[Soon to be] serving fresh oldies.*
[Soon to be] serving fresh oldies.*
The number and variety of classic cars in the large brightly lit parking lot lets you know that you’re in the right place for a nostalgic evening. As you step from your parked car, a familiar song from the past fills the air, guiding you to the entrance of BABY-Bs. Rather than a silver diner with checkerboard floors, you discover a contemporary, upscale establishment.
A charming, professional-looking hostess promptly greets and welcomes you with genuine enthusiasm and hospitality. You immediately get that “V.I.P. feeling.” (If you arrive at 5’o clock, you hear the song “Five ‘O Clock World” by the Vogues [“It’s a five ‘o clock world when the whistle blows. No one owns a piece of my time…”] that traditionally signals and kicks-off an evening at BABY-Bs.) It’s easy, even natural, to check the cares and pressures of the day at the front door.
You’re escorted to the section of your choice: the Main Floor, which is in the immediate proximity of a stage where the live band and emcees/deejays do their thing, or Up On The Roof, a raised section that’s more intimate and conducive for conversations. Apparently there is no bad seat in the house; it just depends on your present mood. (For your health and ours, BabyB's is a smoke-free establishment.)
The décor artfully integrates the heart of the mid-1950s to 1960s music scene with contemporary interior design. For example, there’s a brick wall—reminiscent of the “early 60s basement dance parties”—on one side, giving way to fine furniture and fabrics. The high-end atmosphere is warm and relaxed yet you sense an exhilarating energy that promises a fun and memorable experience.
Your personal server warmly greets you with sincerity and focus, introduces him- or herself, and helps you with your beverage and food order. The service is very friendly and very professional. You don’t feel rushed or neglected; you feel valued, important, and special.
The beverage choices include premium beers, fine wine, and exclusive soft drinks and juices. This is not your corner bar & grille but rather, several cuts above the ordinary. At first, the single-page food menu seems to suggest a limited selection of food, but you eventually discover that the food items are unique and exclusive creations. Though traditional and down-to-earth, food selections have been given a “gourmet twist” to them. Is it possible for a domestic burger to achieve a degree of sophistication? Well, BABY-Bs seems to have done just that.
The high fidelity sound of familiar and friendly oldies music surround and embrace you like an old friend. Instinctively, without thinking about it, you find yourself singing along. “How is it that I still remember the words to these songs?” you ask yourself.
Song after song conjures up special and fun memories for you—hanging out at the local drive-in, learning and perfecting the latest dances in front of a mirror or with your friends, cruising down Main Street, slow dancing at your high school prom, your teenage crushes, and so on.
While the music has begun to transport you back to days gone by, you begin to notice that skillfully integrated into the contemporary décor are visual cues of the 50s-60s culture—pictures, posters, replicas, artifacts, and even advertisements of old products during their heyday.
You look around and notice that you’re not the only person having a good, personally satisfying time. People are smiling, laughing, singing, and starting to get up on the dance floor. They’re twisting to Chubby Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again,” doing the Mashed Potatoes to Dee Dee Sharp’s “Mashed Potato Time,” and the Bop and Jitterbug to the old Bill Haley standard “Rock Around the Clock.”
An evening at BabyB's continued ...
