A welcome holdover from the Roaring Twenties, the piano bar has outlasted other Jazz Age institutions such as the trombone taco stand and didgeridoo deli. Celebrate the enduring appeal of this musical establishment with today’s Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of dinner fare at Shakago Martini & Piano Bar.
Shakago's fine-dining menu brims with succulent dishes richly adorned in vestments of flavorful sauces, elegantly complementing the intimate setting. Perched in comfy seating, patrons can order hors d’oeuvres of scallops wrapped in bacon with a sweet pineapple demiglaze ($12.75, for dinner only) to serve as a gustatory counterpart to the smooth piano sounds emanating from the dining room. Dinner entrees fit for a Gatsby-like soiree include chicken saltimbocca sautéed with capicola, tomatoes, and mushrooms ($17.95) and swordfish blackened with Cajun spices ($15.95). During the week, late lunches of linguine and chopped clams ($8.50) or french-dip sandwiches served on kaiser rolls with potato chips and a pickle ($7) are sure to satiate the afternoon crowd, whereas a late-night menu served until 1:30 a.m. keeps jazz-deprived insomniacs from howling at the moon in fits of hunger.
Shakago Martini & Piano Bar
Bringing back the upscale nightclub atmosphere of yore since 2003, the staff at Shakago Martini & Piano Bar pairs an upscale menu of Italian-inspired pastas, seafood dishes, and steakhouse fare with a rotating schedule of entertainment every Wednesday through Saturday. While the downstairs area accommodates diners with a traditional restaurant setting, a combination of dim candlelight and firefly busboys illuminates the newly renovated and intimate upstairs lounge, where guests rest on comfy couches and chairs. The second floor also frequently hosts parties of 25–50 attendees, which Shakago caters with bites ranging from finger food to dinner buffets. Because enjoying the Pink Floyd's cover of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony can often take you into the wee hours, a late-night menu appeases appetites until 1:30 a.m. Monday–Saturday.