Left: Irving Flores and Joe, standing in for Irving Flores and Kaylee Daugherty.; Right: Yes, more Mr. Nice Guy at Madison.

I booked 6:30 reservations for two at Madison on Park Boulevard. I had decided to ask a date out for the evening, and to my amazement, she had accepted. Our Lyft dropped us off under the big red & white neon University Heights sign that hangs above the Park Boulevard Business District. Madison was just across the street, and we approached what appeared to be the entrance — you know, the door at the front of the building. There was a vintage vibe about the place; four lights lit up the restaurant’s marquee: steel letters mounted on a pastel blue building. Walking in was an experience unto itself — that front door wasn’t the whole story. We proceeded down a long dark hallway; halfway down, we started hearing the music that was playing within. We walked toward the light and passed through a lounge music portal before getting spat out into the restaurant — a space they call their indoor patio. It reminded me of an old gym, or maybe an airplane hangar, because of the high arched wooden ceiling.

The entertainment for the evening was Irving Flores and Joe. This was only half-expected. Per the website, I was anticipating Irving Flores on keyboards with Kaylee Daugherty on vocals. Instead, I got Irving Flores on keyboards with Joe on percussion. The website also promised that the musical portion of the evening would run from 5:45 to 8 pm, but the nice girl who took my reservation said the music started at 6:45. So I got there at 6:30, expecting a few minutes for chit-chat before the show. But when I arrived, the duo was already playing.

After being seated, we were immediately greeted by our server, one Tony Isaac, who took our order for the first drink of the evening: the Mr. Nice Guy. The cheerfully named cocktail was made from Humboldt hemp-infused vodka, Illegal Mezcal, matcha, pineapple, coconut milk, and lime, with CBD oil dotted around a hemp leaf floating in the middle. For $19, it provided an explosion of alcohol, sweet, and sour, with a medicinal aftertaste from the CBD. The hemp leaf tasted sweet, as if candy-coated. I enjoyed the beverage and the conversation with my date, all the while waiting for the performers to go on a set break so I could talk to them. But the conversation proved so engaging that I didn’t even notice when the music stopped. When I finally did pick up on the pause, I saw that the performers were eating their dinners, and thought better of disturbing them. Instead, we followed their lead and ordered dinner for ourselves — plus another cocktail.

I went with the sliced skirt steak in jalapeno-mint tzatziki chimichurri sauce with guacamole for $19, and the warm tomato and burrata — cherry heirloom tomatoes, kalamata olives, garlic, white balsamic, basil, and olive oil, served with grilled sourdough bread. Another $19 added to my tab. Our next drink choice was the Motor Bike: Pueblo Viejo Blanco Tequila, watermelon, Aperol, ginger and lime. This drink was a little cheaper at $16. When I got up to go the restroom, my date looked at me and said, “Uh oh you’re going to break the seal.” Fair enough. I walked past the performers finishing their meals, under an archway covered in vines and...into the kitchen, which is where you end up if you overshoot the restroom doors. Once I found my desired destination, I was treated to a framed black and white photo of the pool at City Heights Skatepark to contemplate as I relieved myself.

As I was walking back to my table, I noticed that Irving Flores and Joe had finished their meal and were shooting the breeze. I stopped by and introduced myself before inquiring innocently, “I read on the website that there’s supposed to be a female singer, Kaylee Daugherty, on the bill?” Irving Flores gave me a look that hinted at details he didn’t want to get into before replying, “We got Joe instead tonight!” Both men wore fedoras; both exuded the suave elegance of jazz.

When they returned to their instruments, Irving Flores’s fiery passion on the keys and Joe’s well-timed percussions filled the whole space of the restaurant, and almost made it sound as if we were listening to a full jazz ensemble.

My food and beverage were awaiting upon my return to my table and my date; I let her know that “I love it when my food is waiting for me when I get back from the restroom.” Then I made an Italian Tostada by putting the skirt steak on top of the Tomato & Burrata. At least, that was the term my date and I came up with. It was delicious. After we had finished eating, our server Tony came and sat down to join us. My date asked Tony questions, as if she were the reporter.

“Has this place always been here or was it something else?” Tony said it was a restaurant called Archisects. But I think maybe that was the name of the contractor who built Madison.

My date looked at her menu and asked, “Do you guys make a regular margarita? I don’t see that on the menu.”

Tony rose and said, “I’ll be right back.” He came back with two margaritas. “I’m comping you two these.” I’d like to extend gratitude for that kindness here: thank you, Tony.

Madison also has a Tuesday Night Jazz Series with trumpeter Dr. John Reynolds. As for the rest of my evening: the mother of my grandson’s water broke and she went into labor a month prematurely. Let’s welcome Ashton John Garcia, born Monday, December 4, 2023. Nothing more ever developed with my date other than a good night, and that’s alright.