• the217
• Food + Drink
• 88 Broadway makes mall into hotspot

It may have been the three to four gimlets I drank, or the drunken groping by the extremely intoxicated 50-ish women in white, or perhaps it was the feeling that out of town guests had been flown in as the sheer number of attractive mid to late 20-somethings, dressed to their finest, was more than the sleepy social ecosystem of CU could possibly support, but the grand opening last Friday night of Urbana’s newest night spot left me slightly bewildered, bemused, and yes, a little b-toxicated. 88 Broadway, “the most unique restaurant experience in Champaign-Urbana,” certainly lived up to that billing for its grand opening, and though this is not the most trying feat against the generally homey but homely beer and liquor drenched establishments that dot our small towns, a restaurant and bar featuring dueling pianists is a strange bird. Even the location is a riddle wrapped up in an enigma, making its home on the south side of Lincoln Square Mall, but the oddity of the surroundings did not seem to keep those searching for something different to do with their Friday night away.

From the time of my arrival at 8 till when I left at 11, the place was packed, the crowd waxing and waning from Tokyo subway rush-hour to rock concert revelry, with little in between. Beautifully designed with a classic nightclub feel, the restaurant features two levels, each with their own bar, and booths and tables located throughout the establishment. The two dining areas are situated on the upper level, but at least on Friday night, it was hard to tell where the eating ended and the party began.

Sam Monaco, Pete Wilson, and Ray Wheeler were the featured performers for the evening, although when I arrived a forth player was also sitting in. Sam Monaco and co. played first, for about an hour, and though the music was pleasant, it seemed more like a piano thumb-war than a duel. After a short intermission, the other two took over and things got going fast. The duo began by explaining the rules of the club — the evening would be an all request show, which you could submit by turning in a little form, and audience participation would be a necessity. The last probably did not need to be said as, for most of the evening, the boisterous crowd shouted lyrics, threw out comments, and hooted and hollered like you’d expect to see in an early 30s speak-easy which just caught the big band bug. The crowd became so big that tables and chairs were set up in the mall walkway and at least 30 to 40 people made the area next to Tang Dynasty and across from Hallmark theirs for the evening. Wilson and Wheeler led the night like seasoned pros, telling jokes, cracking wise, and catching the audience in that back and forth net that comes with many years of working a room. The requests submitted were the usual crowd-pleasers; “Sweet Caroline,” “Piano Man,” “Roxanne,” and “Eight Days a Week” all made their appearance, but I don’t think you can say you’ve lived till you’ve heard “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey played on two pianos backed by a chorus-crowd numbering around two hundred or more.

Other highlights of the night included a performance of “New York, New York” which featured the burlesque-like dancing of some nubile ladies, cheap drinks, John Denver’s “Coutry Roads,” and a general feeling of good-will towards men that permeated the establishment and which I carried with me, upon leaving, out into the warm summer’s air. As a friend joked that evening, when seeing the voluminous crowd that stood between us and the salvation of alcohol, “This place is probably going to take in more money tonight than the entire rest of the mall combined has in the last ten years.”