Apres Diem Salsa on Tuesday by Nanette D. Massey

Apres Diem, Café & Bistro 931 Monroe Drive, Suite C-103, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 404.872.3333 Web: www.apresdiem.com

This is "Casino haven".
The 2nd Tuesday of every month this Meditteranian-influenced restaurant gives Julián Mejía the room in the back and run of the music selection. All salsa is played. Julian's emphasis is on Cuban style dancing and music ("casino/Timba and Son"). The salsa played at this monthly gathering is rich with swing and dripping with layers and layers of sassy frosted percussion rhythms. (Anybody else hungry all of a sudden?) It suits me, I have a preference for salsa music that accents its African cousin with heavy percussion, and is not over-produced.

The room for dancing is rather small, with couches and tables along the wall. But the great thing is the coziness gives it more of a house party feel. Almost the entire attendance roster is usually comprised of hard core regulars from the Atlanta salsa scene who all know each other (including my favorite male lead, "Casino Kevin"!). So it feels more like we're chillin' in somebody's living room, not like a crowded dance floor. Well, a living room with a waitress running through it every now and then. The group breaks out into an occasional rueda circle (which I love) but the evening and the space are not dominated by it, leaving those who can't dance rueda feeling excluded.

The evening always breaks a little after midnight, making it a bit easier to justify to myself going out on a week night. I don't have to count on discipline to bring me home at a semi-decent hour because I know I have none when it comes to dancing. There is no cover charge or dress code, and plenty of parking. I dig this "soirée ". It is the perfect pace for a week night gathering for those of us who just can't wait until Wednesday to get our next dancing fix!

See ya' out!