Friday, Oct. 11, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.
Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.
Maggie Albisani is a classy cabaret singer who has found a classy cabaret in which to sing.
Those who have been Las Vegas residents for a few years probably recognize the name -- Cafe Nicole.
"The place is wonderful," said Albisani, who is noted for her renditions of songs by Connie Francis as well as for a fan base that includes a fair amount of gay men (as well as straight).
Albisani is a busy songsmith. On Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. she performs at Hamburger Mary's on Paradise Road; Mondays and Thursdays she performs in the evenings at Romy's on West Sahara Avenue; on Tuesdays she's at Flex's (a gay bar); on Wednesdays (at midnight) she's host and judge of a beefcake contest at Hamburger Mary's; and on Fridays (6 p.m. to 11 p.m.) she's at the Italian American Club on East Sahara Avenue.
Saturday nights, beginning around 8 p.m., she's at Cafe Nicole.
Cafe Nicole was opened about 12 years ago by the same people who originated Cafe Michelle on East Flamingo Road. (It is not affiliated with the current owners of the new Cafe Michele.) It was a day-and-night hangout for many local movers and shakers, before the city and its number of restaurants exploded. And it's still popular with the lunch crowd.
"We get a lot of bankers, radio and TV people, business people, lawyers and politicians," Marlene Golamis said.
Marlene and her husband, Tony (owner of T&M Auto Sales in Henderson) bought the restaurant almost three years ago. Their daughter, Jeri, and her husband, George Pinebird, manage the venue.
They have retained the restaurant's elegant decor, sumptuous menu and refined atmosphere.
What Golamis and his wife want to do is to expand the entertainment, which is a work in progress.
They built a small stage in the middle of the dining area for a piano and, eventually, a band. There is floor space around the stage for dancing. Tables can be moved for more dancing.
Pianist Darren Michaels performs for the dinner crowd and on Saturdays provides the background music for Albisani.
Tony Golamis said the restaurant used to be closed on Sundays, but now it's open, and a duo (Carol and Carl) perform classic rock music.
There's not much by way of entertainment through the week, but Golamis said it's only a matter of time. "We're trying to get in different entertainers."
Kenny Kerr, a very different entertainer, performed a couple of Fridays in September for the after-midnight crowd. Kerr is a female impersonator who has performed in Vegas at a variety of venues for years, but currently is in Palm Springs.
Normally a showroom performer, Kerr was at Cafe Nicole as a favor for a friend. He may return.
"Our lunch crowd is fabulous," Marlene Golamis said. "We're trying to bring in a late-night crowd, which was why Kenny started after midnight."
"He was here two Fridays in a row," Tony Golamis said. "There was such a crowd we had to line up our tables straight, like a showroom. Everyone had a ball. He said he could come back."
Friday night's entertainment usually consists of Michaels on piano, accompanied by guitarist Marcel Longwell.
"They play nice, quiet dinner music, but after about 10 o'clock they kick it up," he said. "They can play any kind of music, dance or whatever."
If Albisani brings in the crowds (preferably older ones), he will add Fridays to her schedule.
One thing Golamis finds troublesome is that he isn't sure what kind of music people want.
"Our goal is to increase our dance crowd," he said. "But what do they want? Ballroom dancing? Rock and roll? We're trying to find out."
If you have a clue, drop by Cafe Nicole and tell them.
Lounging around
La Playa Lounge, inside Harrah's, offers live music seven days a week beginning at 11 a.m. and continuing until 3 a.m. or later. Rotating time slots in the Caribbean-styled nightclub are Flip Street, Party Gras, Rhythm Nation, Fahrenheit, Tony Marques and Don Rose.
Pianist Jeff Cox performs at the Imperial Palace's Nomiya Lounge at 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.
Spectrum, noted for its R&B and Motown sounds, can be heard at the Boardwalk's Lighthouse Lounge, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Purple Reign, doing a tribute to Prince, holds down the late-night spot Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 p.m. on.
The Bonne Chance lounge at the San Remo is a great place to dance to the sounds of Louina Champous. Her group performs 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays and 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Saxophonist Greg Piccolo will perform during the Boulder Blues series at Boulder Station's Railhead Thursday night. The free shows are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The Community College of Southern Nevada Band will help raise funds for the Joe Williams Music Scholarship Fund with a 7:30 p.m. performance Thursday at the Horn Theatre, on the CCSN Cheyenne campus.
Joining host Alan Broze at Romy's (aka Teddy's Bistro) one recent Wednesday for a jam session were pianist Doug Rol, bassists Chris Gordan and Red Michaels, saxophonist Robby Robinson and vocalists Pamela Lee and Lawrence Evening."
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