Perhaps it should be called Biscayne Baby Boom: All the boomers are here, twisting and shouting, dancing to Soul Man and seeking R-E-S-P-E-C-T. A couple in their late 40s, she with a fedora, he with a dogrobber cap, do the jitterbug next to a man in a business suit twirling and swirling with his companion in a miniskirt.
A young man with spiked, moussed hair is wearing a long, green fluorescent earring in the shape of a horn. A woman walks up to him. “Oh, Adam, I love your earring.”
Welcome to Biscayne Baby (just Baby to the regulars, as in “Meet me at the Baby”), a full-sized party place, with a huge dance floor. For much of this decade, it has been a favorite of everyone from nearby University of Miami students to Coconut Grove yuppies. The steeper-than-average cover charge buys them entry into a dimly lighted, eclectic bar, where it is easy to mingle amid the musical underpinning of the most danceable hits from the 1960s and early ’70s.
Located at the highly trendy Mayfair shopping complex, Biscayne Baby occupies the top floor, and includes a gift shop, a ’50-style diner, and a champagne room (by appointment only, of course). If you want to escape this prison for the terminally trendy – or just the frigid air conditioning – there are tables outside, with an atrium in the middle. Staircases lead down to the shops and an Italian restaurant.
But if you escape, beware: The wardens are watching. Biscayne Baby employs an army of very large bouncers, wearing black shirts with “SECURITY” in white letters.
The rules, even apart from the pedantic signs (“Exit Only. No standing beyond this point”) are absurd, and unevenly enforced. A customer descended the stairs to the shops below and looked around. When he tried to rejoin his companion at the top of the same stairs, he was told he could not, and was ordered to re-enter at the front. This meant going outside into the rain. At the bottom of the staircase, the bouncers disagreed on whether the patron could go upstairs. Then at the top of the stairs, the customer was scolded for going downstairs with a drink.
If all that sounds like fun to you, you’ll love Biscayne Baby. The upside, presumably, is that fights are avoided, but the clientele is hardly shabby, so the high-profile security force seems somewhat superfluous.
The Baby is a night owl: On weekends in particular, crowds flock in increasing numbers after midnight or 1 a.m., right until the 5 a.m. closing.
The spotless cafe, which includes a counter and open tables, is a convenient place to satisfy inevitable munchies at reasonable prices. It offers a full menu of breakfast items and beverages, desserts, liqueurs, burgers, sandwiches and appetizers.
NIGHTLIFE NEWS
Fridays take on a new meaning at Mayfair Shops with the fashionable Coconut Grove shopping center turning itself into a center of entertainment at 6:30 p.m. The free weekly musical series features everything from classical to jazz, spotlighting South Florida talent. For additional information, call 448-1700.
— The Wet Paint Cafe, which triples as a cabaret and art gallery, is getting pretty serious about jazz. The modern-day coffeehouse on Lincoln Road Mall in Miami Beach presents the Jeff Palmer Trio Friday through Sunday, along with “the best U of M Jazz Players.” The cafe’s Sunday offering is a jazz brunch, complete with all-you-can-eat baby back ribs.
— Claire’s Celebrity Cafe, across from the Gulfstream Race Track in Hallandale, has opened its doors to the public. The new restaurant/lounge was known as My Place during a past life. Currently it’s a late-night congregating spot, open until 4 a.m. on weekdays (5 a.m. on weekends). The lounge has a dance area and presents live entertainment.
News concerning local entertainment events and performers is welcome. Please send such information to Joan Brazer, Nightlife Columnist, Entertainment Department, News/Sun Sentinel, 101 N. New River Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33301-2293.
BISCAYNE BABY
3336 Virginia St. Coconut Grove 445-3751
Music: Dance hits from the ’50s through the ’80s
Entertainment hours: 8 p.m. to closing nightly
Cover: varies, usually $3 to $6 after 8 or 9 p.m.
Minimum: no
Parking: Self-parking at adjacent lot, $3.
Street parking at meters.
Dress: casual
