; 248-544-7900; prontorestaurant.com
Sure there are myriad televisions vying for your attention, but at BlackFinn the scenery's mostly off-screen, all around you; babes and bros mingle hard in the saturated singles scene at this happenin' suburban bar and restaurant. There's also the occasional celeb strolling about, often with an air of entitlement. Whereas, a restaurant, bakery and gift shop, Pronto is also home to Video Bar — a thriving scene for southeast Oakland county's gay and transgendered community. With regular drink specials, Video Bar also hosts communal TV (both kinds) watching, with weekly viewing parties for shows (read: conversation ice-breakers) such as Ru Paul's Drag Race, Glee and American Idol.
Best Bartender
Andy French, Go Comedy!
261 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-327-0575; gocomedy.net
Bartender Andy French's grizzled, tweed swagger is parallel only to his ability to create pun-riddled drink concoctions, such as "The Pickleback" and, our fave, the "Cool Hand Cuke." The man further revolutionizes the age-old drink-slingin' gig by gracing the Go! Comedy stage, where he performs and hosts improvised comedy with the kind of natural charm reserved for a bartender.
Best Club for the Libidinal (Horny) Crowd - Tie
BlackFinn
530 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-582-9460; blackfinnroyaloak.com
Boogie Fever
22901 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-541-1600; boogiefevercafe.com
If you've always wondered why there's a line of people, in snow and rain, waiting to gain entry into the Royal Oak restaurant and bar BlackFinn, here's your answer: It's a centrally located joint with enough class to make even the most random hookup feel less cheap. And Boogie Fever, with its wacky dress code and retro soundtrack, has garnered attention in the last few years as a hot spot for lust-headed ladies and gents in their 30s and 40s — libidinal singles and scandalous attached folks alike. If you're hunting cougars, it's quite the sexy safari.
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