Originally published in D-Tales here.
You gotta love the Cadieux Cafe. One of the coolest bars in the city, tucked away way, way over on the east side, they've got one of the best beer selections in the city (their only real competition is the Berkley Front, which isn't even in Detroit, it's in Berkley), and one of the finest preservations of Flemish culture this side of the Atlantic. If memory serves me correctly, I believe this is the only place left in the states that still offers feather bowling--a favorite Belgian passtime--and their steamed mussels by the bucket are infamous in and around the city. Yes, it's beautiful to be Belgian at the Cadieux Cafe (and as a more than half Buffalo, I get to claim more than most--suck it, wannabes!), but it's okay if you're not.
The Cadieux Cafe is a great place to grab a bite to eat, grab a drink with some friends, play some feather bowling (what is feather bowling? --don't worry, they'll explain), have some coffee, smoke some ciggies, drink some brewskies, and...sing some karaoke.
Because Wednesday night is karaoke night at the Cadieux Cafe. And while there are many places in the city to find karaoke--Vivio's, the Comet Bar (which just had a Tammy Faye karaoke competition--tres interesante)--the Cadieux Cafe is probably where you'll find the most relaxed atmosphere and the best talent, not to mention the coolest crowd of twenty-somethings east of Foxtown.
Granted, it probably helped that it was over the holidays, and a bunch of the "cool" people were home visiting, and I just so happened to be with two such people who just so happen to be the coolest set of siblings ever, and they even broke out the Ross & Monica choreography during someone else's performance, and there was a lot of drama involving other people at the bar, and the night ended with me dodging a DUI bullet, but still. I am willing to bet that the Cadieux Cafe is a consistently fun place to be, even sans the super-fun siblings I was hanging out with.
So next Wednesday, get some friends together and head to the Cadieux Cafe, grab a Blue Moon, talk to Tom the karaoke guy, and have a blast. Have a chat with Tori, one of the regulars and a fantastic singer, and strike up a conversation with one of the many attractive singles at the bar.
Just be sure NOT to venture into the GP's after a night of drinking. You can't all pull the dumb pretty girl card like I can. You've been warned.
