Music in Coral Gables Arises as the Pandemic Recedes
And The Beat Goes On…
It’s a weekend night, and you are wondering where in the Gables to take your date for some live entertainment. A few months ago, that might have been a problem. Now, with the end of the pandemic in sight, the options are cranking up.
If it’s jazz you’re interested in, nothing beats The Globe on a Saturday night. This restaurant and bar, announced by its glowing red neon sign (377 Alhambra Circle), exudes a perfectly cool vibe with three shows beginning at 8 pm. Currently, they are booked for the summer with Entre Amigos, an Afro-Cuban band that puts a jazz edge on Cuban music. Led by Latin Grammy percussionist Calixto Oveido, the show is stolen by sultry songstress Lily Hernadez. Are we in Havana or just some bohemian watering hole in Europe?
Speaking of Cuban music, if you want to lose yourself to the salsa beat of a four- or five-piece band, head over to Calle 23 (230 Miracle Mile). It’s loud, it’s crowded, and it may be just the kind of raucous dine and dance scene you’ve been waiting for since early 2020. Express yourself.
For something equally exciting, but with no requirement to strut your stuff, there is La Taberna Giralda (254 Giralda Ave.), which has a flamenco show every Thursday and Saturday night. They also happen to have a great selection of Spanish tapas and sangria, so you can imbibe while absorbing the staccato dance and Gypsy King music. Bellmont over on the Mile (339 Miracle Mile) has a more elaborate flamenco show, but just once a month.
If it’s something quieter you’re looking for, there is jazz night on Thursdays at Public Square, on the edge of South Miami (6915 Red Road). This is the former Shula’s Steakhouse, now reimagined as an American bistro with seafood selections in addition to the meat menu. You can usually find the basic jazz trio of keyboard, drums, and bass, always satisfying.
Even quieter, but in a good way, is the Cellar Club Bar at the Biltmore Hotel (1200 Anastasia Ave.), which on Friday and Saturday nights has a piano player and songstress. This is a windowless bar on the ground floor, a very cozy and sophisticated place to take that date of yours. Feels like you are tucked away in a big city somewhere.
In theory, by the time you are reading this, Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave.) should have returned to their Friday night music in the courtyard. The genres change, but the locale does not – the ever-pleasant B&B outdoor space, with its adjacent full bar and café for light meals. And, once a month on the First Friday, the next-door Coral Gables Museum is now sporting live music to accompany your perusal of the latest exhibition.
Elsewhere, live entertainment is also re-emerging. We are happy to see the return of the belly dancing display at Sawa(in the courtyard of the Shops at Merrick Park). Every Friday and Saturday night at 8:30 pm, the music comes on and the show begins, straight out of the Middle East. And while the Titanic Brewery on the edge of the University of Miami campus (5813 Ponce de Leon Blvd.) has not yet resumed its celebrated blues shows, they have brought back karaoke on Sunday evenings. So, go belt out a few choruses; the work week is about to restart.