The Afterthought

When you walk into a swanky jazz club like The Afterthought, you can smell the nicotine dripping on the walls. For some reason it doesn't tempt you to turn around and head back out the door. No. You still want to see what's inside and who might be belting out a tune at the piano or what jazz band might be set up on the quaint stage. The Afterthought is for groovy kids who have grown up and have groovy kids of their own. It's for people who have evolved, yet still have the need to kick back and check out the scene (and can do it without barfing in the back room). Head toward the bar if you like to smoke it up with the crowd, but stick closer to the door if you prefer clean air. It's just the way it's done at The Afterthought. more

Beechwood Grill was formerly La Scala. The change is good as the old Italian restaurant had really fallen behind with several other Italian restaurants surpassing it. The Grill is a nice restaurant, fairly pricey, but good value. The interior is in neutral colors with contemporary paintings by a local LR artist lining the walls. The food is very good with most entrees in the 15-25$ range. Brunch on Sundays is impressive. Next door is the Afterthought, a cozy little bar with frequent live music. The crowd in the bar is generally middle-aged or older and the music is too. This is a nice place to wind down after eating dinner. We recently popped in there for a few drinks after a wedding and returned to the church for the "non-alcoholic" reception. more