sad….

It appears that ‘Betty Meyer’s Bullwinkle Cafe’ has closed. This is mildly tragic. Bullwinkle’s is (was?!?) one of those slightly dark (but still cosy/intimate) wacky bars that Rochester was exceptionally lucky to have. And they had been there *forever* (my Mom used to go there when she was my age).The 2002 D&C review (which is more articulate than I could probably be) said,

Look: Your weird uncle’s basement meets the perfect film-noir set: Uncle Bob shares a highball with Sam Spade, and you can sing along to Broadway show tunes with your Aunt Mabel. At the Bullwinkle Cafe, it’s always Christmas in July. And in August. And in September. Delicate shimmering lights grace just about every vertical surface, from the moose antlers to the chandelier.Clientele: From septuagenarian crooners to young Downstairs Cabaret Theatre cast members cutting loose after the show, including, if you’re lucky, Mr. One-Man-Show himself, Will Stutts.

Bullwinkle’s hosted 1920′s show tune sing-a-long’s accompanied by drum, accordian and piano on Saturday nights (the only night they were open). And there was a working (air-powered) nickelodeon. And people wore crazy hats. The kind that made me smile.But it appears that Bullwinkle’s has closed. There is no “closed” sign on the door. But for multiple Saturdays the accordian has been silent and the doors have been locked. And that makes me really sad…

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