I live south of Sanibel in Naples, Florida and welcome *any* opportunity to enjoy Ellington's. Two splendid opportunities came up for me in December: A family dinner, and then a return for dinner chez Ellington's before a show at Schoolhouse Theatre. On both occasions, it was the music that pushed the Ellington's experience to the top of the list labelled Great Night Out.
Ellington's decor suggests a neatly maintained '70s haunt. But it's a welcoming atmosphere thanks to sophisticated staff. One might imagine just barely missing the removal of hanging ferns cum macrame and ceiling hooks in the bar. And there's appropriately dim lighting for a jazz club, white table cloths, an intimate, handwritten placard on the table ("reserved for the "(name)" party), and a parquet dancefloor set 1930's style in front of the musicians. But without the Euro smoke. The menu is cleverly written. Ask the waitstaff for a laser light to read, if you don't carry a personal one. I noticed that the room temperature was comfortable each time, too. In southwest Florida, restaurant temps range inversely with the temp outside / The hotter it gets outside, the more frigid the inside dining room will be. Didn't have to use the Restaurant Sweater that's standard eqmt in most southwest FL cars, including mine.
But Ahhh the music. Definitely not pandering to the usual 'safe" MidWest suburban taste. This is jazz at its classical and egalitarian best . Rhythms for the arhythmic as well as for any natural musicians ; beats for the wise as well as the unHip; weird timing, riffs, and drum solos along with less ethereal yet lovely lovesongs. The Sinoff Quartet performed during my December visits. My 80-something Mom made sure the 20-something Sinoff pianist signed his CD for her as we reluctantly headed out at the end of the set.
On my second visit, curtain time kept me from staying for a whole set. But I was unexpectedly compensated by knowing that I shared the dining room that evening with Dave Brubeck himself. The maitre d' discretely signaled this jazz icon's entrance, enveloped by his family. How cool. So this is what Dave Brubeck does for a Great Night Out. He's at Ellington's for dinner and some music with his family - just like I'd decided to do (!) I stole some glances in Mr Brubeck's direction and decided that he may still be wearing his signature big glasses. As if he just came from the photo shoot for his 1954 Time Magazine cover, and didnt notice at all that his hair had turned snow white enroute from the parking lot.
That's the unique & timeless atmosphere offered by Ellington's.
I recommend it!
