Dinner at Dee's Place isn't just dinner—it's dinner with live music and eaten in a room that, in perhaps the venue’s strongest selling point, has an atmosphere unlike any other on this stretch of Division. Here, there is no irony, no DJ, no waitstaff plucked from the pages of Nylon. Just some tables, some great photos of musicians on the wall and a stage that takes up half the room.
Jazz and blues musicians are booked here, and if it feels as if they’re playing in your living room—or as if you’re watching them in a walk-in closet—you’ve got it all wrong. The turf is theirs. They aren’t playing in a dining room; you’re eating on their stage. And since this is the case, the food can come second. The jerk chicken will probably lack the punch you’re used to; the macaroni and cheese will only hint at the depth of decadence you want. But the fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, fried catfish? Well, these folks know how to use a fryer. And even if they didn’t, the staff here is so sweet, the band so charming, the vibe so chill that it doesn’t matter if the event is dinner or just that bottle of wine you brought—it’s going to be “special” all the same.
UPDATE: A previous version of this article stated that Dee's Place held only "special events." After this issue went to press they received a new license, and now serve dinner.