Hot Spot The Balcony Club

You know the Dallas jazz scene is anemic.

But tucked in a small space above the Lakewood Theatre is The Balcony Club, a classic jazz haunt that recalls an era before chain restaurants and high-concept bars-a time when substance preceded image.

The difference at The Balcony Club is obvious as soon as you enter. Squeeze past the bar (watch out for the drummer’s cymbal on your right) and settle into one of several deep-set booths, order from the simple but good wine list, and listen.

Big AI Dupree and His Jazz Trio are the club’s highlight, playing jazz standards every Thursday through Saturday. They are the real thing, the kind of group you’d expect to discover at a club in Lower Manhattan.

The crowd at The Balcony Club is the antithesis of the see-and-be-seen bunch. Laid-back thirty somethings and Baby Boomers sit at tall tables or low booths, under the warm glow of art deco light fixtures. Music and conversation coexist peacefully. The applause between songs is surprisingly intimate, like congratulations being passed among friends.

That may be the best recommendation of all for The Balcony Club: Once you’re here, you belong. 1525 Abrams Rd.. 214-826-8104.