fiber art outlet with "excellent ethnographic
things," says Mr. Patria.
Other galleries worth checking out:
Lawrence St. Gallery, an artists' coop-
erative (6 N. Saginaw); Uzelac Gallery,
contemporary fine art; ModernAge, dec-
orative arts (25 N. Saginaw); Riki Schaf-
fer Gallery, one-of-a-kind doll artists;
Jane Speaks Gallery, on Lawrence
Street.
"We've got every level of art at this point.
We've got the hard-edged to the high-end
studio craft," says Mr. Patria.
"It's never going to happen again, what
we're experiencing. the rebirth of what was
once a vital downtown, [but has] still the
grit and adventure feeling."
A good amount of the art in Pontiac "is
affordable and accessible," such as wed-
ding, anniversary, birthday gifts, he says.
Gallery: FunctionArt sells chairs, tables,
shelving, clocks, vases, in a price range of
$15-$15,000, plus little gifts: earrings,
bracelets, perfume bottles. Shows work by
a lot of Center for Creative Studies grads.
Mr. Patria, who has a degree in me-
chanical engineering, keeps his gallery open
until 8 p.m. weekends, "later if weather per-
mits. A great date night — you don't have
to force conversation, especially if it's a first
date. Check out the art, three hours of stuff
to do without breaking a sweat, then have
dinner and if things are going well, go to
I. the clubs."
By far, the best dinner spot on Saginaw
is Colangelo's (2 N. Saginaw) — which
rates highest for Italian food in metro De-
troit — you can get wine, appetizer, dinner
and dessert for $25 a person.
Owner Ernie Colangelo opened the doors
to this sparse deco spot a year ago, inspired
by his father — one of the original owners
Left:
Colangelo's: The best Italian
food in metro Detroit.
Right:
Bo's Bistro and Brewery:
College prep meets home-
brewed beers.
Bottom:
Diamonds & Spurs offers two-
stepping lessons early, decked-
out cowboys later on.
of Larco's on 6 Mile Road
— and his cousin, own-
er of Lelli's.
His aim: to offer great
Italian food at affordable
prices, says Ernie, who
was general manager of
Lelli's for 12 years.
Across the street sits
Bistro Allegro (1 N.
Saginaw), Pike Street
Restaurant and the
Coyote Club, all owned
by the same people.
Bistro Allegro offers
American food and late
night specials. The walls
are covered with gor-
geous murals, but the
word is the food's "so-so."
Downstairs from Al-
legro is the Coyote Club,
reputed to serve good
bar food. Gritty atmosphere, with more
than 50 kinds of beer and a $2 cover week-
ends, according to Dan Sousanis, assistant
manager.
Now for the night life.
Remember how the cigar craze hit bars
big and small a few years ago, tied loosely
with the 1992 launch of the thick stogie
mag, Cigar Aficionado? Well, Pontiac's got
the trendy, and the
cool, places to puff (but
don't inhale).
You will cough, and
your eyes will sting at
the Velvet Lounge
(29 S. Saginaw), but
you won't find this
night life anywhere
else — at least in this
decade.
With free mambo
and swing dance
lessons during the
week, it's no wonder
that the couples who
cut a rug on Velvet's
parquet really know
what they're doing.
Downstairs, you
can buy nearly any
kind of cigar (60 kinds
to choose from), al-
though they don't come cheap, -costing from
$4-24 a piece. Upstairs, have the bartender
fix you a (strong!) martini in flavors you
can't imagine — Red Velvet (Absolut Ku-
rant vodka, Cointreau, Chambord); choco-
late (Absolut, Godiva Chocolate liqueur,
three Hershey's Kisses); Work the Pickle
(Absolut Peppar, Tabasco, a kosher spear).
Cost: $5-5.50 each.
Owners Mark Peltier and Rob Potter,
who opened Velvet's doors in May 1996,
used to work together at Industry and trav-
eled from coast to coast looking for ideas
for a club of their own. They opted for "an
upscale lounge atmosphere with martinis,"
says Mark.
Mark (in two-tone wingtips and a dou-
ble-breasted suit) says the over-40 crowd
hangs out until 11, followed by the
youngers. Live bands on Thursdays, swing,
lounge and Latin rhythm on Saturdays,
house and techno Sundays. Whatever their
age, some people dress '40s and act the part.
Of course, others come in college cap and
jeans to hear 01' Blue Eyes. This is a great
place, totally unique ($2 cover).
A May 15 anniversary celebration will
feature the Atomic Fireballs with'special
guests the Swingin' Demons ($5 cover, tick-
ets available in advance).
Now you may laugh to imagine a bunch
of young Jews two-stepping or line danc-
ing in red cowboy boots. But the Diamonds
& Spurs crowd certainly warrants a one-
time visit — and you may just find your-
self swept away (literally) by the upbeat,
brightly lit fun of do-si-doing.
Next door to the Velvet, Diamonds &
Spurs offers country dancing lessons six
nights a week for $2-$4 per person, says
manager Ron Owens. Ever heard a coun-
try version of the Beatles? You will here.
Our question was whether Diamonds &
Spurs' clientele wear the fringed boots, big
belt buckles and tight, dark blue Wrangler
jeans all the time or just to come here. Mr.
Owens says it's a little of both.
"They come from all over, really, be-
cause we are tied in with the young coun-
try radio station (99.5 FM). A bunch of
them do it just to come ... here," he says.
The Pontiac clubbing scene has been
hot, if not hip, since my high school days,
but now it seems to be taking off with a
touch of class.
The most unique, and now most well-
known, is Clutch Cargo's (65 E. Huron).
This church-turned-club has four levels
of vastly different tunes and dance styles
and a line down the stairs and around
the corner like you wouldn't believe.
Owner Amir Daiza took the name from
a 1960s cartoon and used it for a concert
series he started 13 years ago
at St. Andrews Hall, says
Maureen McCurdy, promo-
tions director.
It used to be called the Sanc-
tum before Amir took owner-
ship, but local church groups
weren't too hot on the name's
religious reference, says Ms.
McCurdy. Clutch Cargo's
opened in late October.
From the outside, it's an im-
posing structure with neon re-
flections emanating from the
ecclesiastically-shaped win-
dows. I never made it inside.
Downstairs is a cigar-and-
martini lounge, complete with
cozy, candlelit tables and vin-
tage mid-century furniture. The
main level (which has "really
good acoustics since it used to
be a church") features concerts ti
and live Saturday night 96.3 FM broad-
casts. Third level: acid jazz and old school
funk. Top floor: trance (like it sounds).
Free on Fridays and Saturdays before
9:30 p.m. $5 after.
A few other mentionables: Gargoyles cc
Coffee Shop; Beale St. Blues (good mu- a-
.<
sic, not dark and smoky enough for blues,
but shows promise). LI
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