All right folks. Let’s just say that I’m not into karaoke. At all. Listening to me sing will make your ears bleed, and I try to avoid hurting the people I love. But I went to Jolly’s Piano Bar for a holiday-ish event, and I thought I’d report back.
First of all Jolly’s advertises itself as a “dueling piano bar.” I like piano bars, and dueling, so I thought this would be fun. Really, it’s two guys playing piano – one the harmony and one the melody. They both sing. They favor piano “classics” like Elton John, Billy Joel, and “Sweet Caroline.” Just so you know. You might love that stuff. You might also love the booth with light fixtures made out of microphones. These help the whole bar sing along, which is what happens at this place.
It’s like being at a college bar, at about 1am, when someone plays a “sing-along” song on the jukebox. You can decide yourself how you feel about that.
On to the food. Overpriced drinks, so take a few shots beforehand if you’re looking to sing. Jolly’s specializes in small plates, and I tried two. The above vegetarian spring rolls were alright, with shredded carrots and fresh pineapple, cucumber and red peppers, but their pre-sliced presentation just allowed everything to fall out.
Flatbread pizza is good, and I love local mushrooms. I had high hopes for this Kennett Mushroom and Locatelli pizza, but it was just all right. The crust was crispy-perfect but the sauce too sweet (I suspect some Prego). The addition of a saltier cheese (Pecorino, maybe) would have helped it out, but alas. What I DO like is that everything is served on these nice bamboo trays – a good “green” wood and cuts down on extra dish-doing! If you want little “share” plates, you’re going to have to ask for them.
If you like to sing with a room full of people, go for the tunes. I’d skip the food.
