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Polo express The man behind the bar at The Polo Lounge is as classy and colorful as the bar itself by Dave Preston davep@newsreview.com / photos by Amy Beck
“I’m so proud of what we’ve done here for the seniors in this town,” says Perez, pictured here with his wife, Gena.
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The Polo Lounge is at 1559 S. Virginia St., 322-8864.
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here can you hear the music of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and polkas played on an accordion, under the same roof? A bigger-than-life Cheers-type bar on South Virginia, starting its ninth year of business, called The Polo Lounge. “I’m a saloonkeeper,” says owner Frank Perez. The legendary New York restaurateur Toots Shor told Perez many a year ago, “If you sell whiskey, kid, you’re a saloonkeeper.” And that’s been Perez’s vocation for 55 years. There’s a cast of real characters, regulars, at The Polo more colorful than the players from the TV sitcom take-off on a Boston bar. You’ve got gum-shoe Lou, the P.I. and former NSA operative during Vietnam, and Classic Car Bob, whose ’58 Buick, a convertible Road Master, is perfectly restored, and Construction Keith, who has no use for politics or politicians, Salsa Jack, who adds a APRIL 12, 2012
touch of class when ordering the most common beer, Budweiser, by asking for a “St. Louis Red.” You’ve got the boys from Coldwell Banker; the Prince of Pasta, humble Paola; and a Venus de Milo, Julia. And then there is the entertainment, never a cover charge. Four nights a week, there’s live music. There’s no generation gap at this watering hole. The clientele range in age from 21 to well beyond octogenarians. “This is more than a bar, it’s really a traditional cocktail lounge and cabaret,” says Perez. “It’s a place where everyone feels welcome, and everyone gets along.” “The King of Reno” Corky Bennett plays Wednesday nights beginning at 7 p.m. This keyboard whiz and interna-
tionally acclaimed accordion player brings in a senior crowd with all the big band favorites, and when he straps on the squeeze box, you bet the “Beer Barrel Polka” will roll out a few dancers. But mostly the folks come to listen and remember when. Bennett has written a book, Murder at The Polo Lounge, available from Amazon. “I’m so proud of what we’ve done here for the seniors in town,” says Perez. “Its the one place they can come every week and dance and listen to the musical memories of their time.” On Thursday nights starting at 7 p.m., Steve “Steve D” DiNicola has a Sinatra impersonation voice. He’s good, and will bring out the dancing crowd, everything from swing to a little rock ’n’ roll. And then on Friday
and Saturday nights, beginning at 9 p.m., it’s Johnny Lipka and Andrea, the Gemini Duo. This brings in the 20and 30-something crowd til the wee hours of the morning. Perez’s daughter, Gina, picks up the late night crowd around midnight and manages until closing when Perez goes home for his “beauty rest.” If there’s one thing you can’t help but notice the minute you walk in the door, it’s the gallery of photographs that cover most of the available space on the wall throughout the establishment. More than 177 tell the pictorial anthology of Perez’s life behind the bar. Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, sports-types like Joe Montana, Jim Plunkett, Stan Musial and San Diego Charger veteran Pete
